Lower Body Strengthening Barre Exercises for Building Balance
Strength Training for Longevity
Maintaining strength is important at every age, of course, but especially after the age of 50! As we get older, we lose muscle mass and muscle strength. Less muscle mass and weaker muscles can reduce mobility and even increase the risk for falls and fractures.
It is particularly important to have strong muscles of your lower body, as it is the muscles of your lower back, buttocks, thighs, and calves that allow you to stand up and walk. Your lower body muscles also help you regain your balance if you should happen to trip.
Barre for Those over 50
Barre is an exceptional form of exercise for older adults, and for good reasons! It’s benefits include:
Increasing flexibility
Improving posture
Reducing stress
Focuses on functional strength exercises, which train the body to do everyday activities using only bodyweight and light hand weights
A barre, pronounced “bar,” is the rail that a ballet dancer holds onto when warming up. The pre-dance exercises, known as barre, help dancers stretch their muscles. As it turns out, barre can also help older adults strengthen various muscle groups.
To describe these exercises, we’ll use the word “barre” loosely – you can stand in your kitchen and use your counter as a barre.
Best Lower Body Barre Exercises for Strength and Mobility
These low impact exercises target your lower body to build strength, flexibility, and mobility! Try them out from your own home.
Tuck unders
Like barre itself, the tuck under comes straight from ballet. The name refers to “tucking” your buttocks under, as if you were zipping up skinny jeans. When done properly, the tuck aligns your shoulders, hips, knees and toes.
Tucking tilts your pelvis to pull your navel back towards your spine. The motion activates your lower abdominal muscles. When you perform tuck unders with some intensity, the gluteal muscles in your buttocks also get a workout.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips
Contract your abdominal muscles and push your buttocks forward
Hold for 5 seconds
Return to your starting position
Repeat
To ensure that you are doing tuck unders correctly, put your hand very lightly on your navel. When you tuck, your navel should move up and away from your hand. Squeeze your heels together throughout the exercise.
Combine tuck unders with raised squats, also known as elevated squats, to work the muscles on the outside of your thighs for extra lower body strengthening.
To perform raised squats:
Stand with your heels together and toes apart
Lift your heels up and bend your knees slightly
Hold
Straighten your knees, but stay up on your toes
Repeat 9 times
Chair
The chair position works your inner thigh muscles.
To perform the chair:
Roll up a towel and put it within reach
Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart
Press your back and your hands against the wall
“Walk” your feet away from the wall and slide downwards until your body is positioned like you are sitting in a chair
Place the rolled-up towel between your knees
Squeeze your knees together to hold the towel
Chair with Heel Raises
The chair with heel gives your calves a workout
Roll up a towel and put it within reach
Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart
Press your back and your hands against the wall
“Walk” your feet away from the wall and slide downwards until your body is positioned like you are sitting in a chair
Place the rolled-up towel between your knees
Squeeze your knees together to hold the towel
Raise your heels and rock up onto the balls of your feet, somewhat like pointe work when a ballet dancer dances on their toes
Lower your heels nearly to the floor and repeat 4 times
Inch Holds
Inch holds work the muscles on the outside of your hips and your buttocks
Stand facing the bar, which can be a wall or counter
Imagine that you are standing in the middle of a clock – extend your right leg and point your toes at 5:00, with your toes of your right foot touching the floor
Flex your foot to point your toes upwards and bend your knee to lift your foot off the ground
Squeeze the muscles of your buttocks and thighs to move your right foot an inch or two, to the 5:30 position
Hold for a few moments then release
Repeat with the left leg, pointing your toe to the 7:00 position
Knee Lifts
Knee lifts build on the benefits of inch holds.
Stand facing the bar
Extend your right leg and point your toes at 5:00, with your toes of your right foot touching the floor
Flex your foot to point your toes upwards and bend your knee to lift your foot off the ground
Squeeze the muscles of your buttocks and thighs to move your right knee an inch or two upwards
Relax the muscles to allow your knee to drop an inch
Squeeze the muscles again before relaxing them; repeat three more times
Repeat with the left leg, pointing your toe to the 7:00 position
Seat circles
Seat circles build on the benefits of knee lifts.
Stand facing the bar
Perform a knee lift with your right leg, but instead of squeezing muscles to lift your knee, squeeze your gluteus muscles to move your foot in a circular motion to the right
Make 10 circles with your right foot before switching to your left leg
Figure 4 stretch
Performing a figure 4 stretch before exercising or between exercises can help stretch your gluteal muscles; it can also reduce cramping and fatigue.
Stand facing the bar
Bend your left leg slightly
Cross your right leg over your left leg, with your ankle resting on your knee, so that you are almost in a seated position
Hold the pose for a moment
Switch legs
Barre is one of the best ways to improve your lower body strength and flexibility. Interested in more barre? Try out the full 30 min class on Youtube for toning and strengthening from head to toe! To get the most out of your barre workout and add more joint friendly and low impact workouts to your routine, consult with a Mighty Healthy coach.