Latest from Fit&Well in Cardio-strength-workouts

All you need is a set of dumbbells and these five simple exercises to build stronger arms

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

When you have minimal time to exercise, it's important to have a routine that's both effective and easy to remember.

That way, you can jump straight into your workout the second you're free.

If you're currently on the hunt for something that ticks those boxes, try this upper body routine from Ani Oksayan, personal trainer and vice president of fitness at Chuze Fitness.

It's designed to be approachable, easy to follow, and simple to repeat.

“These five foundational exercises target the biceps, triceps and shoulders—the muscles responsible for many of the pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying movements we perform every day,” she says.

There is a particular order you must follow for this workout, so don’t switch it up.

“By alternating muscle groups, you can keep moving while one area recovers, making the workout both efficient and effective,” Oksayan explains.

Five exercises for stronger arms

Biceps curl
Overhead triceps extension
Lateral raise
Hammer curl
Triceps kickback

“Choose a weight that makes the final two or three repetitions feel challenging while allowing you to maintain proper form,” says Oksayan.

“Quality movement will always produce better long-term results than lifting heavier with poor technique.

1. Biceps curl

Primary muscles: Biceps and forearms

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, holding dumbbells.
Bring your arms to your sides, palms facing forward.
Lift the dumbbells toward your shoulders without swinging your torso.
Pause briefly at the top, squeezing your biceps.
Slowly lower back to the starting position with control.

Form tips:

Focus on controlling the lowering phase slowly, without letting the weights drop, to work your muscles in both directions.
Keep your elbows tucked close to your body throughout the movement

2. Overhead triceps extension

Primary muscles: Triceps

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, holding a dumbbell vertically with both hands cupped around the top.
Raise the dumbbell overhead, arms extended straight.
Slowly bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head, as far as comfortable.
Raise the weight back overhead, fully extending your arms.

Form tips:

Keep your upper arms as stable as possible—the movement should come from your elbows, not your shoulders.
Keep your elbows pointed forward and close to your ears.

3. Lateral raise

Primary muscles: Middle deltoids

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inward.
Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise both arms out to your sides to shoulder height.
Slowly lower the weights back to your sides.

Form tips:

Focus on control, not momentum, and avoid swinging the weights.
Avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears at the top of the movement.

4. Hammer curl

Primary muscles: Biceps, brachialis and forearms

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inward (neutral grip).
Bend your elbows to lift the weights toward your shoulders.
Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat.

Form tip:

A neutral grip helps strengthen your biceps and the muscles that support grip strength for everyday lifting and movement.
Keep your elbows close to your torso.

5. Triceps kickback

Primary muscles: Triceps

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 60sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells.
Hinge forward from your hips so your torso is almost parallel with the floor, while keeping your back flat and core engaged.
Bend your elbows to roughly 90°, keeping your upper arms close to your torso.
Extend your arms straight behind you.
Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

Form tips:

Avoid swinging the weights.
Think about extending through your elbows and squeezing the back of your arms with every repetition.

I did 10 burpees every morning for a month—the biggest change wasn't my fitness

Maddy Biddulph — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

When I started planning a cycling vacation, I realized I needed to boost my strength and fitness to enjoy the ride.

I decided to set myself the goal of doing ten burpees before breakfast every day.

Why burpees? This high-intensity, full-body exercise works multiple muscle groups, improving muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness at the same time.

There are several burpee variations and modifications—I did the advanced version with multiple jumps and a push-up.

My goal was to improve my stamina, endurance and VO₂ max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use.

A bigger VO₂ max means you can exercise for longer at a higher intensity, so uphill cycling feels easier.

As it turned out, 10 burpees a day wasn’t enough to noticeably improve my fitness, as I’m already relatively fit.

Instead, the biggest improvements I experienced were mental and behavioral.

Here’s what I discovered and what surprised me the most from doing this 30-day challenge.

It helped kickstart my day

Despite the struggle of getting up early to do my burpees before breakfast, and still being sleepy and bleary-eyed for some of them, the burpees actually helped me feel more alert and ready for the day.

Once the shock of sleepiness had subsided, my morning burpees became a trusted way to wake myself up.

It gave me a mental boost

My fitness routine can fall by the wayside when I have a lot on my to-do list, but doing a set of burpees first thing ensured I exercised even on my busiest days.

The burpees boosted my mood and gave me a great sense of achievement before the working day had begun—and this positive mindset stayed with me long after the reps were finished

Doing the burpees while the rest of my household slept allowed me to clear some mental fog before breakfast, letting me tackle the day with more focus and clarity.

It reduced my usual morning stiffness

One of the perimenopausal symptoms I’ve been experiencing lately is joint pain and muscle stiffness when I wake.

This achiness is thought to be due to declining estrogen levels, which contribute to increased inflammation in joints and connective tissue.

Disrupted sleep—another common perimenopause-related issue I'm navigating—can also lead to tight or stiff muscles.

Surprisingly, by the end of week one, I noticed that my daily burpees blasted away this tension and stiffness.

By the end of the month, using my Apple Watch fitness tracker as a measure, I hadn’t noticed any significant changes to my fitness apart from shaving off 10 seconds from my 10-burpee time.

For bigger improvements, I would need to dial up the challenge.

But my mood and mornings have noticeably improved and for that reason, it’s a habit I’m planning to keep.

This is one of the most important exercises you can do before you hit 60, according to a personal trainer who works with seniors

Jennifer Rizzuto — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Falls are a pressing concern for my senior personal training clients. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older, but fortunately, falls are also preventable.

Appropriate strength training is one of the best ways to prepare for healthy aging and prevent serious falls. When I work with a client in their 30s, 40s or even 50s, I make sure that the kneel-to-stand exercise is a part of their regular routine.

This movement trains multiple lower body muscle groups like the quads, hamstrings, glutes and core, promoting better coordination and enhancing full-body stability.

“The kneel-to-stand exercise is very functional and something we should all be practicing,” says Dr Theresa Marko, DPT, owner of Marko Physical Therapy and adjunct faculty at Touro University School of Health Sciences. “As someone ages and their balance decreases, there is the chance of falling. When someone falls, they need to be able to get up from the floor back to a standing position. This move is vital to make that happen.”

How to do the kneel-to-stand exercise

Before starting any new exercise or workout, notify your doctor. They may suggest alternatives or caution against certain activities based on your personal health history. “People with issues such as fractures, torn ligaments, or meniscus tears should avoid this maneuver and work with their physical therapist on modifications,” says Marko. A certified personal trainer can provide guidance on how to do the kneel-to-stand exercise correctly. If you’re a beginner, consider working with a trainer to ensure proper form.

You won’t need any equipment for the kneel-to-stand, but you may want to use a yoga mat, a rolled-up towel, a pillow, or an Airex pad to cushion your knees.

Start by doing one set of 5 reps on each side, 1-2 times per week. If you have trouble doing 5 reps with good form, drop to 2-3 reps on each side.

Once 5 reps feels comfortable, gradually increase your reps to 6-8 on each side. You can also add an additional set or two as your strength improves.

Work your way up to doing 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps, 2-3 times per week. This exercise can be done on its own or as a part of your lower body workout regimen. You can also use it as a warm-up for other activities.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Engage your core muscles.
Step your left foot behind you.
Bend both knees to lower your left knee onto the floor, directly underneath your hip.
Bring your right foot behind you and place your right knee onto the floor, underneath your hip.
Step your left foot in front of you.
Push through your left foot to stand up, bringing your right foot to the floor in line with your left foot.
Step your right foot in front of you, bringing you back to the starting position.

Tips: Maintain neutral spinal alignment and avoid any arching or rounding through your back.

“Keeping your hips and knees at about 90° helps people not to feel knee pain as they rise to the standing position,” Marko adds.

How to modify the kneel-to-stand exercise: The kneel-to-stand exercise can be challenging at first. If you’re having trouble maintaining proper form or keeping your balance, you can modify the exercise in a few ways.

First, you can use a wall, chair, or table for assistance. Do the exercise next to a solid structure and hold on for added stability and support. When that starts to feel easy, try doing 1-2 reps without support.

You can also do only the first part of the exercise (called a split squat). This will help build the appropriate strength in the right muscle groups so that you can eventually perform the movement in its entirety. Step one foot behind your, bend both knees to lower the back knee towards the floor, then push through your front foot to stand back up. Use the same solid structure for support if needed.

How to make the kneel-to-stand exercise more challenging: If you can do 6-10 reps of the exercise without much effort, it may be time to increase the difficulty.

The easiest way to up the ante is by adding more reps. Instead of 6-10, try 12-15 on each side.

You can also hold a 5-10lb dumbbell or kettlebell as you perform the movement. Hold one weight at chest level, or hold two weights at by your shoulders. Since this increases the load your muscles will have to work against, drop your reps to 3-5 for the first few attempts. Increase your reps back to 6-10 once you feel comfortable.

Lower-back pain made me want to quit glute workouts—a physical therapist changed my mind and gave me five low-impact exercises to build glute strength instead

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I’ve been slowly reintroducing strength training exercises into my routine after an extended break and included hip thrusts, an old favorite.

I used to be able to shift some significant weight doing this move, but since returning to it I’ve noticed my lower back feeling sore afterwards.

I asked Dr Christynne Helfrich, a doctor of physical therapy at Hinge Health, why this might be happening.

“When glute exercises trigger lower-back pain, it’s usually because the body is relying on the wrong muscles to do the work. Your glutes play a crucial role in stabilizing your pelvis and supporting your lower back,” she explains.

“But if they’re not properly activated, or if the movement is asking more of your body than it’s prepared for, your lower-back muscles may step in to compensate.”

Helfrich suggested using a mirror to check my form and I noticed that I was shifting the load higher by arching my lower back.

I assumed Helfrich would recommend I drop hip thrusts from my routine altogether, but instead, she suggests regressing it to see if that helps.

“Gentle movement is one of the best treatments for low-back pain,” she says.

“Scale the exercise back by reducing the weight, decreasing the range of motion, or slowing the movement down to focus on good control.”

Five glute exercises to build stability and control

Alongside that advice, Helfrich recommended the following five exercises to me.

“The goal is to improve how your hips, core, and lower back work together so that everyday movements and workouts become more comfortable and efficient,” says Helfrich.

“These exercises are low-impact, functional, and emphasize control over intensity.”

Sit-to-stand
Glute bridge
Hip hinge
Clamshell
Lateral leg lift

1. Sit-to-stand

“This is one of my favorite functional exercises because it mimics an everyday movement while strengthening the glutes and legs,” says Helfrich.

How to do it:

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Sit in a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart, flat on the floor.
Lean slightly forward and press through your heels to stand.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to slowly lower yourself back to the chair with control.

2. Glute bridge

“Bridges are one of the most effective ways to activate the gluteus maximus while minimizing stress on the lower back,” says Helfrich.

How to do it:

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Press through your heels to raise your hips, until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Squeeze your glutes at the top of the move, holding for five seconds.
Lower slowly with control.

3. Hip hinge

“This teaches one of the most important movement patterns for lifting and bending safely,” says Helfrich.

How to do it:

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
Push your hips back and lower your torso, while maintaining a neutral spine—you should end up looking at the floor, feeling a stretch in the backs of your thighs.
Reverse the movement to stand upright.

4. Clamshell

“This exercise strengthens the gluteus medius, an important hip stabilizer that supports the pelvis and lower back,” says Helfrich.

How to do it:

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10 each side

Lie on your side with your legs and feet stacked and your knees bent.
Raise your top knee, rotating from your hip but keeping your hips stable and avoiding tilting back.
Lower slowly.
Do all the reps on one side, then switch sides.

5. Lateral leg lift

“This movement strengthens the hip muscles that help stabilize the pelvis during walking and everyday activities,” says Helfrich.

How to do it:

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10 each side

Stand with your feet together near a sturdy surface for balance if needed.
Raise your left leg slowly out to the side, keeping your hips stable.
Lower with control.
Do all the reps on one side, then switch sides.

These are the three deep core moves you should add to the end of your workouts to build functional strength, according to a trainer

Alice Porter — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Training your core properly involves doing more than a few sit-ups every now and then.

According to Stevie Griffin, a trainer with the Ladder workout app, you'll see the most benefits when you train the deep core.

"The deep core muscles—your transverse abdominis, multifidus, pelvic floor, and diaphragm—are your body's built-in stabilizers, and they respond to frequency rather than heavy load," she tells Fit&Well.

"Instead of one big ab day a week, I weave core into all of my workouts, whether that's a dedicated finisher or building it right into the lifts—by cueing people to brace and stabilize as they move."

Training the deep core has more benefits than just visible abs. "It's what protects your back, makes every other lift stronger and safer, and builds the strong, stable foundation everything else is built on," says Griffin.

Here are Griffin's top three deep core moves.

1. Dead bug

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your arms raised vertically, your legs raised and knees bent to 90° so your calves are parallel to the floor.
Extend and lower your left leg as you lower your right arm behind your head, until both limbs are just above the floor.
Return to the starting position with control.
Repeat with the opposite limbs.
Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

"This is one of my favorite beginner core exercises because it teaches you how to brace your core while moving your arms and legs independently," Griffin says.

"I always tell people to move slowly and keep their lower back gently pressed into the floor throughout the exercise."

2. Bird dog

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side

How to do it:

Get on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Extend and raise your left leg behind you to hip height and raise your right arm in front of you to shoulder height.
Return to the starting position with control.
Repeat with the opposite limbs.
Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

"Bird dog is another staple in my programming because it challenges balance, coordination, and core stability all at once," explains Griffin.

"The goal isn't speed, it's control. I encourage people to keep their hips as level as possible and focus on quality movement over rushing through the reps."

3. Plank

Sets: 2-3 Time: 20-45sec

How to do it:

Get on your hands and knees with your hands directly under your shoulders.
Step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
Engage your core and hold, ensuring you don’t hold your breath.

"The plank is one of my favorite exercises because it teaches you how to create full-body tension and properly brace your core," Griffin says.

"If holding a plank on your toes feels too challenging, don't be afraid to modify it by dropping to your knees or elevating your hands on a bench or countertop," she adds.

Beat desk-related aches with this 20-minute upper-body dumbbell workout

Maddy Biddulph — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

While sitting is a normal part of life, spending long periods in the same position can leave your body feeling achy and stiff, and may even compromise how it functions.

Slouching on the sofa and hunching over your screen of choice can also contribute to neck and back pain.

While no one move can fix poor posture from prolonged sitting, strengthening the muscles around your shoulders and upper back can help you hold an upright posture for longer, so you feel less stiff (although it’s still important to take regular movement breaks).

This workout features five moves to target those muscles. So if you feel like a curled-up prawn after a day at your desk, this workout is for you.

How to do this workout

Perform each of the five exercises below for 40 seconds, taking 20 seconds between exercises to get set up for the next move and to rest. Perform all five exercises to complete one round. Perform four rounds in total.

Bent-over rear delt flye
Dumb waiter to Y-raise
Arnold press
Arm circles
Bent-over row to triceps kickback

1. Bent-over rear delt fly

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides, palms facing inward.
Hinge at your hips and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat and core engaged.
Raise both arms out to the sides to shoulder level, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together, pausing briefly at the top of the move.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to start position.
Avoid using momentum to lift the weights.

How it helps: Strengthens the muscles around the back of your shoulders and shoulder blades, helping counter the rounded-shoulder position many people slip into when working at a desk.

2. Waiter to Y-raise

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and core engaged.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent at 90° in contact with your waist, forearms extended in front, palms facing up and dumbbells touching.
Rotate your forearms outward as far as possible. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Press the weights to a 45° angle, creating a Y-shape with your arms.
Pause briefly at the top then slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.

How it helps: Stretches your chest and strengthens your lower trapezius muscles, which help control shoulder blade movement. Improves overhead shoulder mobility and encourages better movement through your shoulder blades, helping to reduce stiffness around your shoulders and neck.

3. Arnold press

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

Sit or stand holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your face, palms facing you and elbows bent at 90°.
Rotate your arms out to your sides so your palms are facing forward, then press the weights overhead, extending your arms fully.
Pause briefly at the top then reverse the move with control.

How it helps: Improves shoulder mobility and strengthens the muscles that support good posture. Moves your shoulders through a wide range of motion, helping counter the fixed positions of desk work.

4. Arm circles

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a light weight in each hand.
Raise your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, palms facing down.
Rotate your arms backward making small circles.
Every 10 seconds pause and rotate in the opposite direction.

How it helps: Improves shoulder mobility and increases blood flow to the muscles around your shoulders and upper back.

5. Bent-over row to triceps kickback

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
Engage your core.
Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back to lower your torso to a 45° angle, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
Lift the dumbbells toward your ribcage, squeezing your shoulder blades at the top of the movement, keeping your arms tucked close to your body.
Extend your arms fully behind you, straightening them at the elbows.
Slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.

How it helps: This move strengthens your upper-back muscles that help support an upright posture and encourages you to keep your core braced as you work through the movement. The kickback strengthens your triceps, the muscles on the back of your upper arms, which helps improve shoulder alignment

Reduce your risk of falls and strengthen your bones with this trainer’s three simple home exercises for a functionally strong body

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Sadly, there is no magic potion that can extend human lifespan. But when the U.K. Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) released new activity guidelines this month, they wrote that “if physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure, due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and treat.”

Denise Chakoian, a certified fitness trainer and owner of Core Cycle and Fitness Lagree, agrees about the power of exercise. “Regular exercise supports heart health, brain function, blood sugar control, and a healthy metabolism, all of which are linked to a longer lifespan,” she says.

“It can also reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Staying active consistently is one of the most effective ways to maintain both quality of life and longevity.”

The CDC agrees with the U.K.’s CMOs recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, plus at least two strength-training sessions.

If you’re a little lost about what to do in your strength training sessions, Chakoian has shared a simple workout featuring her top three exercises to promote longevity.

“These exercises strengthen the major muscle groups that help you stay mobile, independent, and less prone to injury as you age,” she says.

“They also improve balance, posture and bone strength, which lowers the risk of falls and fractures later in life.”

Chakoian’s top three strengthening exercises for longevity

1. Squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Engage your core.
Push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, keeping your chest facing forward.
Press through your heels to stand.

“Squats train one of the most important movement patterns we use every day, from sitting down to climbing stairs,” says Chakoian.

“They strengthen the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and core while improving balance and mobility. I like them because they give the biggest return for the time you put in.”

2. Push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-15 Rest: 60sec

How to do it:

Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest, keeping your body in a straight line.
Press through your hands to extend your arms and return to the high plank position.

Make it easier: Perform on your knees or with your hands on a raised platform or a wall.

“Push-ups build practical upper-body strength without equipment. They target the chest, shoulders, triceps and core. I like them because they also improve stability and body control.”

3. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 90sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the weight in front of your thighs, palms facing you.
Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down.
Keeping your back flat throughout, hinge at your hips and push your butt back to lower the weight down your legs until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
Drive your hips forward to return to standing.

Tip: Choose a weight that makes the exercise feel challenging, but allows you to complete all the reps with good form.

“Deadlifts strengthen the muscles that support posture and protect the lower back,” says Chakoian.

“They primarily work the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and core. I like them because they improve strength for lifting everyday objects safely.”

These three dumbbell moves are all you need for strong, toned arms, according to an expert trainer

Alice Porter — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

If you want to build strength in your arms at home, it’s hard to beat dumbbell exercises. Get yourself a pair of dumbbells and because you can work each arm individually, you will address any strength imbalances in your arms—a surprisingly common occurrence.

Personal trainer Stevie Griffin has just launched a new program on the workout app Ladder, featuring dumbbell-only workouts so I took the opportunity to ask her for her top three dumbbell moves for toning your arms.

“Together they hit the shoulder and both sides of the arm for a balanced, strong result, and they’re all easy to learn and load progressively,” she says.

“The shoulder press builds strong, capable shoulders and hits the triceps too, so you get a lot of upper-body payoff from one move, and it translates directly into everyday life, like lifting things overhead.

“Skull crushers isolate the triceps, which make up about two-thirds of your upper arm, so if you want that toned, defined look on the back of the arm, this is the move that gets you there.

“Lateral raises build the side of the shoulder, which creates that lean, capped shape that makes the whole arm look sculpted.”

Here’s how to do each move in Griffin’s routine.

1. Shoulder press

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your shoulders, palms facing forward.
Engage your core.
Press the weights overhead until your arms are extended, but don’t lock out your elbows and avoid hunching your shoulders.
Lower the weights slowly back to the start.

2. Skull crusher

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

Lie on your back on a weight bench with your feet flat on the floor.
Hold the dumbbells directly above your chest with your arms straight.
Keeping your upper arms stable, bend your elbows to lower the weights behind you until they reach the tops of your shoulders.
Extend your arms straight to return to the starting position.
Avoid swinging your upper arms, maintaining control throughout the movement.

3. Lateral raise

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells by your sides.
Raise the dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Lower the weights slowly and with control, avoiding swinging or using momentum.

What weights are best for beginners?

One of the most common questions trainers on the internet get asked is what weights they use, but the answer to that will almost always be different to the weight you should use.

According to Griffin, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Your dumbbell weight will also depend on the move and the muscles it uses—you might find you can lift more in a shoulder press than a lateral raise.

“The biggest thing I want people to understand is that it isn’t about picking a certain weight, it’s about choosing a weight that’s challenging for you,” Griffin says.

“My rule of thumb is that the last two or three reps of every set should feel challenging while still allowing you to maintain great form. If you finish your set and feel like you could have done another eight to 10 reps, it's probably time to increase the weight.”

It’s also worth keeping in mind that the weight you use should probably be adjusted for each exercise. For instance, you might find you can lift more in a shoulder press than a lateral raise.

“It’s the move I’d put in everyone’s hands on day one”—a trainer recommends this one dumbbell exercise for people who are new to strength training

Alice Porter — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Strength training is one of the best ways to ensure you can keep moving well for longer as you get older.

Using weights can seem intimidating at first, but once you master a few fundamental movements, there’ll be no stopping you.

Stevie Griffin, a trainer at the workout app Ladder and specializes in dumbbell workouts, has a top strength exercise for total newbies.

“The goblet squat is one of my favorite exercises because I truly believe it’s one of the best movements for building a strong foundation,” Griffin explains.

“It teaches you how to squat with great form, brace your core, and build real lower body and total body strength all at once,” she tells Fit&Well.

“It’s the move I’d put in everyone’s hands on day one.”

According to the trainer, it also translates well to everyday movement.

“Whether you’re sitting down, standing up from a chair, picking something up off the floor, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries, you’re using the same movement pattern,” Griffin says.

“Building strength in these foundational movements can make everyday tasks feel easier and help support mobility and independence as we age,” she adds.

How to do the goblet squat

Sets: 1 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart (or just wider) and your toes pointing slightly out. Keep your feet flat on the floor throughout the exercise.
Hold one end of a dumbbell with both hands close to your chest, elbows tucked in, shoulders back and core engaged.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to move your butt back and down, as if sitting into a chair, while keeping your chest upright.
Press through the full surface of your heels and squeeze your glutes to push back up to standing.
Make sure your knees don’t cave in during the movement.

Good form is essential during any type of strength training, but particularly when squatting in order to avoid injury and get the most benefits out of the movement.

Start with a light dumbbell or even a kettlebell and “focus on moving well before adding more weight,” Griffin advises.

“I stopped training around my pelvic floor dysfunction and started training for it”—a 40-year-old doctor of physical therapy and mom-of-three shares her typical weekly workout routine

Sam Rider — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Dr Caroline Packard is a doctor of physical therapy with more than 15 years of clinical experience and a specialism in pelvic floor health.

A certified yoga instructor and lifelong athlete, it’s a topic she cares passionately about, having gone from patient to pelvic floor advocate since the birth of her first child.

“That’s where my own story started, with leaking and prolapse after my first pregnancy,” the mother-of-three tells Fit&Well.

Stress incontinence and prolapse are often a consequence of pelvic floor dysfunction, when the supportive muscles and ligaments spanning the base of the pelvis become too weak, tight or uncoordinated.

These symptoms can occur after pregnancy and in the postpartum years, she explains, “when your body is managing huge changes in load and pressure”.

However, pelvic floor dysfunction can also affect women during perimenopause and menopause too, as tissue and hormones shift, as well as men recovering from prostate surgery.

It can also affect younger men, accompanied by side-effects that are “less talked about”, such as urinary urgency, erectile dysfunction and pelvic pain.

“[The loss of pelvic floor function] is not just an aging issue. Heavier lifting demands can play a role at any age,” she says, and symptoms can be exacerbated by exercise.

For Packard, that resulted in the workouts she had long relied on to manage stress suddenly “making everything worse”.

Rejecting surgery, the young mother discovered a kinder solution through advanced pelvic floor rehabilitation techniques combined with strength training, yoga and breathwork.

“I stopped training around my pelvic floor dysfunction and started training for it—and that shift changed everything,” she says.

Having navigated her own experience, Packard went on to build Connect Pelvic Floor Fitness to help women understand the root cause of their pelvic floor symptoms and how to manage them with exercise.

Caroline Packard’s weekly workout routine

Today, Packard tends to work out six days a week, with each session lasting between 30 minutes and an hour. She integrates exercises that rebuild and maintain pelvic floor function with activities she’s always loved.

“As a pelvic floor physical therapist and someone who lives with dysfunction myself, I don’t just treat this condition, I train with it,” she says.

“Every workout I program for myself is intentional: built around optimizing strength, stability and rotation as an integrated system, not isolating muscles or avoiding the hard stuff.”

As a result, she’s able to manage symptoms while continuing to run, practice yoga and keep up with her three young children.

“I’m 40, a mom of three, a triathlete and a runner. My week is full. So the way I train has to work—not just for my fitness goals but for my body to function well long term.”

Monday
Lower-body unilateral strength, involving single-leg squats with hip stability and glute loading to directly support pelvic floor function.

Tuesday
30-45min run at an easy to moderate effort. “Running isn’t separate from my pelvic floor training, it’s an expression of it,” says Packard.

Wednesday
Upper-body unilateral strength, complementing Monday’s workout, and keeping the ribcage moving.

Thursday
30-60min run or active recovery with walking or yoga, depending on how her body feels. “Recovery is training too,” she says.

Friday
A third unilateral session targeting the lower-body hinge pattern, adding in lateral and rotational loading, which Packard says most programs skip entirely.

Saturday
Final strength day of the week built around upper-body overhead pressing. “By now my body knows what to do, so these sessions feel strong, efficient and purposeful.”

Sunday
Rest. Something Packard describes as non-negotiable.

Caroline Packard’s advice on how to build your own pelvic floor plan

1. Pick two days a week to exercise and never skip them

Whether managing symptoms or looking to maintain pelvic floor function to head them off, Packard recommends committing to two exercise days a week to build consistency.

“Choose two days you will absolutely not miss—no matter what—and anchor your week around those,” she says.

“Consistency will always beat optimization. The perfect program you skip is worthless. The imperfect one you show up for every week? That’s the one that changes your body.”

2. Train unilaterally before you go heavy bilaterally

We often perform exercises that work both sides of our bodies at the same time, like squats and overhead presses, then progress to single-side work.

That’s the wrong way round, according to Packard.

“Single-leg and single-arm work reveal imbalances that lead to injury, leaking, prolapse symptoms and pain,” she says.

Unilateral exercises are “more functional than almost anything else you can do”.

“If your goal is a body that performs and functions well, unilateral training is essential.”

3. Stop training your core separately

Don’t think of your abs as an afterthought.

“Every strength session is a core session when you're breathing correctly and loading with intention,” she says, pointing to a three-minute breathing drill she uses to restore good pelvic floor foundations.

“That’s the root-cause approach—and it’s exactly why isolation abs work isn’t in my program,” adds Packard.

“The pelvic floor doesn't work in isolation. Neither should your training.”

I asked an expert who works with seniors to recommend three exercises for the over-50s to build lifelong functional strength—here’s what he said

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Many of us think that getting frail later in life is an inevitable part of growing old.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Phil Evans has spent much of his career trying to bust this myth. He is the author of Built to Last After 50 and a chartered physiotherapist in the U.K. (Broadly equivalent to a physical therapist in the U.S.)

“One of the biggest myths I hear is that getting older means getting weaker, and while we naturally lose muscle as we age, that doesn’t mean we have to accept becoming less capable,” he says.

“Our muscles remain remarkably adaptable throughout life when we continue to challenge them.

“You don’t need a gym full of equipment or hours of exercise. A few simple movements, performed consistently, can make a huge difference.”

While the best routine for you will, of course, be individual in nature, Evans has shared three go-tos from his practice.

Three strengthening exercises for the over-50s

“These are three of the exercises I prescribe most often,” says Evans, “because they strengthen the muscles we rely on every day and are suitable for almost anyone to start at home.”

Sit-to-stand
Wall push-up
Step-up

“Done consistently, these three exercises can help you get stronger, move more confidently and make ordinary tasks feel that little bit easier,” says Evans.

“Strength training isn’t really about muscles: it’s about giving yourself the freedom to keep doing the things you enjoy.

“You don’t need to do everything. You just need to start somewhere, so pick one exercise, get confident with it and then build from there.”

Watch Evans coach the three exercises for the over 50s

1. Sit-to-stand

(Image credit: Getty Images / andreswd)

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

Sit toward the front of a chair with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Position your feet underneath your knees and cross your arms over your chest if you can.
Lean forward until your shoulders are over your feet and push through your heels to stand.
Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to slowly lower yourself into the chair, staying in control throughout the movement.

Form tip: Avoid dropping back into the chair. Try to control the movement all the way down.

Modification: If needed, use your hands to help you stand. As you become stronger, gradually rely more on your legs and less on your hands. “Don’t worry if you can only manage a few repetitions to begin with,” says Evans. “Start with what feels manageable, practice it regularly and build from there.”

Why it’s good for the over 50s: “Good leg strength makes daily tasks like getting out of a chair, climbing the stairs, getting on and off the toilet, carrying shopping and staying independent much easier,” says Evans.

“Most people focus on standing up, but I actually pay just as much attention to how they sit back down. Try taking three to five seconds to lower yourself into the chair rather than simply dropping into the seat.

“That controlled lowering phase makes your muscles work harder, helping build strength while also improving balance and control.

“Small improvements soon add up, and before long, you’ll often notice that everyday tasks like getting out of a chair or climbing the stairs start feeling easier.”

2. Wall push-up

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

Stand facing a wall with your feet hip-width apart.
Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Walk your feet backward and engage your core, making sure your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
Move your shoulders back and down.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the wall over three to five seconds, lowering as far as feels comfortable.
Push through your hands to return to the starting position.

Form tip: Keep your body in a straight line throughout the exercise and avoid letting your hips sag.

Why it’s good for the over 50s: “A simple exercise that strengthens your chest, shoulders and arms without asking you to get down onto the floor or perform a full push-up, and almost everyone can do it.”

Evans says that often people first notice their strength is getting limited when simple things start feeling harder than they used to.

“Whether it’s lifting shopping into the car, pushing yourself up from the floor or picking up and holding your grandchildren, good upper body strength makes those moments feel easier and more confident.

“Many people dismiss wall push-ups because they look too easy. The reality is that they’re one of the safest ways to build upper-body strength, especially if you’re just getting started or returning after a break.

“I encourage people to slow the lowering phase to around three to five seconds rather than rushing through each repetition. That extra control makes your muscles work harder while also improving shoulder stability and technique.

“Once you can comfortably complete your repetitions, simply move your feet a little further away from the wall to make the exercise more challenging.”

3. Step-up

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

Stand facing the bottom step of a staircase.
Place one foot fully onto the step and push through your heel to lift yourself until your feet are level again.
Step back down slowly, keeping the movement controlled.
Complete all repetitions on one leg before changing sides.

Form tip: Keep your foot, knee and hip in line throughout the movement. Don’t let your working knee fall inwards.

Modification: Hold onto a handrail if you need extra support.

Why it’s good for the over 50s: “If climbing the stairs has started to feel harder than it used to, this is one of the first exercises I’d recommend,” says Evans.

“It’s also one of the best exercises for building confidence on one leg, which becomes increasingly important for balance as we get older.

He explains that step-ups mimic one of the most important movements we perform every day, making them an effective functional exercise.

“One of the biggest reasons people lose confidence as they get older is because everyday movements gradually start feeling more difficult, so they begin avoiding them,” says Evans.

“Step-ups allow you to practice one of those everyday movements in a safe and controlled way.

“I encourage people to focus on quality rather than speed. Push through the leg that’s on the step rather than pulling yourself up with the other leg, then lower yourself back down over three to five seconds.

“That controlled lowering phase makes your muscles work harder while also improving balance and confidence.”

“I like this exercise because it doesn’t just build strength. It also challenges your balance, coordination and confidence.

“The stronger and steadier you feel on one leg, the more confident you’ll often feel walking outdoors, climbing stairs and staying active.”

Find the right level of burpee for you with an expert trainer’s guide to progressive modifications

Maddy Biddulph — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Burpees have a well-deserved rep for being tough. My heart is thumping and my muscles are aching after 10 reps.

That’s all to the good. Your body grows stronger and fitter in response to the right amount of challenge.

However, there’s such a thing as too much of a challenge, and one of the advantages of working with an in-person certified personal trainer is that they’ll adjust exercises to your ability—finding the Goldilocks zone where it’s not too easy, but not so hard you hurt yourself.

That’s why I asked NASM-certified trainer Maddy Paupert from Xceleration Fitness in Auburn Hills, Michigan, to show Fit&Well readers how they can scale a burpee.

Here she demonstrates how to do four levels of burpees, starting with the simplest, but she warns that you shouldn’t try to progress between burpee variations too quickly. “Everyone is different. Listen to your body and break down each of the moves: planking, push-ups, hopping from plank to standing and jumping. Focus on doing each of those moves really well and the rest will take care of itself.”

Watch Paupert coach the burpee modifications

1. Step-back burpee

Who it suits: “The step-back burpee is a perfect place for burpee rookies, beginners, people making an exercise comeback or people who are concerned about their joints to start,” says Paupert.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing a box or weight bench.
Hinge forward from your hips and place your hands on the box, shoulder-width apart.
Step one foot back at a time, finishing in a high plank position with your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Step your feet back towards your hands and stand upright.
Focus on form over speed to build strength and confidence in this move, progress by placing your hands on the floor, rather than the box.

How to tell you’re ready to progress: “You’re ready to level up when you can move in and out of the plank without your hips or shoulders sagging and don’t need a break between reps,” says Paupert.

2. Half burpee

Who it suits: “If you feel comfortable holding a strong plank and are ready to start building more power and coordination, this move is for you.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hinge forward from your hips and place your hands on the floor, keeping your shoulders directly over your hands.
Jump both feet back, landing in a high plank position with a tight core to protect your lower back.
Jump your feet back towards your hands and stand upright.

How to tell you’re ready to progress: “Once you feel like you’re doing controlled half burpees, instead of crash landings with your feet, can maintain good form, breathe normally and land softly, you’re ready for the next phase: the chest-to-floor burpee."

3. Chest-to-floor burpee

Who it suits: “This one turns the burpee into both a strength exercise and a conditioning workout so it’s best for intermediate and advanced athletes with solid upper-body strength to support the movements.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hinge forward from your hips and place your hands on the floor, keeping your shoulders directly over your hands.
Jump both feet back, landing in a high plank position with a tight core to protect your lower back.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor.
Extend your arms powerfully to return to the high plank position.
Jump your feet back towards your hands and stand upright.

How to tell you’re ready to progress: “Stay here until you can get off the floor without feeling like it's a negotiation for a Taylor Swift wedding guest invitation. Then it’s time for the show: the full burpee with a jump at the top.”

4. Full burpee

Who it suits: “This is the burpee big time. It works well for experienced athletes who want to improve power, conditioning and overall athletic performance,” says Paupert.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hinge forward from your hips and place your hands on the floor, keeping your shoulders directly over your hands.
Jump both feet back, landing in a high plank position with a tight core to protect your lower back.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor.
Extend your arms powerfully to return to the high plank position.
Jump your feet back towards your hands.
Explode up into a vertical jump and raise your arms overhead.
Land softly, bending your knees and go straight into the next rep.

How to tell you’re ready to progress: “Once you’re doing this version of a burpee, advancement is about maintaining great technique as the intensity increases. However, if after a couple it starts looking more like interpretive dance, it’s time to slow back down and focus on the fundamentals,” she says.

Benefits of burpees

Paupert says burpees are an excellent exercise because they work so many different muscles: “They work 10 major muscle groups all at once, including the abs, calves, chest, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, obliques, triceps and quads while simultaneously blending in cardio.”

This high-intensity exercise is also great for building muscular endurance and cardiovascular health, which is important for sports performance, functional fitness (the kind that makes everyday movement feel easier) and energy levels.

If I only had 15 minutes to exercise in my lunch break, these are the five full-body moves I’d do on repeat

Maddy Biddulph — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

You don’t need to spend hours exercising.

Workouts that incorporate compound exercises, which hit multiple muscle groups at once and quickly raise the heart rate, mean you can spend less time on your workout.

You can squeeze in some quick exercise during even the shortest of lunch breaks and still feel like you worked hard.

Moves such as the plank walkout, mountain climbers and bear crawls, which each engage multiple muscles and joints, are an effective way to get the most out of your limited time.

Rather than isolating one muscle group like a biceps curl, these compound moves engage your upper body, lower body and core simultaneously.

Moves like burpees and walkouts, which I've included in my five-move lunch break workout below, combine strength training with cardio so they help to build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness.

Bear crawls and walkouts mimic natural movement patterns, so they improve functional fitness—increasing balance, stability and coordination—which we can lose as we get older unless we work on them.

You don't need any equipment for the full-body moves in this workout, making it an ideal circuit to run through during a quick 15-minute lunch break.

How to do this 15-minute home workout

Work your way through these five exercises:

Plank walkout
Burpee
Bear crawl
Mountain climber
Plank

Aim to do each move for 30 seconds, taking a 20-second rest between exercises. Do them back to back, then take one minute of recovery time when you’ve completed all five exercises. Repeat the sequence two more times, making it three rounds in total, in just 15 minutes.

Here’s how to do each move.

1. Plank walkout

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Raise your hands above your head, then hinge forward from your hips and bend your knees to place your hands on the floor.
Walk your hands forward until you reach a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Briefly hold the plank position, then walk your hands back towards your feet and stand up.

2. Burpee

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Hinge forward from your hips and bend your knees to place your hands on the floor.
Jump or step your feet back into a high plank position.
Optional: bend your elbows to lower your body to the floor, then extend your arms to push back up into a high plank.
Jump or step your feet back to your hands, then jump straight up, raising your arms overhead.
Land softly and go straight into the next rep.

3. Bear crawl

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

Get on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Engage your core.
Lift your knees a few inches off the floor, keeping your back flat.
Move your right hand and left foot forward at the same time.
Then move your left hand and right foot together.
Continue moving forward to the end of the mat, keeping your knees off the mat throughout.
When you get to the end, reverse the movements back to the starting position.

4. Mountain climber

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

Start in a high plank position, with your core engaged, arms extended, hands under your shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Keeping your hands directly under your shoulders throughout, bring your right knee towards your left elbow.
Return to the start, then repeat on the other side.
Continue, alternating sides with each rep, keeping your hips facing the floor and core braced.

5. Plank

Time: 30sec Rest: 60sec

How to do it:

Support your body on your forearms and toes, with your core engaged, elbows underneath your shoulders, and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Hold the position for 30 seconds and avoid holding your breath. Avoid letting your hips sag or rise.
Look slightly ahead beyond your hands, or down to keep your neck neutral.

I tried glute bridge marches every day for two weeks and my knee pain has practically disappeared

Jennifer Rizzuto — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Recently, my physical therapist recommended glute bridge marches to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles, and while the exercise definitely helped that issue, I noticed another positive impact.

My sore knees were starting to feel better, too. They usually hurt a few miles into my regular runs and, sometimes, in everyday situations, too. It was in this latter scenario where I’d started to see a decrease in pain.

Intrigued, I reached out to Dr Andrew Gorecki, DPT, FAFS, for his thoughts on why glute bridge marches might be easing the pain.

“Glute bridge marches are one of the most useful exercises in my clinic for knee pain,” says the physical therapist, owner of Superior Physical Therapy and co-founder of MovementRx.

“But they only work when the knee pain is being driven by weak glutes. Most of the time it is.

“Glute bridge marches strengthen the glutes without putting weight on the knee. You're building the muscle that protects the knee without aggravating the knee itself.”

After speaking with Gorecki, I decided to try an experiment: I would do glute bridge marches every day for two weeks to see if I could continue lessening my knee pain.

Things to keep in mind before trying glute bridge marches

Before starting any new activity or exercise program, be sure to get clearance from your doctor. A certified personal trainer can ensure you’re performing this exercise safely and with the correct form.

Gorecki points out that glute bridge marches aren’t recommended for everyone. “If the knee pain is acute, recent, post-surgical, or coming from something other than weak glutes, this isn’t the right exercise,” he advises.

“[If you have] a meniscus tear, a fresh ACL injury, a swollen knee, or significant arthritis with effusion, skip it.

“Glute bridge marches can also flare up low back pain or SI joint problems if the technique slips,” he adds.

“The pelvis has to stay level while one leg lifts. A weak core lets the back take the load. The rule I give patients is: if it produces a mild burn in the side of the hip, you're doing it right. If it produces sharp knee pain, low back pain, or hip pinching, stop and get evaluated.”

How to do the glute bridge march

Sets: 1 Reps: 5-15 each side

You’ll just need a yoga mat for this exercise. If you’re unable to get onto the floor, lie on a bed, couch, or massage table instead.

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Engage your core muscles.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the mat.
Lift your left foot off the floor and bring your left knee towards your chest.
Pause briefly.
Lower your left foot back to the mat.
Lift your right foot off the floor and bring your right knee towards your chest.
Pause briefly.
Lower your right foot back to the mat.
Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

How often I did the glute bridge march

Since I’m no stranger to glute exercises, I started off my experiment by doing glute bridge marches for 12 reps on each leg as a part of my workout warm-ups.

Once I reached the halfway point of seven days, I realized that I wasn’t getting the same fatigue in my glutes as I was on day one, so I increased my reps to 15 on each leg. That continued to be a challenge until the final day of my experiment.

If you’re a beginner and want to try glute bridge marches for yourself, I’d start with no more than 8-10 reps on each leg. Be sure to focus on proper form.

Here’s what I found after two weeks of daily glute bridge marches.

1. My knee pain diminished during runs

My first instance of IT band syndrome—a condition that causes pain on the outside of the knee—popped up during my training for a 10K race. I’ve been battling it on and off for almost 10 years.

Unfortunately, returning to running after pregnancy has also meant a return of my IT band pain.

Overtraining and improper running form are two major culprits of this type of pain, so I knew that I had to address those factors.

“When the gluteus medius is weak, the femur rotates inward,” Gorecki explains.

“The kneecap tracks poorly. It grinds against tissue it shouldn't be touching. That shows up as patellofemoral pain, IT band irritation, or a dull ache in the front of the knee that gets worse on stairs.”

I dropped my mileage and started my daily glute bridge marches. Since I only run twice a week, I wasn’t sure that I’d see any noticeable improvement until after the two-week period was up.

However, my run on day eight of the experiment felt great. I usually feel my knee pain kick in around mile four, but I was able to make it over five miles without any issues.

My second run of that week, on day 12 of my two-week experiment, was also pain-free.

2. My runs got slightly faster

With less pain and more confidence, I noticed that my runs in week two of the experiment were a little faster than usual.

It wasn’t a huge speed difference—a few seconds per mile—but it was nice to see that the daily glute work was having a positive effect on my performance.

I’ll be curious to see if my runs continue to get faster if I keep glute bridge marches in my pre-run routine.

3. My knees felt more stable when going down stairs

I’ve always had a little instability and pain when going down stairs, which can happen with a lot of knee conditions.

By the end of my two week experiment, I noticed that I wasn’t gripping the railing anymore when going down the stairs at my gym. My knees didn’t buckle or feel shaky, and I didn’t feel the familiar ache I usually get.

I remembered Gorecki’s comment on the gluteus medius impacting knee pain on stairs, and noted this new improvement as yet another positive from my daily glute bridge marches.

This was all the evidence I needed to keep single-leg glute work—whether it be marches or another glute medius-targeting exercise—in my routine.

Don’t know where to start with strength training? This expert-approved formula is the simplest way to build muscle at home

Alice Porter — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

There are endless workout routines online to pick from, so you’ll never be wanting for ideas, but you can save yourself a lot of time by having a tried-and-tested formula to fall back on.

There are plenty of those floating around as well, but not so many that let you shape the workouts to your preferences.

That’s what I love about this strength training formula from Lee Bell, strength and conditioning coach and senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at Sheffield Hallam University.

He’s provided a list of example exercises for three different movement patterns. He calls it a constraints-led approach and told me it works especially well for people who work out from home.

“A constraints-led approach provides someone with a framework, but then it allows them to make executive decisions of what fits that framework,” he explains.

Bell says this is a great method to try if you often become bored by working out. “It’s more motivating—there’s more autonomy,” he says.

“For me, being interested in and enjoying the workout is much more important than having a very rigid, inflexible workout plan.”

“If me and you did the same program, but you pick the exercises and I have to follow you around the gym, the chances are you’ll progress better than me, because you’ve got ownership and you’re picking things that you know work best for you,” Bell says.

Full-body home workout formula

Pick one exercise from each grouping below and voilà, you have a full-body workout. Repeat this format regularly, but feel free to vary which exercise you choose from each group, as long as you do one from each category.

“I don’t mind what you pick because they’re all going to train the same muscle,” says Bell, “but you pick what you feel works best for you.”

Squat pattern

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.

Sit to stand

Sit on the front half of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor.
Push through your feet to stand up, keeping your chest lifted and avoiding using your hands if possible.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to slowly lower yourself back to the chair with control.

Goblet squat

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in both hands close to your chest.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your chest up and your knees aligned over your foot.
Press through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Dumbbell split squat

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart holding dumbbells by your sides, then take a big step back to adopt a split stance, with your front foot flat and your back heel lifted.
Bend both knees to lower straight down until your front thigh is close to parallel with the floor, keeping your torso upright.
Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.

Upper-body push

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.

Dumbbell lateral raise

Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
Raise the dumbbells out to the sides until they reach shoulder height, keeping your shoulders relaxed and avoiding swinging.
Lower the dumbbells back to your sides with control.

Dumbbell overhead press

Stand or sit holding dumbbells at shoulder height, with your palms facing forwards and elbows underneath the weights.
Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended,without arching your lower back.
Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.

Single-arm kettlebell overhead press

Hold a kettlebell in one hand in the rack position, with your wrist straight, hand by your shoulder, elbow close to your body and the kettlebell resting on the back of your forearm.
Brace your core and press the kettlebell overhead until your arm is fully extended.
Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control.

Upper-body pull

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.

Biceps curl

Stand holding dumbbells with your arms by your sides and your palms facing forwards.
Keeping your elbows close to your body, bend your elbows to curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Bent-over row

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
Engage your core.
Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back flat.
Pull the dumbbells up to your lower ribs, drawing your elbows past your torso, keeping your shoulders level and your back flat.
Lower the dumbbells with control.

Kettlebell high pull

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, a kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
Push your hips back and bend your knees slightly to lower and grasp the handle of the kettlebell.
Pull the kettlebell off the floor and let it swing between your legs.
Push your hips forward explosively to swing the kettlebell in front of you, bending your elbow to pull the kettlebell to the side of your head.
Reverse the movement to control the descent of the kettlebell, hinging at the hips to go straight into the next repetition.

An expert trainer says this full-body dumbbell workout combines strength training and cardio for the most efficient 10 minutes of your day

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

It can be difficult to find the time to fit exercise into your day, but it’s worth remembering that even short spells of activity add up to significantly better health.

Sometimes a rejuvenating 10-minute yoga flow is the best option, but at other times, you may want to push yourself a bit harder.

In which case, you’ll want to try this 10-minute full-body dumbbell workout from ACE-certified trainer Melyssa Allen.

“This metabolic conditioning circuit combines cardio and strength training to hit every major muscle group efficiently,” she says.

“The format uses four moves completed in three rounds, making it perfect for anyone short on time but ready to work.”

You’ll do each workout for a set period of time, which makes the workout more suitable for a variety of abilities.

While Allen advises that each time window will typically result in you completing between 10 and 15 reps, remember that form is always more important than speed, so try not to rush. If you can only fit a few reps into the set time, that’s fine.

Run through the following routine three times, and let us know how it goes in the comments.

Watch Allen demonstrate each exercise in the full-body dumbbell workout

Warm-up

Time: 1min

For a quick warm-up, Allen has programmed bodyweight versions of the exercises in the workout. Do each of the following exercises for 15 seconds.

Side lunge
Reverse lunge
Sumo squat
Squat with overhead reach

1. Side lunge to row

Time: 45sec Rest: 0sec

“The side lunge challenges lateral movement patterns that most workouts skip, while the row adds upper body and core engagement,” says Allen.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing and shoulders relaxed.
Push your hips back and bend your right knee, lowering the dumbbells to either side of your right knee, keeping your left leg straight, your chest up and your back flat.
At the bottom of the side lunge, exhale and lift the weights toward your belly button, keeping your elbows close to your body.
Lower the weights, then push through your right foot to return to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it easier: Use one dumbbell instead of two, holding it by both ends.

Bodyweight option: Place your hands on your thighs for support.

Muscles targeted: Glutes, inner thighs (adductors), hamstrings and upper back (rhomboids, lats).

2. Reverse lunge with rotation

Time: 45sec Rest: 0sec

“Adding rotation to a reverse lunge fires up the obliques and improves rotational strength, which is critical for everyday movement and spine health,” explains Allen. “It's a full lower-body and core move in one.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell by both ends at chest height.
Step your right foot back, keeping your feet hip-width apart.
Bend both knees to 90° lower, keeping your shoulders in line with your hips.
At the bottom of the movement, rotate your chest to the left, lowering the weight to your left hip in a smooth chopping motion.
Bring the dumbbell back to center, then push through your left foot to return to the standing position.
Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it easier: Try the exercise with no weight, bringing your hands to your chest and rotating your torso over your front knee as you lunge. This bodyweight modification still preserves the core rotation benefit.

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, obliques and core.

3. Sumo squat to biceps curl

Time: 45sec Rest: 0sec

“The sumo squat has a wide, turned-out stance that specifically targets the inner thighs and glutes in a way a standard squat doesn't,” says Allen.

“Pairing it with a biceps curl adds upper-body work without losing the lower-body challenge.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and your toes angled out at around 45°, holding dumbbells in front of your hips, palms facing away from you.
Tuck your tailbone under your hips, squeeze your glutes and bend your knees, lowering toward the floor. Keep your knees over your toes.
Rise to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. As you’re coming up, bend your elbows to lift curl the dumbbells to your shoulders, then lower with control.

Alternative: You can curl the weights as you lower into the squat and lower them as you come back to standing.

Make it easier: Hold one dumbbell by both ends and perform the same sequence.

Muscles targeted: Glutes, inner thighs (adductors), quads and biceps.

4. Squat to overhead press to triceps extension

Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

“This triple-threat finisher hits three muscle groups in one fluid sequence—lower body, shoulders and triceps—making it the perfect burnout move to close each round,” says Allen.

“The longer 60-second window accounts for the added complexity of the three-part movement.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart or slightly wider, holding dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your palms facing and elbows pointing forward.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your chest up and core engaged.
Drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes and exhaling as you press the dumbbells overhead. At the top of the movement, your biceps should be level with your ears. Keep your shoulders down throughout.
Bring the dumbbells together above your head, then bend your elbows to lower them behind your head with control. Keep your elbows pointing forward and close to your head.
Exhale to bring the weights back overhead, then lower to shoulder height.

Alternative: press overhead as you rise from the squat for a smoother flow.

Make it easier: Hold one dumbbell by both ends at the chest. Squat, then press overhead, then lower behind the head. Keep the core tight throughout the overhead position.

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, shoulders (deltoids), triceps and core.

Crunches can be a pain in the neck! A physical therapist and neck pain specialist recommends three core-strengthening alternatives

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Few of us have never experienced tension, aching or even pain up the back of your neck after doing a few too many crunches.

The pain could be down to poor technique, using your neck muscles to compensate for a weak core, or just overdoing the exercise.

“The positioning of the hands pulling the head up as the torso flexes increases the lower neck movement and creates significant intervertebral loading,” offers Nicholas Rolnick, a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach who owns The Human Mechanic—a neck pain specialist practice in Manhattan, New York.

Intervertebral loading is the pressure placed on the cushioning structures between the vertebrae, called discs.

“Flexion [bending the head forward] is typically a sensitive position for most people, as the majority work at a desk,” explains Rolnick.

When you want to train your core muscles, Rolnick says you should always consider neck and back alignment to minimize your injury risk.

I asked Rolnick to select three alternatives to regular crunches that aren’t a pain in the neck, but still offer a solid core workout.

“They are easily scalable with minimal to no equipment required,” says Rolnick of his chosen exercises.

“They properly target the deep neck flexors without increasing lower neck flexion, allowing them to be performed for much longer without irritation.”

1. Partial crunch

(Image credit: Courtesy Nicholas Rolnick)

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 10-12

This exercise still works the rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques, but shortens the range of motion compared with a typical crunch to reduce neck flexion and hip flexor activation.

“Leverage forceful exhalation to further increase both pelvic tilting (lower abs) and slight torso flexion (upper abs),” says Rolnick.

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms over your head at eye level.
Press your back into the floor to engage your core and keep your chin tucked.
Forcefully exhale as you lift your head, neck and shoulder blades off to reach your hands toward the ceiling.
Hold the top position for one second before lowering slowly.

Make it harder: Add more reps, weight, or increase your lowering time to make the exercise harder. If you can complete more than 15 reps in the last set for a couple of workouts in a row, perform the exercise while holding a 2-3lb plate or dumbbell, returning to a starting point of 10 reps. Try to add one or two more reps per set, per workout.

Make it easier: Reduce the range of motion, reps, or sets if you find this exercise too difficult.

2. Penguin

(Image credit: Courtesy Nicholas Rolnick)

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 10-12 each side

“This exercise is similar to the previous one, as we must lift our shoulder blades off the mat,” says Rolnick.

“However, here we are working on the endurance of the rectus abdominis and active shortening and lengthening of the oblique muscles.

“It also builds neck flexor endurance, which can stave off or reduce the risk of future neck issues.”

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms along your sides, holding them slightly off the floor.
Press your back into the floor and tuck your chin against your neck.
Forcefully exhale and lift your head, neck and shoulder blades off the floor.
Reach your left hand toward your left ankle, then come back to center and do the same on the other side, all without lowering your upper body.
Alternate from side to side, completing all reps before lowering your head to the floor.

Make it harder: Increasing the angle of your knees will add more range of motion to your side bend. You can then hold 1-2lb dumbbells in each hand, which will increase ab involvement.

Make it easier: Decrease the angle of your knee bend or touch your shoulder blades to the floor between each rep or half rep.

3. Plank twist

(Image credit: Courtesy Nicholas Rolnick)

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 10-12 each side

“This exercise is a twist—no pun intended—on a traditional plank,” says Rolnick.

“Here you are working on cross-body stabilization and neck strengthening, while targeting the similar muscles of the two other exercises.”

“The twist adds more movement stabilization requirements for the obliques without involving the scapular stabilizers.”

How to do it:

Assume a high plank position, supporting yourself on your hands and toes, with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Engage your core, tuck your tailbone under and press your palms into the floor to round your upper back as much as possible.
Reach your right hand under your left arm as far as you can while maintaining the position.
Hold for one second, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Make it harder: Pass a small dumbbell from side to side to increase the eccentric demand on the opposing abdominal region.

Make it easier: Skip the reach-through and simply lift one hand off the floor, then put it back down.

An osteoporosis specialist says you don’t need a gym to keep your bones strong—just these 10 simple exercises you can do at home

Sam Rider — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

A third of all women and 20% of all men over 50 globally will break a bone due to osteoporosis, according to the Osteoporosis Foundation.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), the U.K.'s largest national charity dedicated to improving bone health and beating osteoporosis, is working hard to improve those statistics.

The most effective way to significantly improve your bone density and strength is through simple weight-bearing exercises that you can do at home.

"You don't need access to a gym, classes or specialist equipment to reduce risk of osteoporosis," the ROS's Julia Thompson tells Fit&Well.

In fact, for the most part, all you need to do is spend more time on your feet, working against gravity to stimulate bone strength.

“You are weight-bearing when you are standing, with the weight of your whole body pulling down on your skeleton," the osteoporosis specialist nurse explains.

"Some of the most effective exercises for bone health are simple, practical movements you can build into your everyday routine without even leaving the house."

How does weight-bearing exercise strengthen your bones?

The primary benefit of weight-bearing exercise is the stimulation of something called bone remodelling, which is your body’s natural process of breaking down old bone tissue and building new, denser tissue.

The mechanical force of your bodyweight causes specialized cells called osteoblasts to produce this new bone tissue, making bones stronger.

If you've been diagnosed with osteoporosis or have risk factors, Thompson says you may be unsure about what’s safe.

"But the reassuring news is that exercise is very unlikely to cause a broken bone and staying active is strongly encouraged."

10 exercises to strengthen your bones at home

Thompson recommends building confidence and strength through manageable, at-home movement.

"Choose exercises that feel comfortable and enjoyable and adapt them to suit your space and ability level," she says.

"The most important thing is to make a start and to keep going. Because when it comes to bone health, movement really matters."

The following exercises will all help improve bone health. Choose exercises that suit your ability, building up gradually to the higher-impact moves.

"All of these can be done in short bursts, in small spaces, and at your own pace," says Thompson.

For example, do a few heel drops while the kettle boils. March on the spot during TV adverts. Use the stairs when and where you can.

Or simply listen to your favorite music and dance (like no one's watching).

1. March on the spot

Trainer tip: Thompson recommends performing this while watching TV.

2. Heel drop

Trainer tip: Use a chair, counter or wall for support.

3. Step-up

Trainer tip: Use a bottom stair or sturdy step and hold a rail or wall for support if needed.

4. Stair climb

Trainer tip: Going down is just as beneficial as going up.

5. Sit-to-stand

Trainer tip: If you can’t perform this without using your hands, make it easier by having a support in front of you to lightly push off until you build the strength to do it hands free. Always lower down slowly with control.

6. Single-leg stand

Trainer tip: Use a chair, counter or wall for support, building up to doing this unsupported. Keep your gaze on a fixed point in front of you. Ensure your weight is evenly balanced through the front of your foot and heel.

7. Step-out

Trainer tip: Focus on maintaining a stable, upright posture and engaging your core as you alternate stepping one foot out to the side.

8. Mini hops or jumps

Trainer tip: This is like skipping lightly on the spot, keeping your weight on the balls of your feet.

9. Jog on the spot

Trainer tip: This is a more dynamic version of marching on the spot—progress to this if your fitness allows.

10. Dance

Trainer tip: Better yet, grab a dancing partner and cut loose.

To learn more about how to look after your bones as you age, the Royal Osteoporosis Society has created this helpful guide on exercise for bone health.

A trainer says these five resistance band exercises hit the areas that your standard leg workout usually misses

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Functional workouts have never been more popular, because people want to be able to navigate the physical demands of life with confidence.

So I was struck by this insight from Cyan Koay, personal trainer and co-founder of Strong Band.

“The best lower-body workouts don’t just build strength in a straight line, because life doesn’t happen in a straight line.”

“Squats, lunges and deadlifts have their place, but if your leg day is starting to feel stale, there are plenty of other ways to build strong, capable legs that can help you take on everything life has to throw at you,” says

Koay and partner Matt Van Mol designed a series of five banded exercises to work often-overlooked muscles, while improving your stability, mobility and control.

“With one long-loop resistance band, you can challenge your lower body in multiple planes of motion, train the muscles that can often get overlooked and make your workouts a lot more exciting,” says Koay.

“Your legs also need to be a foundation of stability as you twist, turn and rotate, be strong enough independently to decelerate and control movement and be familiar with movements that might seem unconventional in a gym setting.

“Resistance bands are great for functional exercise because they can add extra tension and challenge stability in so many different positions.”

Resistance band leg workout

Lateral squat with rotation: 2-3 x 8-12 each side
B-stance Romanian deadlift: 2-3 x 10-12 each side
Banded adduction: 2-3 x 12-15 each side
Banded standing hamstring curl: 2-3 x 12-15 each side
Banded knee extension in downward dog: 2-3 x 10-12

“Stick with the same five exercises for four to eight weeks before changing your plan,” says Koay. “That gives you enough time to improve your setup, increase tension and build confidence with the movement patterns, thereby progressing your strength with bands.”

You can progress the workout by increasing the band tension (just shorten the length of the band you’re working with; Strong Band resistance bands have markings that make this easier to do), adding an extra rep or two per set, or by adding an extra set. You can also slow the lowering phase of each movement or pause for a couple of seconds at the hardest part to increase time under tension.

Koay recommends incorporating this workout into your routine once or twice a week alongside your usual activities.

Some exercises are more difficult than others and it might be useful to have two long-loop resistance bands with high and low resistance. However, the workout can be done with one if it’s a medium resistance.

“Choose a band tension that brings you to around a 7-8/10 effort by the final few reps,” says Koay. “You should feel challenged, but still able to move with good control and your full range of motion.”

If you’re a beginner, Koay suggests starting with a lighter band to get familiar with the exercises, how resistance bands work and to perfect your form.

“After you have built a solid foundation and understanding of the movements, you can increase the intensity, thereby increasing your effort,” she says.

1. Lateral squat with rotation

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 30-45sec between sides and 60-90sec between sets

Why it works: “This is a great alternative to more traditional squatting because it trains single-leg strength through the frontal plane of motion (moving to your side),” says Koay.

“It also incorporates rotational control, meaning that you’re not just strengthening your quads, you’re improving hip mobility, groin strength and your body’s ability to move well side to side when your legs, hips and core work together as a system rather than isolated parts.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and loop the band around your right foot.
Hold both ends of the band with your left hand, halfway down the band to create tension.
Engage your core.
Bend your right knee, sit your hips back and shift your torso to your right, keeping your left leg straight.
At the bottom of the movement, slightly rotate your hips to face right.
Drive through your working foot to stand, pulling the band and squeezing your glutes to face forward again.
Perform all the reps on one side, rest for 30-45sec, then repeat on the other side to complete the set.

Muscles targeted: Glutes, quads, adductors and core.

Form tips:

You should feel the outside of your hip working as you return to the starting position.
Think “sit back, then rotate” to ensure you aren’t twisting before you lower into the squat.
The movement should come from a stable lower body and controlled torso, not from the band pulling you into the squat.

2. B-stance Romanian deadlift (RDL)

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 30-45sec between sides and 60-90sec between sets

Why it works: “A B-stance RDL is a great single-leg strength builder with a focus on your glutes and hamstrings,” says Koay.

“Strong glutes and hamstrings are crucial for a healthy lower back, hips, knees and ankles.”

She adds that the exercise gently challenges balance and stability and highlights any muscular imbalances. After a set, ask yourself if the exercise feels harder on one side than the other?

How to do it:

Stand with your front foot on the band with your big toe, little toe and heel of your front foot firmly on the floor.
Step your back foot slightly behind you with your heel lifted. Keep your weight over your front foot.
Hold the band in both hands and slightly bend both knees.
Hinge from your hips by pushing them back while keeping your spine neutral.
Lower your torso until you feel a stretch through your hamstrings in your front leg.
Keep your hips level and facing forward.
Push through your front foot and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.
Complete all the reps on one side, rest for 30-45sec, then repeat on the other side to complete the set.

Muscles targeted: Hamstrings, glutes, abductors, lower back

Form tips:

Aim to maintain the same bend in your front knee throughout the exercise.
Keep your weight over your front foot throughout the exercise.

3. Banded adduction

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 each side Rest: 30sec between sides and 60sec between sets

Why it works: “The adductors are often undertrained, yet they play a big role in hip stability, pelvic control and powerful lower-body movement,” says Koay.

“Inactive and weak adductors can lead to hip pain, lower-back pain and even a change in your walking gait, leading to knee and ankle issues.

“This move helps to strengthen your inner thighs directly and can be particularly useful if you want more balanced hip strength.”

How to do it:

Lie on your right side, propped up on your elbow.
Hook one end of the band around your left foot, and hold the other end in your left hand.
Raise your left hand and foot, creating a triangle with your left arm, left leg and the band—this is your starting position.
Keeping your left hand still, lower your left leg, engaging your inner thigh.
Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement, then raise your left leg toward your hand again with control.
Complete all the reps on one side, rest for 30-45sec, then repeat on the other side to complete the set.

Muscles targeted: Adductors, core and shoulders.

Form tips:

Maintain the same tension through your banded hand, to ensure all your reps are equally challenging.
As you build confidence, allow your legs to open further at the top of the movement, working your adductor muscles through a greater range of motion and building more mobility through your hip joint.

4. Banded standing hamstring curl

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 each side Rest: 30-45sec between sides and 60-90sec between sets

Why it works: “Hamstring curls are a simple way to directly strengthen the back of your thighs,” says Koay.

“A resistance band creates tension through this important range of motion without needing a machine.

“Training your hamstrings to be strong while your knee bends helps to build resilience in your knee joints, which improves your running and walking mechanics and creates structural integrity in your lower body.”

This move also works the hamstrings in their shortened position, often missed in bigger compound moves.

How to do it:

Use a wall or chair by your side for balance if needed.
Stand on the middle of the band with your right foot and loop the end of the band around your left ankle. There should be light tension in the band when you raise your left foot.
Stabilize through your right leg by squeezing your glutes and tucking your tailbone under your hips—this is your starting position.
Bend your left knee, lifting your left foot toward your glute, working against the tension in the band.
Pause at the top of the movement without letting your hips twist, then lower back to the starting position with control.
Complete all the reps on one side, rest for 30-45sec, then repeat on the other side.

Muscles targeted: Hamstrings

Form tips:

Don’t rush the lowering phase. Your hamstrings are working hard when you control the band on the way down.

5. Banded leg extension in downward dog

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-12 reps Rest: 60-90sec

Why it works: “This is a quad-focused move that also challenges core control and hip stability,” says Koay.

“The knee extension helps strengthen the quads in the final phase of straightening your knee, which is especially useful for knee support and improving joint control.”

Strengthening your quads in their shortened position supports healthier knee mechanics and stability.

How to do it:

Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Loop the band behind your knees and place the band under your hands.
Push through your hands to lift your hips, maintaining a neutral spine and extending your knees, pushing against the tension of the band and engaging your quads.
Pause with your legs extended and your quads fully engaged.
Bend your knees with control to return to the starting position.

Muscles targeted: Quads, core and shoulder stabilizers.

Form tips:

To maintain tension in the band, aim to move through your lower body only rather than your shoulders.
Losing tension in the band will activate your lower back and core, rather than your quads.

People with strong chest and back muscles could be less at risk of a heart attack—here are six moves to train yours

Maddy Biddulph — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Stronger chest and back muscles may be linked to a lower risk of heart attack, new research suggests.

The findings come from a small study published in the journal Radiology, which used AI to analyse routine heart scans from 1,722 people, most of whom were in their 50s and experiencing chest pain.

The researchers found that people with greater muscle density in the chest and back were less likely to have a heart attack or die in the 10 years following their scan.

They believe this type of “good quality” skeletal muscle may reflect a more active lifestyle and greater torso strength, both of which are associated with better cardiovascular health and a reduced risk of early death.

Professor Michelle Williams, senior author of the study, said the findings were so compelling that it inspired her to join a gym and start walking for an hour a day.

“It is fascinating that people’s skeletal muscle could be linked to their risk of having a heart attack,” Williams told the British Heart Foundation, which partly funded the study led by the University of Edinburgh.

“The muscles which show up in the scans we used are principally the back muscles, part of the pectoral muscles or ‘pecs’ and the intercostal muscles between the ribs.”

She added: “However, we need far more research to better understand how exercise may affect muscle density, and how this may relate to heart health.”

In the meantime, if you want to increase your upper-body strength, try this six-move chest and back workout I’ve programmed.

Dumbbell chest and back workout

Bent-over row
Reverse-grip row
Dumbbell pullover
Chest press
Alternating pec fly
Narrow-grip press

You will need a set of dumbbells for this workout, and a mat if you don’t want to lie directly on the floor. Do each exercise for eight to 10 reps. Aim for three sets, with one minute of rest between sets.

1. Bent-over row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
Engage your core.
Hinge forward at your hips until your torso is at a 45° angle, keeping your back flat.
Let your arms hang down from your shoulders, with your palms facing—this is your starting position.
Pull the weights to your hips, drawing your elbows past your torso.
Pause briefly at the top, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Lower back to the starting position.

2. Reverse-grip row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing away from you.
Engage your core.
Hinge forward at your hips until your torso is at a 45° angle, keeping your back flat.
Let your arms hang down from your shoulders, with your palms facing away from you—this is your starting position.
Pull the weights to your hips, drawing your elbows past your torso.
Pause briefly at the top, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Lower back to the starting position.

3. Dumbbell pullover

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, holding one dumbbell in both hands.
Brace your core and, with a slight bend in your elbows throughout, lower the dumbbell behind your head as far as feels comfortable—don’t let your elbows flare out to the sides.
Lift the weight back to the starting position.

4. Chest press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Lie on the mat with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells by your chest with your palms facing forward.
Push your back into the mat to engage your core.
Extend your arms to push the weights straight up.
Lower the weights until your upper arms are just off the floor, then go straight into the next rep.

5. Alternating pec fly

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 60sec

Lie on the mat with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells above your chest with your arms extended straight up and palms facing.
Keep a slight bend in your elbows as you lower your left arm out to the side until it’s just off the floor.
Lift the dumbbell back to the starting position, then repeat the movement with your right arm.
Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

6. Narrow grip press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Lie on the mat with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells above your chest with your arms extended straight up and palms facing.
Keeping the dumbbells close together, lower the weights slowly to your chest, finishing with your elbows tapping the floor on either side of your torso.
Extend your arms to press the weights back to the starting position.

I asked a longevity-focused personal trainer what three exercises he wishes everyone would do to live a long, healthy life

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

What separates those who age well from those who don’t? This expert thinks it’s down to movement.

Francesco Zen is a certified personal trainer and the founder of ZLIFE, a longevity practice based in Dubai, UAE.

Over his 18-year career, Zen has worked with individuals of all ages, with the oldest being 88. This means he has learned to spot the patterns that indicate who will remain in excellent health, and who will not.

“Physical decline begins with a loss of movement and mobility,” he says. “The lower body, when neglected, is what drives postural degradation over time.”

He explains that a weak posterior chain—muscles, tendons and ligaments on the rear of your body—can cause postural imbalances and a rounded spine, especially when combined with disengaged core muscles.

This adds compensatory stress to the front of the body, causing problems with knees and hips.

“The resulting inflammation progressively reduces mobility and increases overall stiffness and pain,” he says.

“It also compromises optimal breathing patterns, pushing the individual toward increasingly sedentary behavior.

“Once sedentary patterns are established, cardiopulmonary efficiency drops,” he continues.

Cardiopulmonary efficiency is sometimes called VO2 max, and is measured by how quickly your body transports oxygen to your muscles during activity.

A drop in your body’s capacity to do this quickly and effectively increases your risk of mortality.

With this in mind, Zen recommends the following three exercises to strengthen your posterior chain, lower body and core muscles.

The three-move workout for longevity

“These three exercises can be performed at home immediately after waking and before breakfast,” says Zen.

“Done consistently, they deliver an enhanced breathing pattern from the very start of the day, which carries forward positively into everything that follows.

“Working in the range of 10 to 12 repetitions for three to four sets creates the combination of strength and hypertrophy that translates directly into real-world performance and physical independence.”

1. Hip hinge

(Image credit: Courtesy ZLIFE)

Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

Stand with a straight back and your feet directly under your hips. Distribute your weight through your heels and brace your core.
Gently push your hips backward, allowing your arms to drop naturally by your sides.
Lower until you reach at least a 60° forward lean, stopping before you feel any strain.
Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward to activate the hamstrings and glutes as you come back to standing.

Form tip: Maintain a straight back and keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement.

2. Supine core hold

(Image credit: Courtesy ZLIFE)

Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12

Lie on your back and rest your legs on the seat of a chair, with your knees bent to 90°.
Interlace your fingers behind your head or neck, but do not exert any pressure.
Press your glutes and back into the floor and contract your core without arching your lower back.
Exhale and lift your head and shoulders off the floor.
Hold for five deep breaths, then return to the starting position.

Form tips: Keep your neck aligned with your spine throughout the movement.

Progression: Make the move more challenging by removing the support of the chair.

3. Sumo squat

(Image credit: Courtesy ZLIFE)

Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12

Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart, and your toes turned out to roughly 20°.
Cross your arms over your chest, placing your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder. Raise your elbows until your forearms are parallel to the floor.
Lift your chin slightly. Take a deep breath, brace your core and glutes, then push your hips back and bend your knees to lower.
Pause at a comfortable depth, then exhale as you press the floor away to return to standing upright.

Many of my students are nervous about kettlebell swings—here’s how to avoid the common mistakes beginners make

Maddy Biddulph — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Many of the students in my group fitness class are nervous about doing kettlebell swings because they don’t really know how to do them and worry they might hurt themselves.

They’re right to be wary. It’s very easy to get it wrong and strain the muscles in your lower back.

But I regularly include the kettlebell swing in the plans I create for my one-to-one students, because of the unique benefits the move offers, and because I can safely supervise and make sure they have the technique right.

ISSA-certified strength and conditioning specialist Bridget Moroney and head coach at EGYM Fitness agrees.

“The kettlebell swing is one of the most efficient exercises you can add to a workout routine. It primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, but your core, lats, and shoulders all kick in as stabilizers, too.

“What makes it special is that it trains explosive hip power—the kind that carries over to running, jumping and pretty much every athletic movement. It also gets your heart rate up without the impact of running, so it's genuinely useful whether your goal is strength, conditioning or both.”

Her colleague Jonah Berman, also a NASM-certified personal trainer, adds that “kettlebell swings are an amazing power-builder by forcing you to explode through your hips and glutes. Especially if you spend a lot of time at a desk, these can help keep lower back and hip pain that comes from sitting all day away.

“And because it’s so dynamic, it sneaks in a cardiovascular burn without you ever having to touch a treadmill—bonus!”

Here Moroney and Berman explain why people are often put off by the kettlebell swing, common mistakes for beginners and how to perform the move safely.

The biggest kettlebell swing mistakes beginners make

Many people wrongly assume the kettlebell swing is an upper-body exercise, says Moroney.

“The arms are just along for the ride,” she says. It’s actually a full-body move that has a crucial element—the hip hinge. This is the same movement pattern you use when you deadlift, jump or pick something up from the floor.

Not hinging properly from your hips and bending your back instead is how people end up injured, says Moroney. “Plus, if the back rounds, the load goes to the wrong place and this can strain the back. The fix is simple in theory but takes practice. Keep your chest up, push your hips back like you are trying to touch a wall behind you, and think about snapping your hips forward to drive the bell up.”

Another of the most common mistakes beginners make when doing a kettlebell swing is squatting instead of hinging, says Moroney. A bend in your knees is necessary for stability but not so that it becomes a squat.

“With a hip hinge movement, the power comes from pushing your hips back and then driving them forward explosively. When people treat it like a squat they drop their knees, lose the hip drive, and end up pulling with their lower back instead.”

The dynamic nature of swinging a weight means that some coordination and timing are needed too, to control the weight like a pendulum and maintain the rhythm of your hip swings.

“Many beginners tend to emphasize the top of the movement, leading to hyperextension [when a joint moves beyond its typical range of motion] of their lower back. This can pinch your spine and cause injury or discomfort over time. You should be stable through your upper body with your glutes and core engaged.”

How to tell you’re ready for the kettlebell swing

If you want to introduce kettlebell swings into your workouts, Morony suggests making sure you’ve mastered a few things first.

“Before picking up a kettlebell, you need to ‘own’ the hip hinge,” she says. “Here's a simple test: stand about a foot away from a wall, push your hips straight back until they touch it, and keep your spine neutral the whole time. If you can do that with control, you understand the movement the kettlebell swing is built on.

“You also want basic core stability, meaning you can brace your midsection under load without your lower back caving. If either of those feels shaky, work on those first. The swing rewards good foundations and punishes bad ones.

To improve your core stability for the kettlebell swing, incorporate exercises such as glute bridge, bird dog, dead bug and plank into your regular fitness routine.

How to perform a kettlebell swing safely

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, with the kettlebell on the floor about a foot in front of you.
Engage your core.
Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, grasp the kettlebell handle in both hands.
Pull the kettlebell back between your legs, keeping your back flat.
Drive your hips forward explosively, squeezing your glutes, to generate the momentum to swing the kettlebell up to chest height, following it with your gaze—your arms should guide the bell but not lift it.
As the kettlebell falls, hinge at your hips and push your hips back, letting the kettlebell between your legs, ready to go straight into the next rep.

What weight should you use for the kettlebell swing?

If you’re new to kettlebell swings, start with a light weight until you’re comfortable with the hip hinge and rhythm. Then you can build up to an appropriate weight. “For most beginners, women typically start around 15lb to 18lb and men around 25lb to 35lb.

“The right starting weight is one where you can maintain perfect form for 10 to 15 reps without your form breaking down. If your back is rounding, your arms are doing the lifting, or you feel it in your lower back instead of your glutes and hamstrings, the weight is too heavy.

“Go heavier when you can complete multiple sets and the weight genuinely starts to feel easy. Not before.”

A trainer recommends this six-move dumbbell workout for women over 60 who want to improve their strength and mobility

Alice Porter — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Strength training is one of the most important things you can do for your health at any age, but particularly as you get older. That’s because after the age of 30, you gradually start to lose muscle mass and bone density, unless you’re actively building them.

It’s particularly important for women, who are four times as likely to experience osteoporosis—which causes weak, fragile bones—as their male counterparts, making strength training for bone health crucial too.

Tamika Harden, a personal trainer with more than 20 years of experience, has shared a strength training workout that can help beginners get started rebuilding muscle and bone density.

“This workout is designed for women over 60 who want to improve strength, balance, mobility and confidence with movement,” she says. “It is beginner-friendly and can be performed at home with minimal equipment.”

Harden recommends completing this workout three to five times a week. “Most people can expect noticeable improvements in energy, balance, and functional strength within four to six weeks of consistent practice,” she says.

All you need is a pair of light dumbbells and a sturdy chair.

1. Sit-to-stand

Time: 45sec

Sit on a chair, close to the edge of the seat.
Lean your chest forward over your knees.
Press through your feet to stand.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into the chair with control.

2. March in place

Time: 45sec

Stand, holding on to a chair or wall for support if needed.
Engage your core.
Lift your right knee to hip height with control.
Return your right foot to the floor, then repeat on the other side.
Continue, maintaining an upright posture and, if not holding onto something for support, let your arms swing naturally.

3. Wall push-up

Time: 45sec

Stand facing a wall about an arm’s length away.
Place your hands on the wall roughly shoulder-width apart at shoulder height.
Engage your core.
Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the wall.
Press back to the starting position.

4. Standing side-leg raise

Time: 45sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a chair in front of you for support.
Raise one leg out to the side, as high as comfortable while keeping the rest of your body still.
Pause briefly, then lower it with control and repeat on the other side.

5. Seated shoulder press

Time: 45sec

Sit holding light dumbbells in each hand by your shoulders, palms facing forward.
Engage your core.
Press the weights overhead.
Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells to your shoulders.

6. Heel-to-toe balance walk

Time: 45sec

Stand with some space to walk in front of you.
Walk in a straight line, as though on a tightrope, placing the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the other.
Move slowly with control to maintain your balance.

These longevity exercises are going viral—and why a physical therapist recommends them for stability and fall prevention

Maddy Biddulph — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Being able to maintain and improve balance becomes more important as you age. It can make the difference between suffering a serious fall-related injury or avoiding a fall altogether.

Yoga teacher Agata Quieora recently took to Instagram and Facebook, and said the best anti-aging hack is the four ankle exercises in her video below.

Quieora wrote that these four moves are “some of the most powerful things you can do for your feet, ankles, and calves, the foundation of every step, every yoga pose, and every movement you make.”

They are all variations of the calf raise using a yoga block, although you can do some of the moves using stairs or a step.

The internet sat up and took notice, with the video passing five million views and counting on Facebook alone.

The benefits of calf raises

Physical therapist Ashley Katzenback, owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, says Quierora’s calf raise variations—like the regular ones on the floor without a block—are a great way to improve balance.

“Performing calf raises in a variety of ways is a great way to improve your balance, strength, coordination and mobility,” says Katzenback. “All of these areas tend to decline with age, so it’s important to challenge yourself so your ankles are better able to respond to a trip and/or fall.

“Calf raises, especially when performed with the intent to move quickly, enhance the explosive force of the calf muscles (plantarflexors). This is critical for reactive balance—the ability to recover from something unexpected like a trip or push.”

How often should you do calf raises?

Katzenback says ideally we should all be doing calf raises every day. “But a realistic target is to incorporate them into your strength training workout and do them four times a week,” she says.

And you can expect to notice a benefit in around a month. “Like all physiological changes, it takes four to six weeks to notice a change.”

How calf exercises improve your balance

Katzenback says that strong calf muscles also help your body know where your foot and ankle are—known as ankle proprioception—and that can improve your balance and movement.

“This is especially important because as we age, we tend to sit more and our calf muscles get shorter and weaker,” she says. “Ankle balance relies on input from proprioception in your feet, ankle joints and even calf muscles. Your calf muscle spindles provide sensory feedback. Stronger, better-conditioned calf muscles will provide more reliable proprioception.”

And as we’ve already heard, when we do calf raises, this increases the capacity of the plantarflexors—which can reduce your fall risk. “The more reactive your plantarflexion is, the less likely you are to fall if you are trying to recover from an expected loss of balance,” she says.

How strong is your deep core? If you struggle with lower back pain, poor balance or weak posture, you may need to try these three strengthening exercises

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Why should you worry about training your deep core if you can’t see the muscles? Because they matter more than you think.

Take the transverse abdominis, it wraps around your torso like a corset and activates to keep you balanced, and holds you upright while you sit and stand.

Your internal obliques sit over the transverse abdominis and help you with rotational movement. Meanwhile your pelvic floor acts as a sling for your organs and helps with bowel and bladder control.

All of these core muscles (and others) also protect your organs, and while you can’t see them from the outside, building a strong, functional deep core should be a priority for everyone.

I asked Sabrina Jordan, who is a NASM-certified personal trainer at workout and community space Life Time in Annapolis, how to approach strengthening your deep core muscles.

She recommended the following three exercises.

1. Leg lower

Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12

Jordan says: “I chose this exercise because it strongly targets the transverse abdominis and lower core while training the body to resist spinal extension, which is key for deep core strength.”

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your legs extended straight up, with your feet over your hips and arms resting by your sides.
Lift your head off the floor, supporting it with your hands if needed.
Engage your core and press your lower back firmly into the floor, then slowly lower both legs toward the floor without letting your back arch.
Just before your heels tap the floor, lift your legs back to the starting position with control.

2. Single-leg glute march

Sets: 3 Reps: 16-20 each side

Jordan says: “This exercise challenges pelvic stability and activates the deep core (including transverse abdominis and obliques) while also engaging the glutes.”

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Engage your core.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Lift your right leg until your right knee is over your right hip.
Lower your right foot back to the floor, keeping your hips level throughout.
Repeat on the other side.
Alternate legs in a slow marching pattern without letting your pelvis drop or rotate. Keep your core braced the entire time.

3. RKC Plank

Sets: 3 Time: 30-60sec

Jordan says: “I selected this variation on a standard plank because it maximizes full-body tension and deeply engages the transverse abdominis, making it far more effective than passive planks.”

How to do it:

Get on your hands and knees, with your knees directly under your hips and your hands directly under your shoulders.
Lower your forearms to the floor one by one, making sure your elbows are directly under your shoulders.
Step back with each foot so your legs are both extended behind you.
Engage your core.
Actively pull your elbows toward your toes and squeeze your glutes and quads. Keep your ribs close to the floor to maintain a straight line from your head to your heels.
Hold for 30-60 seconds, then lower your knees to the floor.

I’m a fitness writer and these are my three favorite workouts by personal trainer Britany Williams

Maddy Biddulph — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

I often only have a short amount of time to squeeze in exercise so when I do an online workout it needs to be quick, effective and fun.

Personal trainer Britany Williams always ticks all three boxes with the workouts she posts on her Instagram account. She often uses compound exercises (working multiple muscle groups at once), allowing you to work your whole body in less time.

Like me, the Sweat coach is a mom to young children so she understands the time constraints parents face.

Here are three of her workouts I do on repeat.

My favorite Britany Williams workout for arms

This 15-minute arms workout features just three dumbbell exercises—the single-arm shoulder press, single-arm row and skull crusher—ticking off a push, a pull and an isolation move for the triceps on the back of your arms.

This neat little circuit not only works your upper body but also challenges your core. In a kneeling position, your abdominal muscles will work hard to stabilize you, and the skull crusher requires some core strength to raise the weights from overhead.

My favorite Britany Williams workout for no-jumping cardio

Since having children my pelvic floor is not as strong as it used to be and now I’m nearing 50, low-impact cardio is kinder on my knees. This no-jumping cardio workout satisfies my love of HIIT without putting too much stress on my joints.

It’s only four rounds but because there’s no rest between exercises, it keeps your heart rate up and helps to build cardiovascular fitness and strength.

My favorite Britany Williams workout for core strength

The two killer core moves in this workout prove you don’t need crunches to effectively work your core. Both moves—the pullover supine march and the plank to bear—target your deep core muscles. These sit under your superficial abdominals to help support your spine.

Often overlooked, these deeper stabilizing core muscles not only help improve overall core strength and stability, but can improve your posture, lower-back pain and pelvic floor strength.

You can build muscle after 70 by working out once a week—a physical therapist explains how

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Strength training at any age is important, but it’s essential after 70.

“As we age, we often face structural changes known as sarcopenia and osteopenia—the progressive loss of muscle mass and bone density,” says Dr Jamie Bovay, founder and lead physical therapist at KinetikChain Denver.

“By age 70, for many, this slide becomes a cliff.

“While that may sound dire, with a plan, we can minimize any losses and, more importantly, we can actually build muscle at any age.”

It doesn’t require heavy weights or a huge time commitment either. Bovay tells Fit&Well that there is a common misconception that you have to be in the gym every day to make progress, but as little as a single session a week can lead to meaningful results in health and functional strength for seniors.

“We aren’t training for a bodybuilding [competition] stage,” says Bovay, “we are training to maintain our access to all of the things we want to do.

“We are building a body that will last 100-plus years, so that at age 95, we can still easily get off the floor, carry our own groceries, and navigate the world with confidence.”

HOW SENIORS CAN BUILD FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH TRAINING ONCE A WEEK

The good news is that you don’t need heavy weights to maintain your muscle mass.

“The most important thing to understand is that your body doesn’t care how much weight is on the bar,” says Bovay. “It only cares about the signal you send to your nervous system and we can do this in a variety of ways.”

All of those ways, however, require you to work hard to challenge your body. So you can use light weights, but you need to pair them with a relatively high number of reps.

“When you perform high repetitions (20-25) to the point of near-failure (when you can’t do another rep), you create a chemical stimulus in the muscle that signals the body to initiate the protein synthesis that builds muscle,” explains Bovay.

“Make sure your first set is easy to challenging, your second set is hard, and for the third set you should be pushing it to near-failure where the last two to three reps feel challenging to finish,” says Bovay.

But which exercises should you include in your workouts?

According to research, sessions should prioritize multi-joint, full-body movements, including a leg press (such as a squat), an upper-body pull and an upper-body push exercise, using free weights or machines.

Separately, Bovay has shared a five-move workout for seniors to build strength and maintain independence, and the first three exercise types match the recommendations from the research. The workout can be done from home too.

It’s a great place to start.

Workout for seniors

Start to build strength with this once a week routine.

Short on time? This 20-minute EMOM workout can help build muscular endurance fast

Maddy Biddulph — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

To fit exercise into my busy week, I try to get up early and squeeze something in before my daughters come down for breakfast. I usually have about 30 minutes max before I’m back to mom duty so how I work out matters.

I’ll often do a circuit that uses EMOM (every minute on the minute) timings. You complete a certain number of repetitions of an exercise at the start of every minute, and your recovery is the remaining time on the clock before the next 60 seconds start.

I recommend this style of training if you’re on a tight schedule. There’s minimal downtime and workouts can build cardio fitness as well as muscular strength and endurance because you only have short recovery periods. As you get tired, you have to work harder to complete the repetitions, which is what improves fitness, strength and endurance.

As you get fitter, you might complete your repetitions faster, giving you more recovery time within the minute, in which case you can increase the repetitions to keep things challenging.

If it sounds like a good fit for your goals, try this five-move workout I created.

How to do the EMOM workout

You will need a set of dumbbells or a kettlebell for this workout. Do 10 reps of every exercise, one after the other, and complete four rounds.

Each exercise starts at the beginning of the new minute, with any remaining time used as rest. For example, if the first exercise—the goblet squat— takes you 40 seconds, then you will have 20 seconds rest before the next move at the next minute mark.

If your RDL reps take 50 seconds, you will have only 10 seconds of rest before moving on, and so on.

Don’t compromise technique just because you want to complete your reps quickly and have a longer rest. If you are new to EMOM workouts, try two rounds and then increase this as you get fitter.

Resist the urge to make it as hard as possible. Pace yourself so that you can complete your reps without having to stop halfway because you’ve started too fast, or picked a weight that’s too heavy. Because of the short rest periods, what feels hard at first can become impossible by the final round.

It’s helpful to keep a log of how you perform in the workout each time you do it. Over time, you might notice you can complete your reps quicker, add more reps to each minute, or can use a heavier weight.

1. Goblet squat

Reps: 10

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest with both hands.
Engage your core.
Bend your knees and sit your hips back to lower, keeping your chest facing forward.
Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Press through your heels and squeeze your buttocks to stand back up.

2. Romanian deadlift

Reps: 10

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing you.
Engage your core, and set your shoulders back and down.
Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back to lower the weights down the front of your legs, keeping your back flat throughout.
Pause when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then squeeze your glutes as you drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.

3. Bent-over row

Reps: 10

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing.
Engage your core, and set your shoulders back and down.
Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, letting your arms hang down—this is your starting position.
Lift the dumbbells to your hips, drawing your elbows past your torso.1
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
Lower the weights slowly with control.

4. Plank shoulder tap

Reps: 10

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders directly above your hands, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Raise one hand and tap your opposite shoulder, keeping your hips stable.
Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Glute bridge

Reps: 10

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor, hip-width apart and your arms by your sides.
Push through your heels to raise your hips, making a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower your hips back down slowly.

A strength specialist’s simple techniques to get stronger glutes at home without equipment

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

If you want to build strength, then you need to follow the principle of progressive overload, gradually increasing the challenge to your muscles over time. The most obvious way to do this is by using heavier and heavier weights—but it’s not the only way.

Certified strength and conditioning specialist Alexander Erickson, who works at Just Train by Joel Thomas, explained to me that there are multiple ways to increase the difficulty of your workouts that don’t involve different weights, so you can follow progressive overload without a gym membership or a set of home dumbbells.

Five ways to progressively overload without equipment

Add more reps or sets: The easiest way to progress, although this becomes too time consuming to be practical after a while.
Increase time under tension: Slow down the movement (on the way down especially), and/or hold the position at the bottom of the movement for a few seconds, to make it more challenging.
Add instability: Adding some form of instability with a soft surface like a sofa cushion, can increase the difficulty of the exercise, because your body has to work harder to stay balanced. Another idea is to go from a bilateral to a unilateral exercise, where possible.
Increase the intensity: Work against a timer, with as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) workouts, or Tabata high-intensity interval training protocols.
Increase the frequency of workouts: Just add an extra session to your week.

“Ultimately, it’s about being creative, finding new ways to challenge yourself and making the necessary adjustments,” Erickson says.

How to build stronger glutes without weights

To put these techniques into practice, Erickson recommends the following three equipment-free glute exercises, which only require an elevated surface to perform.

Here’s how to do them, and the techniques you can employ to make each more challenging as you get stronger.

1. Bulgarian split squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 6-10 each side

How to do it:

Stand facing away from an elevated platform—a bench, step, box or chair—and take a step away from it.
Place the top of your left foot on the platform.
Bend your right knee to lower, stopping just before your left knee touches the floor, or as low as feels comfortable.
Push through your right foot to extend your right leg and return to the starting position
Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

“This exercise is similar to a regular split squat, but with the rear foot elevated instead of planted on the ground,” says Erickson.

“This change causes a backward shift of the center of mass and a decrease in stability, which both shifts the load to the glutes and increases the difficulty of the exercise.”

How to make it harder:

Increase time under tension: “Control the eccentric (downward) movement or hold the bottom position.”
Increase elevation: “Increasing the height of the rear leg can increase difficulty, as long as the person is still able to perform the exercise with good form.”

2. Box pistol squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 6-10 each side

How to do it:

Stand facing away from an elevated platform, such as a bench, step, box or chair.
Extend your right leg and both arms in front of you, balancing on your left leg.
Bend your left knee and push your hips back to slowly lower your body until you feel your glutes touch the platform.
Push through your left foot to stand back up.
Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

Make it easier: If it is too difficult to push back up with one foot, use both feet to stand back up.

“This exercise can be thought of as a single-leg squat. You should aim to control the downward movement, as this is where most of the glute activation happens,” says Erickson.

The box is important, especially for beginners, as it allows them to explore their available range of motion for the exercise without the risk of overbalancing.

How to make it harder:

Lower the box: “Lowering the elevated surface increases the total range of the motion, which makes the exercise more difficult.”
Lose the box: Then keep lowering the elevation until you no longer need it and can do a full range pistol squat.” This extends the time you spend in eccentric (downward) movement, increasing the time your muscles are under tension.

3. Step-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 6-10 each side

How to do it:

Stand facing an elevated platform, such as a bench, step, box or chair.
Place your right foot on the platform.
Squeeze your glutes and push through your right foot to extend your right leg, raising your body and bringing your left foot on to the platform.
Step your left foot back to the floor, lowering slowly and with control.
Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

“One of my favorite exercises, and one that translates extremely well to many aspects of both athletic performance and real life,” says Erickson.

“The actual movement itself is similar to the pistol squat, but you are moving your body in the opposite direction.”

How to make it harder:

Increase elevation: “You can further elevate the surface, as long as you stay within your range of motion—you should not be on your tippy-toes or hovering before the motion begins.”
Increase time under tension: “Moving slowly on the way down is another way to make the exercise more difficult.”
Add a dynamic movement: “Add a knee raise at the end of the upward motion, or start with both feet off the elevated surface.

The two upper-body dumbbell exercises everybody should do to correct muscular imbalances

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Muscular imbalances are a fact of life. Unless you’re truly ambidextrous (mixed-handed), you probably have a dominant side that you rely on more than the other.

While imbalances are common, they can become a problem. If your body has to compensate for the imbalance, it might lead to injury with increased strain on muscles, joints and tendons on the side that works harder.

It may also limit your ability to strength train, with your weaker side holding your stronger side back during bilateral movements.

One of the best ways of tackling muscular imbalances is through unilateral movements.

If you complete all reps on your weaker side first and match them with your stronger side, you can work toward reducing muscle imbalances in the long term, according to Richard Bennett, strength and conditioning coach and owner of Calibre Performance.

He has shared the following two upper-body exercises, which he encourages you to incorporate into your regular workout routine.

As always, consult a physical therapist or healthcare provider for individualised advice and if you think a muscular imbalance may be impacting your daily life or training.

1. Dumbbell row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

“This exercise makes it harder for your dominant arm to take over the movement, as it might with a bilateral row.”

“The main muscles trained are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius and rear deltoids,” says Bennett. “The biceps and forearm muscles assist, while the trunk works to maintain a neutral position.”

“The supported position reduces the amount of lower-back fatigue, which can be useful when rowing is programmed alongside squats and hinges.”

How to do it:

Place your left knee and left hand on a weight bench, with your right foot firmly on the floor.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your arm extended.
Maintain a neutral spine and engage your shoulders and hips so they remain stable against the pull of the weight.
Pull your right elbow toward your hip, lifting the dumbbell to your ribs.
Lower with control until your arm is fully extended.
Complete all your repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

2. Single-arm dumbbell bench press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

“This exercise engages your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and triceps. Your trunk stabilizers work to prevent your body from rotating toward the loaded side,” says Bennett.

“As the resistance is only on one side, your trunk must prevent rotation while your upper body produces force. This gives the exercise an additional stability demand.”

How to do it:

Lie on a weight bench holding a dumbbell in your left hand by your left shoulder, with your feet flat on the floor.
Have your right arm extended out to your side in the air for counterbalance.
Engage your core, pressing your lower back into the bench.
Extend your arm straight up to press the dumbbell overhead.
Bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell with control, avoiding any rotation in your body.
Pause at the bottom of the movement, maintaining tension in your balancing arm.
Complete all your repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

Form tip:

Keep your elbow roughly 30-45° away from your torso rather than flaring it directly sideways.

Only got light dumbbells? That’s all you need for this barre workout, which will help you build muscle tone in your arms

Alice Porter — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

If you’re someone who lifts weights regularly, you might assume that working out with 1lb or 2lb weights would be too easy. But a workout known as barre will prove you wrong.

Barre is a mix of ballet, Pilates and yoga, and one of its unique features is how it targets the small, stabilising muscles, and it’s ability to develop your muscular endurance, strength, stability and balance.

“I love barre arms because they’re sneakily challenging,” says instructor Tara Riley, explaining that barre uses light weights to challenge endurance.

“If you look at ballet dancers, their arms are always so beautifully placed, and they effortlessly hold them up,” Riley says, “but if you’ve ever actually held your arms out to the sides for longer than a couple of minutes—it’s tough.”

Below, she’s shared a barre arms workout that will challenge you even if you only have access to 1lb or 2lb weights. In fact, Riley advises against going any heavier.

“You’re going to start to lose your form if you lift too heavy,” Riley says. “I’d rather you tire the muscle and work the endurance of the muscle.”

“There are so many exercises we can do with heavy weights—these are not those exercises,” she adds.

Tara Riley’s barre arm workout

1. Rotating arm press

Reps: 8 each side

Stand holding dumbbells, with your feet wider than hip-width apart, with your toes pointing outwards.
With your upper arms touching your torso, bend your elbows to 90°, lifting the dumbbells in front of you.
Keeping your upper arms connected to your torso, externally rotate your shoulders to move your forearms out to the sides with your palms facing up.
Bend your knees to lower into second position plié, keeping your torso upright—this is your starting position.
Extend one arm out to the side and rotate through the shoulder, so that your palm faces behind you.
Reverse the movement back to the starting position.
Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Try an extra challenge:

Move both arms at once and extend your knees to rise.

2. Row to triceps kickback

Reps: 16

Stand with your feet hip-width apart,holding dumbbells with your palms facing.
Bend your elbows to lift your forearms so they point forward—this is your starting position.
Pull your elbows slightly behind your torso, then extend your elbow to point your forearms behind you.
Reverse the movements back to the starting position.

Try an extra challenge:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and push your hips back and bend your knees to squat down, so your hips are at knee height.
From this position, complete the row and triceps kickback exercise, then stand up to complete one rep.

3. Ab curl with chest opener

Reps: 16

Sit upright on a mat holding dumbbells, with a Pilates ball behind your glutes, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Bend your elbows to 90°, lift your forearms to vertical and bring your arms together.
Lean back onto the ball and open your arms out to the sides, so they're in a cactus shape.
Bring your arms back in front of your face and raise your torso back to the starting position.

Try an extra challenge:

Lean back and hold this position.
Open your arms out to the sides and pulse your arms an inch up, and then an inch down, 16 times.

4. First position lateral raise

Stand with your heels together and your feet turned outwards (this is first position), holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing forward and a slight bend in your elbows.
Raise your arms in front of you to shoulder height, keeping a slight bend at your elbows.
Lower with control.

Try an extra challenge:

Lift your heels as you raise your arms, then lower your heels in sync with your arms.
Lift your heels off the floor and hold this position. Raise your arms and pulse them up an inch and down an inch 16 times.

A physical therapist thinks resistance bands belong in every workout routine—here are three exercises she loves

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Resistance bands may sound like they belong in your stationery drawer next to rubber bands, but they’re a useful training tool.

In some cases, they may be even better suited to your training needs than weights.

Jessi Heinsohn, a physical therapist and the clinical director at ATI Physical Therapy, explains why you might occasionally want to swap your dumbbells for a resistance band.

“Unlike dumbbells or barbells, resistance bands are not gravity-reliant,” she says.

“This allows individuals more freedom in positioning (sitting, standing, etc.) for any type of exercise.”

Heinsohn uses bands with her physical therapy clients for endurance training and rehabilitation.

She tells Fit&Well that they are a vital tool for patients who must relearn movement patterns and rebuild the endurance of a muscle group that has atrophied.

They’re also a great way to add extra resistance to your usual workout, especially if you don’t have access to weights.

If you’re curious about resistance bands, Heinsohn recommends trying the following three exercises to get a taste for how they work.

1. Shoulder external rotation with scapular retraction

Sets: 3 Reps: 20

How to do it:

Hold a resistance band with your hands shoulder-width apart, your upper arms pinned against your torso and your elbows bent to 90°.
Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly rotate your forearms out to the sides, pulling the band apart as far as you can.
Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Slowly return to the starting position with control.

“This exercise is great for engaging both your middle and low trapezius and the external rotators in your shoulders,” says Heinsohn.

“This helps condition your postural muscles responsible for appropriate upper torso and neck positioning throughout the day and can be especially helpful with a variety of aches and pains that result from tech neck.”

2. Wall walk

Sets: 3 Reps: 20

How to do it:

Place a small loop band around both of your wrists and place your fingertips on the wall. Your elbows can be partially bent at this point.
Press your wrists outward against the band. You should feel the muscles on the sides of your shoulders and between your shoulder blades engage.
Maintain that outward pressure and start walking your hands up the wall.
Keep your hands the same distance apart from each other the entirety of this movement.
Stop before your shoulders begin to lift and walk your hands back down to the starting position while still pressing your wrists outward.
Relax your arms when you get to the starting position.

“This exercise is again great for engaging postural muscles,” says Heinsohn, and “will help improve general upper-body movement patterns.”

3. Monster walk

Sets: 3 Reps: 50 steps

How to do it:

Stand with a band wrapped around your ankles.
Bend slightly at your hips and knees and press your heels into the floor.
Slowly step one foot forward and out to the side, keeping the band taut.
Repeat on the other side, walking forward, changing direction when needed.

“This exercise primarily engages the hip abductors, but the hip and knee extensors will also be active,” says Heinsohn.

“Monster walks are great to get the glutes fired and active after sitting all day, for warming up before squatting at the gym, or before going for a run.

“The glutes are a muscle group that many have trouble targeting, so this exercise can specifically be used to build glute endurance or as a supplement to improve other exercises you perform.”

Why expert Jessi Heinsohn thinks you should use resistance bands

1. Postural correction

Heinsohn likes to use resistance bands for what she calls keyboard warriors, or people who work at desks.

“I frequently prescribe resistance band training for individuals who come into the clinic to help build neuromuscular control and endurance of postural muscles,” she says.

“This is great for both improving the appearance of one’s posture and also for alleviating pain or joint degeneration that is frequently associated with long-term postural dysfunction.”

Heinsohn herself uses resistance bands to stretch after a long day in front of a computer.

2. You’re short of space

“The greatest advantage of resistance bands is their portability,” says Heinsohn.

“They can be tossed into your backpack for work or into your suitcase when you travel, giving you the opportunity for some mindful movement wherever you may be.”

3. Muscle activation

“I am an avid powerlifter and will often personally use resistance bands to activate certain muscle groups, then perform a specific compound lift (squat, deadlift, split squat),” says Heinsohn.

4. Mind-muscle connection

“Resistance bands are extremely helpful for building neuromuscular control, otherwise known as mind-muscle connection,” says Heinsohn.

“The bands add progressive resistance as you go through the movement pattern, creating peak muscular contraction at the end range of the movement.”

5. Building balance and coordination

“The unstable nature of the bands causes maintained engagement of your stabilizer muscles, which can increase both balance and functional coordination,” says Heinsohn.

“I’m thankful to have a body that I can move”—news anchor and health coach Bianca de la Garza shares the weekly workout routine she follows to build strength and boost her longevity

Alice Porter — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

Bianca de la Garza is an anchor at Newsmax, but she’s recently become just as well-known for her fitness routine, which she shares on social media.

Since turning 50, she’s prioritised strength training and qualified as an ACE Fitness personal health coach. “It always feels like a [moment of] self-reflection anytime I go into a new decade,” de la Garza tells Fit&Well.

Her routine is made up of strength training workouts and she’s proof that you can start lifting weights at any stage of life—you don’t need to be a former athlete to thrive in the gym.

Below, she’s shared details of what a recent week of her workouts looked like.

Bianca de la Garza’s weekly workout routine

Monday 6.45am
Upper-body workout including battle ropes, dumbbell exercises and cable machine movements.

Tuesday 6.45am
Lower-body workout including barbell exercises, TRX bands and gym-based machines.

Wednesday 6.45am
Full-body workout using kettlebells and dumbbells.

Thursday 6.45am
Lower-body workout using machines and kettlebells.

Friday 6.45am
Four-move full-body workout, including lunges, planks and deadhangs.

Saturday 6.45am
Lower-body workout including kettlebell movements and Smith machine.

Sunday
Rest day

Bianca de la Garza’s tips for building an effective workout routine

Do what works for you

“I avoid any type of jumping,” de la Garza says, explaining that she had a knee injury a few years ago, which makes high-impact exercises difficult for her. “You have to work out smart because you don’t want to be taken out of the arena.”

“I don’t do box jumps, I don’t do squat jumps, I don’t run, I don’t jump rope—I’m super careful,” she adds.

Don’t let soreness put you off

“You are going to be sore [after working out],” de la Garza says. “That’s just lactic acid building up, so don’t think that just because you’re sore you can’t do it again.”

“It's going to get better after a day or two," she says.

Tell a loved one about your goals

“I make myself accountable by telling a friend or my husband: I’m going to the gym,” de la Garza says. You don’t necessarily need them to do anything to hold you accountable, but simply saying it out loud can help you to feel more motivated.

Practice gratitude

“I always remember I’m thankful to have a body that I can move,” de la Garza says. “We can't take that for granted. So many other people would love to be moving the way we’re moving, but they’re injured or immobile or in hospital beds.”

“Practicing daily gratitude around being able to move my body helps me think myself into the workouts,” she adds.

Forget crunches—these three exercises will strengthen your deep core without weights

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Want to take your core training to the next level? But you’re not keen on adding more crunches or incorporating weights? I feel you.

I’ve been confused about how to progress my core workout. What I really need are core exercises that are targeted and scalable, and that I can do without weights or having to join the gym.

So I asked Melissa Worley, a personal trainer with over 25 years of experience and a member of the Mindbody Wellness Council, what I could do.

She recommends the following three core exercises, which can be progressed without equipment.

1. Dead bug

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 reps each side Rest: 45-60sec

Muscles targeted: Deep core, internal and external obliques, hip flexors and pelvic floor

Worley says: “Dead bugs are a great progression exercise because they train the core to resist spinal extension, which carries over to many everyday and athletic movements. They are also highly scalable.”

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your arms extended straight up and your legs raised, knees bent to 90° and directly above your hips.
Brace your core and press your lower back into the floor.
Slowly lower your right arm and lower and extend your left leg until they are just above the floor.
Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side, extending your left arm and right leg.
Alternate sides with each rep.

Form tip: Be sure your lower back doesn’t arch off the floor.

Progressions:

Double-leg dead bug: Start in the same position and extend both legs and arms simultaneously.
Slow down: This keeps your muscles under tension for longer, working them harder.
Pause: Add a pause at the base of the movement.

2. Forearm plank

Sets: 3 Hold: 20-60sec Rest: 45-60sec

Muscles targeted: Transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, lower back stabilizers, glutes and shoulders.

Worley says: “The plank is an effective exercise for developing anti-extension core strength, using the entire trunk to work together to maintain a neutral spine. It challenges your shoulders and glutes, making it a full-body exercise.”

How to do it:

From all fours, place your forearms on the floor, positioning your elbows under your shoulders, and step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from your head to your heels.
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes, holding the position for 20-60 seconds.
Lower your knees and come up onto your hands to exit the hold.

Form tip: Avoid letting your hips sag or lift.

Progressions:

Long-lever plank: Move your elbows several inches in front of your shoulders, increasing the demand on your abdominals.
Plank shoulder taps: From a high plank (supported on your hands, not your elbows), alternate tapping each shoulder with the opposite hand while bracing your core to minimize hip rotation.
Single-leg plank: Lift one foot off the floor for the duration of the hold. Repeat with the opposite leg.

3. Side plank

Sets: 3 Hold: 20-45sec each side Rest: 45-60sec

Muscles targeted: Obliques, deep core and shoulder stabilizers.

Worley says: “Side planks train a different core function than dead bugs and standard planks by focusing on lateral stability and resisting side bending.

“They activate the obliques and glute medius together, which is important for hip and trunk stability and can help with injury prevention in the hips, pelvis, and lower back.”

How to do it:

Lie on one side propped up on your forearm with your elbow directly under your shoulder and one foot on top of the other.
Brace your core and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line.
Keep your ribs down and avoid rotating forward or backward.
Hold for 20-45 seconds, then lower your hip to the floor.

Progressions:

Top leg lift: While holding the plank, raise your top leg several inches.
Star side plank: Lift your top arm and your top leg simultaneously.
Thread-the-needle: Rotate your top arm and bring it under your torso and back again while maintaining hip height and stability

An ex-NFL sports rehab specialist says you should do these four exercises to support and stabilize sore knees

lou.mudge@futurenet.com (Lou Mudge) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Not all knee pain is the same.

Maybe you don’t feel knee pain when you’re going about everyday tasks, but find that it appears when you undertake something more ambitious, like a hike or run, and it becomes hard to ignore.

Surprisingly, the knee itself is often not where the issue lies.

“Knee pain is often influenced by deficits in strength, endurance, and movement control,” says Sydney Lopez, a certified athletic trainer at The Stone Clinic and former rehabilitation specialist for the New York Giants.

She explains that when the muscles around the knee aren’t doing their job properly, some of the load they should be absorbing falls onto the joint.

While you may not notice this as much when going about your day, as soon as you add repetitive pressure—as you would on a hike or run—it may begin to twinge.

Lopez says the solution to this type of knee pain is to strengthen the neighboring muscles.

“By strengthening the quadriceps, gluteal muscles, and surrounding stabilizers, you can help improve knee function and reduce discomfort during daily activities and exercise,” says Lopez, who has suggested exercises to do just that.

“For best results, perform the following exercises two to three times per week and gradually increase resistance as strength improves.”

Our expert advises that if pain persists, worsens, or significantly limits your activity, you should consult a qualified healthcare professional for a comprehensive evaluation.

1. Short arc quad with adduction

The Stone Clinic

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 30-45sec

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your legs extended over a foam roller or bolster positioned underneath your knees. Place a ball (or rolled towel) between your shins.
Gently squeeze the ball and straighten your knees, lifting your feet off the floor.
Pause at the top of the movement for a few seconds.
Slowly lower back to the starting position, maintaining tension on the ball throughout the movement.

How it helps: “The quadriceps (front thigh muscles) are one of the primary muscle groups responsible for supporting the knee joint,” says Lopez.

“This exercise specifically targets the quadriceps while incorporating hip adduction (moving the leg inward), which may help improve activation of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), an important stabilizer of the kneecap.”

2. Terminal knee extension with resistance band

The Stone Clinic

Sets: 3 Reps: 15-20 each side Rest: 30-45sec

How to do it:

Anchor a resistance band at knee height and stand facing the anchor point.
Step into the band with one leg, so it sits behind your knee.
Begin with your knee slightly bent, then tighten your thigh muscles to straighten your knee completely against the resistance of the band. Avoid leaning backward or locking your knee forcefully.
Hold the extension for a few seconds, then slowly return to the starting position while maintaining control.

How it helps: “Terminal knee extensions strengthen the quadriceps in the final degrees of knee extension, a range that is often weak or painful in individuals with knee dysfunction,” says Lopez.

“They also help improve knee stability during walking, running and stair climbing.”

3. Bulgarian split squat

The Stone Clinic

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

Stand a few steps in front of a bench or elevated surface, facing away from it.
Place the top of one foot behind you on the bench.
Keep your chest upright and core engaged as you lower yourself toward the floor by bending both knees.
Descend until your front thigh is parallel to the floor (or as close as you can comfortably get). Keep your front knee aligned with your second toe throughout the movement.
Push through your front foot to return to standing.

How it helps: “The Bulgarian split squat develops single-leg strength and challenges balance, stability, and lower-extremity control,” says Lopez.

“It strengthens the muscles that absorb force during walking, running, and stair navigation while improving symmetry between limbs.”

4. Spanish squat

The Stone Clinic

How to do it:

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: 60sec

Secure a strong resistance band or strap behind your knees and anchor it to a sturdy object in front of you.
Step backward until the band provides support and tension, then place your feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend your knees and sit your hips back to lower your glutes while maintaining an upright torso.
Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close to that as you can manage. Keep the knees over your toes throughout the movement.
Drive through both feet to return to standing.

How it helps: “The Spanish squat is an excellent exercise for individuals experiencing anterior knee pain (front of knee pain) or patellar tendon (tendon below the kneecap) discomfort because it allows significant quadriceps loading while maintaining a more upright torso position,” says Lopez.

“This can help strengthen the knee without placing excessive stress on the lower back or hips.”

Shop the equipment used in this workout

With the Amazon Prime Day sale running through June 26, now’s a good time to pick up some home exercise equipment.

Theraband Resistance Bands Set

Amazon Basics Foam Roller

Yanyodo Official Size 5 Volleyball

“Most people over 40 say conventional workouts feel too hard, take too long or leave them injured—this routine solves all three problems,” says an experienced trainer

Sam Rider — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Personal trainer Connor Darnbrough is convinced that most people over 40 stop strength training because they find conventional workouts too tough, too time consuming or too painful.

Instead, the co-founder of Smart Fit Method has formulated a technique he believes will help older adults stick with their training so they can build and preserve muscle and extend healthspan.

“It takes 20 minutes, requires only standard gym equipment, and is built around one principle the research consistently supports: slow, controlled eccentric loading,” he tells Fit&Well.

Darnbrough's technique focuses on slowing down the lowering (eccentric) phase of a movement.

Typically, you would spend between one and three seconds lowering the weight. Darnbrough’s method recommends extending this to seven seconds. That's a lot of Mississippis.

“The slow, eccentric tempo might feel unusual at first,” he says.

“Most people expect to feel tired from speed or volume. Instead, you will feel the effort of genuine muscular control, which is exactly the stimulus your muscles, bones, nervous system and cardiovascular fitness all need.”

Why eccentric loading builds muscle

“The eccentric phase, or lowering portion of any movement, is where the real adaptation happens,” says Darnbrough.

“It builds muscle, strengthens bone, improves joint health and trains the neuromuscular system that keeps you balanced and stable.

“By slowing the lowering phase to seven seconds, you get more from every rep than most people get from an entire conventional workout.”

In Darnbrough's view, one set per exercise is enough. “The tempo is the dose,” he says.

Capping your workouts at just one set will also help you remain consistent with your training sessions.

“The two most common mistakes older adults make with exercise is doing too much too soon or avoiding strength training entirely out of fear of injury,” he says.

“This routine threads the needle—short enough to be sustainable, controlled enough to be safe, and demanding enough to produce real results.”

Give it six weeks of consistency and the difference in how you move, feel and carry yourself will be noticeable, he insists.

How to do the workout

Darnbrough's workout is split in two sections. The first includes five exercises to build strength, the second features three moves to promote mobility.

It should take around 22 minutes and can be performed at home using a resistance band, sturdy chair and wall, or in the gym using a cable machine and weight bench.

Do this resistance training routine twice a week, combined with some gentle cardiovascular exercise, daily mobility work and rest days for best results.

Monday: Resistance routine (20min)
Tuesday: Light-intensity walk or cycle (25-30min)
Wednesday: Rest or gentle mobility
Thursday: Resistance routine (20min)
Friday: Light-intensity walk or cycle (25-30min)
Weekend: One longer light-intensity session (30-45min) + rest day

“This structure gives your body adequate stimulus for both strength and cardiovascular adaptation, while building in the recovery that older adults need to see consistent progress without burnout or injury,” he explains.

Strength workout

1. Sit-to-stand

Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Sit at the edge of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
Cross your arms over your chest.
Lean slightly forward, then push through both feet to stand fully upright.
Pause at the top, then lower yourself back down slowly with control—taking seven seconds to return to seated.

Darnbrough says: “The ability to get up from a chair unassisted is one of the strongest predictors of independence and longevity in older adults. This movement trains exactly that pattern under control, with the chair providing a safety anchor for beginners.”

Make it harder: Once 10 reps feel controlled, try a single-leg version.

2. Resistance band or cable row

Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Anchor a resistance band at chest height or use a cable machine.
Stand or sit facing the anchor, arms extended.
Pull the band or cable toward you, retracting your shoulder blades and driving your elbows toward your ribs.
Pause, then take seven seconds to return your arms to the starting position, resisting the pull with control.

Darnbrough says: “Rows build your posterior chain muscles—upper back, rhomboids, rear deltoids—[which may be] weakened, mostly by desk work and daily posture. Strong upper-back muscles reduce shoulder and neck pain and counteract the forward rounding that develops with age.”

Make it harder: Increase the resistance of the band or cable machine.

3. Wall push-up or incline push-up

Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

Stand facing a wall or place your hands on a weight bench at roughly shoulder-width apart.
Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the surface, taking seven seconds to complete the movement.
Pause briefly at the bottom, then push back to the start.

Darnbrough says: “Horizontal pressing builds your chest, anterior shoulder and triceps—essential for pushing movements in daily life. The wall or incline version reduces load for beginners while keeping the full movement pattern and benefits of a slow eccentric.”

Make it harder: As your strength increases, progress from performing these against the wall, then a weight bench and then on the floor.

4. Glute bridge

Sets: 1 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 60sec

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
Raise your hips until your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, squeezing your glutes.
Hold at the top for two seconds, keeping your hips level and spine neutral.
Lower slowly, taking five seconds to return to the floor with control.

Darnbrough says: “Weak glutes are one of the most common underlying causes of falls, lower-back pain and knee problems in older adults. The glute bridge activates and strengthens your glutes and hamstrings with zero joint stress.”

Make it harder: Perform a second set or try doing a single-leg version.

5. Standing calf raise

Sets: 1 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 60sec

Stand behind a chair for support.
Raise your heels, rising onto the balls of both feet as high as possible.
Pause at the top for two seconds, then lower slowly for five seconds.

Darnbrough says: “Calf and ankle strength is the first line of defence against falls. Calf raises also apply compressive load to the lower leg bones—one of the most effective ways to maintain bone density without high-impact exercise.”

Make it harder: As your balance improves, reduce your reliance on using the chair for support. Progress to single-leg calf raises once this feels stable.

Mobility drill

Darnbrough recommends wrapping up this resistance workout with a short three-move mobility routine.

“Consistent daily mobility practice has a compounding effect most people notice within two weeks,” he says, adding that this drill should be repeated every morning, not just on training days, to see results.

1. 90/90 hip stretch

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec each side

Sit on the floor with both legs positioned at a 90° angle, one in front and one to your side.
Keep both knees in contact with the floor throughout.
Hold for up to one minute, then switch sides.

Darnbrough says: “These target the hip flexors and external rotators, two areas responsible for the most common mobility restriction in older adults.”

2. Thoracic rotation

Sets: 1 Reps: 10 each side

Sit with your feet on the floor and arms crossed over your chest.
Slowly rotate to each side, twisting from your wait to look as far behind you as possible.

Darnbrough says: “This simple stretch that can be done at your desk reduces shoulder and neck tightness and improves posture.”

3. Wall angel

Sets: 1 Reps: 10

Stand with your back flat against a wall and your arms bent at 90°, palms facing outward.
Slide your arms overhead keeping your elbows, wrists and lower back in contact with the wall.

Darnbrough says: “Wall angels restore overhead shoulder mobility and train scapular muscles to move through a full range of motion.”

Improve stability, core strength and balance with a medicine ball and these six trainer-approved exercises

Maddy Biddulph — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Medicine balls are a firm favorite in the exercise class I teach, and newcomers often ask how else they can use them if they bought their own.

I think it’s a great addition to a home gym, even if you already own free weights, because you often have to hold the ball in a different position to, say, dumbbells, creating a new type of instability for your core to work against.

This type of exercise means your core is better able to support your spine and this can improve posture and reduce back pain—something many of my clients suffer with.

That’s why I’ve programmed this six-move medicine ball workout with some exercises that deliberately challenge balance.

How to do this medicine ball lower-body workout

You will need a medicine ball for this workout. I’m using a 5kg one in the video.

Perform the following six exercises as a circuit, completing one after the other, working for 40 seconds, then resting for 15 seconds between exercises. When you get to the end of the circuit, take a two-minute break, then start again from the top. Complete four rounds in total.

Goblet squat
Reverse lunge
Wall sit
Glute bridge
Calf raise
Squat to press