Maintaining our physical capabilities, balance, and resilience as we age 50 is more important than simply looking fit. Strength training is the best way to age gracefully because it keeps our muscles strong, protects our bones, and gives us the confidence we need to carry out daily tasks.
According to Melissa Leber, MD, associate professor of orthopedics and emergency medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, “as we age, strength training actually becomes more important than cardio.” “It helps slow down the muscle and bone loss that naturally happens over time — and that means you’ll be able to move better and avoid injury.”
How strong are you, then? These five short, at-home tests will give you a good idea. They were suggested by Dr. Leber and Susane Pata, a personal trainer certified by the National Association of Sports Medicine. They’re meant to show you where you are right now so you can build from there, so don’t worry if you can’t ace them all at once.
A timer, a solid wall, and perhaps an exercise mat for comfort are all you need. Are you ready? Let’s compare your strengths.
1. One-Foot Balance Test
One essential component of strength is balance. Put your weight on one foot while standing and raise the other foot just a little bit off the ground. Set a timer and try to maintain your composure for a full minute without grabbing onto anything. Next, switch sides.
It’s acceptable if you falter early; practice makes perfect. This easy exercise enhances coordination and fortifies stabilizing muscles.
2. Sitting-Rising Test
This test measures flexibility, strength, and coordination throughout the entire body, and the results are surprisingly illuminating.
Put your feet together and begin to stand. Sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Try to get back up on your feet without using your hands, knees, or elbows for support. Every time you use a body part to help, you lose one of the ten points you started with. If you received a perfect score, you demonstrated excellent functional strength and mobility by being able to stand and sit freely.
3. Wall Sit
Position yourself with your back to a solid wall. To create the illusion of sitting on an invisible chair, place your feet slightly forward and slide down until your knees are 90 degrees bent. Aim for at least 30 seconds and hold this position for as long as you can. Your quads, glutes, and core will all feel this one — and that’s a good thing. It’s a straightforward yet effective method of assessing lower-body endurance.
4. Plank Hold
Your back, shoulders, and core—muscles that support your posture and spine—are the focus of this test.
Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and legs extended behind you. From head to heels, maintain a straight body alignment. For at least 30 seconds, maintain the position without sagging or lifting your hips by using your core and squeezing your glutes. You’re working if you’re trembling!
5. Push-Up Challenge
Bend your elbows slowly to bring your chest down to the floor from the plank position, then push yourself back up.
Ten complete push-ups with correct form—no short cuts—should be your goal. Maintain a 45-degree elbow angle from your torso, a straight body, and a tight core. Not yet able to perform a full push-up? No issue. Until you gain strength, begin on your knees or raise your hands on a wall or counter.
Why Strength Matters More Than Ever in Your 50s?
Sarcopenia is the term for the natural process by which your body begins to lose 3 to 8 percent of muscle mass every ten years after you reach your 30s. Weakness, problems with balance, and a higher risk of falls can result from this loss. The good news? That decline can be significantly slowed by strength training.
“You may still lose some muscle as you age, but strength training helps you preserve and even rebuild much of it,” says Melissa Boyd, head coach at Tempo and a NASM-certified trainer. Strong muscles also translate into healthier bones, more stable joints, and improved balance, all of which are essential for maintaining your independence and level of activity as you age.
And the advantages extend beyond your physical health. According to research, resistance training can improve brain health and memory, keeping you mentally sharp well into old age.
Before You Get Started
Consult your physician before beginning strength training, particularly if you have heart problems, joint pain, or long-term health conditions like osteoporosis or diabetes. A fitness expert can also teach you how to perform exercises correctly and customize them to meet your needs.
Start light and increase gradually when you’re ready to start. On nonconsecutive days, engage in resistance training at least twice a week, and acknowledge your progress as you go.
Your 50s are the ideal time to gain strength, not to slow down. Start with these five easy assessments, monitor your development, and never forget that strength is about improving your quality of life, not just lifting weights.
So set that timer, find your equilibrium, and discover how powerful your 50s can be.
