This is one of the best exercises you can do for full-body stability as you get older, according to a personal trainer who works with seniors
Focus on strength, balance and stability for your senior years
One of my favorite exercises to address a declining sense of balance is the weighted overhead march.
This move targets the muscles in your deep core that are responsible for supporting your pelvis and spine, keeping your body upright and stable as you move.
Dr Andrea Osborne, a physical therapist, mobility trainer and work-life balance coach with Work Life Wellness, agrees that it's a great way to build stability.
“The core is engaged to keep you stable for both marching and maintaining an overhead position,” she explains.
She says it also challenges you to maintain balance on one leg at a time, while building muscular endurance in your shoulder and arm as you hold a dumbbell overhead.
How to do a weighted overhead march
Set: 3 Reps: 10 each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell on your shoulder.
- Engage your core and press the weight overhead.
- Raise one knee to hip height.
- Pause briefly.
- Lower your knee and repeat on the other side.
- Complete your repetitions on one side, then switch arms.
Start by doing three sets of 10 repetitions on each side, three to four times per week.
“As you get stronger, then you can do it more frequently,” says Osborne.
You’ll need a moderately heavy weight for this exercise.
Always get approval from your medical team before trying a new exercise if you have injuries or limitations. Stop if the move causes pain.
“This may be difficult if your balance is a bit shaky, so feel free to rest your other hand on a surface,” says Osborne.
“As you get stronger, use just your fingertips for balancing until you are ready to be hands-free.”
How to modify and progress the weighted overhead march
Make it easier: Remove the weight and perform a bodyweight standing march with your arms by your sides. This still strengthens your deep core and sharpens your balance.
As your strength improves, you can do a bodyweight overhead march, with one or two arms extended overhead while marching.
Once that feels easy, try holding a light weight in one (2-3 pounds).
Make it harder: Use a heavier weight or extend how long you march for.
Dr Andrea Osborne is a physical therapist, mobility trainer and work-life balance coach. She works in an orthopedic clinic and has her own online wellness business Work Life Wellness where she supports people from teens to mid-80s. Osborne is passionate about injury prevention and promotes accessible strength training as well as mobility training to help improve longevity.
