Movement can be one of the most powerful tools for long-term health. The earlier you start building strength, balance, and mobility, the better equipped you’ll be to maintain your independence and well-being later in life.
As a physical therapist and fitness trainer, there are seven key movements I encourage my clients to work on. If you can perform them with control and without pain, especially if you’re in your 30s and 40s, your body is aging better than most.
Keep in mind, though, that everyone is different. I always recommend consulting with a health or fitness professional before trying anything that may be too strenuous.
1. Push-ups
Try to keep elbows at a 45 degree angle. This protects your shoulders and activates your chest and triceps better.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Focus on doing a full range, with your chest close to the floor (or wall, if you’re doing incline push-ups).
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Push-ups train key muscle groups used in everyday tasks like lifting luggage, getting off the floor, or pushing heavy doors.
They’re also a surprisingly good indicator of cardiovascular health. A 2019 study found that men who could do 40 push-ups in one set had significantly lower risk of heart disease than those who could do 10 or fewer.
Workout tip: Make sure you keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Squeezing your glutes and bracing your abs will protect your spine and give you more stability.
2. Pull-ups
This isn’t an exercise where you rely on momentum. Use controlled movement.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
To improve your pull-ups, focus on a good grip and shoulder engagement.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Grip strength, which pull-ups demand, has been linked to lower mortality rates as we age.
Pull-ups engage your back, shoulders, arms, and core. These muscles support posture and strength for real-life scenarios like carrying groceries, opening tightly closed lids, and even holding onto a pole to prevent yourself from falling while taking public transportation.
Workout tip: If you’re new to pull-ups, try dead hangs, in which you hang from the bar with arms fully extended. Practice building up to 30 seconds.
3. Single-leg squat to bench
If you’re having trouble with balancing, hold your arms out and focus your gaze straight ahead.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Slowly bend the knee and hip of your standing leg to lower yourself toward the bench. Do your best to keep your extended leg off the floor.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Your ability to balance on one leg is a key predictor of longevity. In fact, studies show that people who can’t balance on one leg for at least 10 seconds in their 50s have higher risk of mortality.
Workout tip: Try slowly lowering yourself onto a bench or chair using one leg, then stand back up. Aim for 10 reps per side without losing control or balance. This move strengthens your quads and stabilizers, which are crucial for activities like walking downstairs or playing sports.
4. Single-leg deadlift
Single-leg deadlifts can help prevent injury by not letting your dominant side do all the work.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Remember to soften your standing knee, don’t lock it.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
This move strengthens the posterior chain (your hamstrings and glutes), which helps prevent low back pain and improves walking and running efficiency.
Training this muscle group is important because research has shown that it leads to better outcomes when it comes to pain, disability, and overall muscle strength.
Workout tip: Stand on one leg, hinge at the hips while keeping a soft bend in the knee, and reach your other leg back behind you. Do 10 reps per side. The goal should be to do 10 repetitions without losing your balance or needing to touch the ground with the opposite leg for balance.
5. Squat jump
Start in a bodyweight squat: feet shoulder-width, chest up.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
Don’t rush your jumps! Remember to reset between reps if needed.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
As you age, you lose muscle power (your ability to express a lot of work within a short period of time) much more quickly than muscle strength.
According to one study, power decreases about 10% per decade after age 40. Maintaining explosive strength helps with agility, fall prevention, and playing recreational sports well into older age.
Workout tip: Squat jumps need to be done safely, especially if you’re new to them. You don’t need to jump sky-high. Start with low jumps and gradually increase height.
6. Hop and stick
With a hop and stick, you start standing on one foot and hop forward (or sideways), then land softly on the same foot.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
This exercise teaches your brain and body to work together.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
A hop and stick is a controlled jump followed by a strong, balanced landing on the same leg. It’s one of the most demanding athletic moves, challenging your balance, coordination, and joint stability.
Impact activities like this can help improve bone mineral density as well as tendon health, protecting against osteoporosis and injury.
Workout tip: Stick the landing with control to build both power and balance.
7. Split squat isometric hold
Activate your core and engage your glutes. This keeps your body stable and protects your lower back.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
You want the front knee to be stacked over the ankle, with your torso upright, not leaning forward.
Photo: Andy Fata-Chan
The split squat isometric hold is a great exercise to build lower body strength and stability. An isometric hold is when your muscles are not lengthening or shortening, but maintaining a given range.
The leg in the back will improve hip flexor mobility, which tends to get tight when sitting for an extended period of time. The leg in the front will improve quadriceps strength which is another great predictor of longevity.
Workout tip: Try your best to keep your hips square (both hip bones should face forward). Avoid twisting or leaning over your front leg.
Andy Fata-Chan is a physical therapist and the founder of Moment Physical Therapy and Performance, which specializes in helping patients with chronic debilitating pain get back to high performance. His experience ranges from youth athletes to Olympic and professional-level athletes.
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