Low Impact Barre for Full Body Toning At Home
It's important that we exercise throughout our lives, but as we get older, we need to take more care in doing so without experiencing joint pain or an injury of some kind.
Are you seeking ways to get in shape or stay fit after 50 but feel concerned that you might end up in pain and unable to continue a program? Or worse, do you worry that you might incur a serious injury that will keep you from enjoying daily life?
Fortunately, you can do low impact workouts that will help you lose weight, gain confidence, and get into shape safely. And adding a barre element to the mix will instantly add support and new twists to your low impact workouts.
Why Is a Low Impact Workout Effective for 50+?
Running, doing jumping jacks, jumping rope, doing plyometrics, or any exercise that involves having both your feet off the ground at once are high impact exercises. They aren't for everyone, regardless of age. Young and fit people and professional athletes do high impact exercises for a brief period in their lives, but it often comes with a cost of frequent joint, stress, and muscular injury. Low impact exercises will allow you to lose weight and get in shape without worry.
More Benefits of Low Impact Workouts Include:
Weight loss
Improved mental health
Better overall fitness
More body confidence
Why Are the Micro, Low Impact Movements in Barre Effective?
Barre exercises provide an excellent low impact workout for those 50+. Barre provides a workout focused on toning and lifting without any jumping or stress on your joints, enhancing the benefits of low impact exercises.
We recently discussed all the benefits of barre, touching on the physical, mental, and cognitive benefits of taking on a new exercise style that presents us with unique but low risk challenges.
If you're ready to start your journey to peak fitness at 50+, our own Mighty Mary has developed a fun and effective 30 minute full body workout using barre for everyone focusing on low impact exercises.
What You’ll Need for Class
Fortunately, you don't need any special equipment to do a low impact barre exercise routine. Mary suggest gathering some items to use as props and support that you'll find in your home for this class.
Find a stable countertop, table, or chair that aligns at your lower waist or hips.
Lay an exercise mat or towel down on the floor for ab exercises.
Grab a pillow in case you have lower back issues during the ab workout.
Use a small chair, such as a folding chair, for a seated stretch.
Pull out some canned foods to use for strength work.
Try These Low Impact Barre Exercises
If you have all your props gathered, it's time to get started!
1. Arm Exercises
Stand facing your countertop or another stable surface. From there, do the following:
Standing Push-ups
Brace your hands on the countertop.
Move your feet back to move into a push-up position, keeping your feet hip-width apart and parallel.
Bend your elbows down slowly then lift back up slowly and thougthfully.
Do this for 10 reps.
Standing Side Planks
Pivot from the push-up position, keeping one hand braced against your sturdy surface as you turn to your side. You'll be supporting your bodyweight with one arm.
First, you'll raise your free arm for 8-10 reps.
Next, lift through your hip for 8-10 reps to work your torso with side-plank pulses.
Repeat both side plank exercises on the other side.
Wide Bicep Curl
It's time to grab your canned goods to do some arm exercises.
In the starting position, keep your feet parallel, keeping your knees soft.
Do a bicep exercise, raising the canned goods up to your shoulders for 2 counts in a W-shape, then down for 2 counts. Use a squeezing motion, focusing on your bicep muscles. Do this for 8-10 reps.
Regular Bicep Curl
Repeat raising your weights or cans of food from waist to shoulders, in a more narrow W shape for 8-10 reps.
Narrow Bicep Curl
Pin your arms to your sides.
Raise your weights or cans of food from waist to shoulders, straight up and down in front of your torso for 8-10 reps.
Hammer Curl
Keep your biceps pinned against your side.
Next, you'll move the can so the bottoms are parallel to the ground.
Hinge from the elbows and raise your forearms up from your hips to shoulders and down again 8-10 times to benefit your biceps.
Lateral Raise
Raise your elbows out and up to about shoulder height, as if in a slow, bird flapping motion for 8-10 reps.
Chest Squeeze
Do an isometric arm exercise, placing the cans together in front of you.
Press them together. If you feel like you are losing your grip, use only one can.
Repeat for 8-10 reps.
Elbow Squeeze
Bend at the knee and extend your foot out until you feel tension in your thigh.
Repeat for 8-10 reps, then switch sides.
Leg Raise
Lift up an inch and down an inch until you feel a slight burn in your thigh.
Repeat for 8-10 reps, then switch sides.
Leg Rotation
Do small circles until you feel the burn in your thigh.
Do that movement in the opposite direction.
Repeat for 8-10 reps, then switch sides.
Leg Pulse
With one leg extended, do small pulsing squat movements on the opposite leg.
Repeat for 8-10 reps, then switch sides.
4. Seat Muscle (Glute) Exercises
Stand against a counter or back of a chair and extend one leg out to the side. From there, do these exercises:
Turnout Extension
Make sure you’re slightly bent at the knee on your standing leg.
Hinge from the knee on your extended leg and slightly extend and bend 8-10 times.
Repeat this movement on the opposite side.
Turnout Lift
Add on to the extension by slightly lifting your extended leg up and down. You should feel this in your hip and outer glute.
Repeat 8-10 times and be sure to switch legs.
Turnout Squeeze
With your extended leg, hinge your leg forwards and backwards at a slight angle.
Squeeze your glute muscles as you draw your leg backwards.
Repeat 8-10 times and do on the opposite side.
5. Ab Exercises
Lay on your mat, using your pillow if you need more back support.
Next, do the following exercises to target your abs and obliques:
Tuck and Hold Abs
A tuck is a way to find a neutral ab position. Start sitting on a mat and hold your knees.
Find your lower abs by slightly tilting your pelvis up and “tucking” your tailbone underneath.
Ab Curl
From your tucked position, do small curls with your core engaged, moving up an inch and down an inch to target your lower abs.
Repeat 8-10 reps.
Ab Curl and Arm Hold
Add on to the ab curl by curling with one arm extended in front of you.
Repeat 8-10 reps and then switch arms.
Oblique Tuck
Reach across your body to hold the outside of your knee. Engage your abs in a tuck and hold motion while your torso is rotated to work your oblique muscles.
Repeat 8-10 times on both sides.
Back Dancing
Lay on the mat with your feet roughly near the edge of your fingertips.
Life your hips off of the mat, but keep your shoulders and hands on the mat.
Engage your core and pulse your hips up and down 8-10 times.
Join Mighty Health for More Low Impact Exercise Classes
After your cool down, you'll probably want to start planning your next low impact workout for weight loss and reduce joint pain. Our app and team at Mighty Health can help! We continually work to find new exercises to help you thrive at age 50 and older, enjoying the benefits of low impact exercise.
