FA40 #2: 4 Essential Lower Body Exercises for Everyone Over 40

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's easy to overlook the importance of maintaining a well-rounded fitness routine. 

While upper body workouts often steal the spotlight, the significance of lower body exercises cannot be overstated, especially for adults.

Incorporating lower body workouts into your fitness regimen is not just about aesthetics; it's about enhancing overall health, mobility, and quality of life.

So today, I am going to show you 4 essential lower body exercises that everyone over 40 years old should be performing on a regular basis. These exercises will not only help you get stronger, but they will help you perform better in life and stay healthy into those middle aged years. 

Let's dive in.

4 Essential Lower Body Exercises for Everyone Over 40

1. Goblet Squats
2. Split Squats
3. 2-Dumbbell RDL
4. Lying Leg Curls

1) Goblet Squats

Goblet squats offer several benefits that make them an excellent exercise for adults trainees.

Goblet squats will improve your lower body strength, help build core stability, increase both mobility and flexibility, and decrease the load on your spine compared to front or back squats. 

How to Goblet Squat:

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower your body as if sitting back into a chair, keeping your chest up and knees over your toes.
3. Go to around paralle, then rise back to the starting position.

Incorporating goblet squats into your fitness regimen can help improve your overall strength, stability, mobility, and functional fitness, making them a valuable addition to any workout plan.

2) Split Squats

Split squats are a highly beneficial exercise that can contribute to improved strength, balance, and overall fitness. They are a phenomenal lower body exercise for older trainees that are looking for a joint friendly way to train their lower body.

Much like Goblet Squats, Split Squats will improve your lower body strength, help build core stability, increase both mobility and flexibility, and will also help to improve balance and coordination.

How to Split Squat:

1. Stance: Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Positioning: Take a step forward with one foot, approximately 2-3 feet, depending on your height and flexibility. Your feet should remain hip-width apart for balance.
3. Balance: Your back foot can be on the toes or flat on the ground, depending on comfort and stability. Most commonly, the back foot stays on the toes.
4. Lowering: Slowly bend both knees to lower your body. The back knee should move towards the floor, and the front knee should bend to a 90-degree angle.
5. Alignment: Keep your torso upright and your core engaged. Your front knee should be aligned with your ankle and not move past your toes.
6. Depth: Lower yourself until your back knee is just above the ground or as low as your flexibility allows without compromising form.
7. Rising: Push through the heel of your front foot to straighten both legs and return to the starting position.

Incorporating split squats into your fitness regimen can help improve your overall strength, stability, balance, and functional fitness. This makes them a valuable addition to any workout plan, whether you are a beginner or an advanced athlete.

3) 2-Dumbbell RDL

The 2-Dumbbell Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a valuable exercise for a variety of reasons, offering benefits for strength, stability, and overall fitness.

RDL’s will strengthen the posterior chain of your lower body, help build core stability, and improve your hip hinge (huge for many aspects of daily life). 

How to 2-Dumbbell RDL:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing your body).
2. Keep a slight bend in your knees and your back straight.
3. Hinge at the hips, pushing your hips back while keeping your back flat and your chest up.
4. Lower the dumbbells along the front of your legs, maintaining a neutral spine. Go as low as your hamstring flexibility allows without rounding your back.
5. Engage your glutes and hamstrings to reverse the motion and return to the starting position.
6. Keep the dumbbells close to your legs and your core tight throughout the movement.

Incorporating the 2-dumbbell RDL into your routine can significantly enhance your strength, mobility, and overall fitness, making it a valuable addition to any workout program.

4) Lying Leg Curls

Leg curls are a valuable exercise for targeting and strengthening the hamstrings, providing several benefits that contribute to overall lower body fitness and injury prevention. They are also a machined based movement, which is extremely safe for older trainees looking to stay both strong and healthy.

Much like RDL’s, leg curls will strengthen the posterior chain of your lower body, help improve knee health, decrease the risk of injury while exercising, and will isolate a muscle group (hamstrings) that are often neglected.

How to Leg Curl:

1. Lie face down on the leg curl machine with your knees just off the edge and your ankles hooked under the padded lever.
2. Extend your legs fully but avoid locking your knees.
3. Flex your knees to bring your heels as close to your glutes as possible, squeezing your hamstrings at the top.

Incorporating leg curls into your fitness routine can significantly enhance hamstring strength, balance muscle development, improve athletic performance, and reduce the risk of injuries.

In Summary 

Incorporating lower body exercises into your fitness routine is a holistic approach to improving health and well-being. 

From enhancing your strength and improving performance to promoting overall health and overall well-being, the benefits are vast. 

So, lace up your sneakers, grab those weights, and start reaping the rewards of a stronger, healthier lower body today. Your current and future self will thank you!

In health,

Craig

----------------------------------

Thanks for reading! Here are some ways that I may be able to help you...

One on One Coaching: Are you a busy adult that wants to get stronger, get leaner, have more energy and build a body you can be proud of? Then you can apply for one on one coaching here.

Join the Newsletter: If you like content like this you will enjoy my weekly newsletter, The Fit After 40 Newsletter. I'll share actionable health and fitness tips to help you get lean, stronger, and live a healthy life as an adult. Join 8,500+ subscribers here.