Reaching a high shelf, getting down to the floor and back up, carrying a bag in one hand. Four simple exercises for the jobs our usual strength routines tend to miss, each with an easier version and a way to progress.
Monday's article, Why Muscle Health Matters, explained why muscle is worth looking after for far more than lifting. Most home strength routines, including the ones we have shared in the Library, lean on the legs: sitting to standing, stepping and squatting. Those matter, but daily life also asks us to reach, pull, grip, carry on one side and get up from the floor. This week's four exercises fill those gaps.
If you are new to strength work, Simple Ways to Build Strength Safely explains how hard to work and how to stay safe. The same principles apply here.
Four Exercises for the Jobs Strength Routines Miss
1. Tins to the Top Shelf
Helps with: putting shopping away, reaching a high cupboard, hanging washing.
Stand tall holding a tin of beans or a small bottle of water in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing each other. Gently tighten your tummy so your back doesn't arch, then press both tins up until your arms are almost straight above your head. Lower slowly back to your shoulders over three seconds. Ten repetitions.
Easier: sit on a firm chair, or press one arm at a time.
To progress: use heavier bottles, or pause for a moment at the top.
2. Doorframe Pull
Helps with: pulling open a heavy door, starting a lawnmower, getting up from a low seat using your arms.
Stand facing an open doorway and hold the frame firmly on both sides at about chest height. With your feet close to the door, lean back until your arms are straight, keeping your body in one line from head to heels. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull yourself back towards the frame, then lean back slowly. Ten repetitions.
Easier: stand more upright, with your feet further from the frame, so you lean back less.
To progress: move your feet a little closer to the doorway so you lean further back.
3. Practise Getting Down to the Floor and Up Again
Helps with: gardening, playing with grandchildren, and getting up confidently if you ever have a fall.
Stand beside a sturdy sofa or chair. Holding it for support, step one foot back and lower that knee to a cushion on the floor, then bring the other knee down so you are kneeling. To get up, bring one foot forwards so it is flat on the floor, put your hands on the seat, and push through your front foot to stand. Do it three to five times, taking your time.
Easier: stop at half-kneeling, with one knee down, and come back up from there.
To progress: use the furniture less, or go down to sitting on the floor and come back up.
If kneeling is uncomfortable for your knees, use a thicker cushion or skip this one and talk to us about alternatives.
4. One-Sided Carry
Helps with: carrying a heavy shopping bag, a full watering can or a handbag on one side.
Hold one shopping bag with a few tins in it in your right hand. Stand tall, shoulders level, and walk slowly round the kitchen or along the hall for about thirty seconds without leaning towards the bag. Swap hands and repeat. Two rounds on each side.
Easier: carry less, or walk for fifteen seconds.
To progress: add a tin or two, or walk a little further.
Fitting Them Into Your Week
These four take around ten minutes and sit well alongside any leg exercises you already do, either in the same session or on a different day. Twice a week, with a rest day between, is enough to notice a difference. The Sample Weeks in our cornerstone guide, Strength Training After 50: Building Capability for Life, show how to put a full routine together.
Apollo Insight
When people start strength work at home, they usually keep the exercises they enjoy and quietly drop the one they find hardest. That exercise is very often the one they need most, because it is hard for a reason. If one movement keeps getting skipped, make it easier rather than leaving it out, and do it first in the session while you are fresh.
This Week's Movement Tip
The Towel Wring
Roll a dry hand towel into a tube and hold it in front of you with both hands, palms down, elbows bent and close to your sides. Twist your hands in opposite directions, as if wringing out water, and squeeze hard for a slow count of five. Relax, then twist the other way. Five each way is plenty to begin with. You should feel your hands and forearms working. Grip strength is linked with how well we manage everyday tasks as we get older, and it helps with jars, bags and keeping hold of a handrail.
Before starting any new exercise programme, please consult your healthcare professional if you have any medical conditions, concerns or existing injuries. If you experience pain or worsening symptoms whilst exercising, stop and seek appropriate medical advice.
How Can Apollo Help You Start Strength Training With Confidence?
If you would like to be shown how to do these movements well, or prefer to start with support, Reformer Pilates offers controlled strength work in classes of no more than four, where the springs can make a movement easier or ask a little more as you progress. If pain is what is stopping you from starting, Osteopathy can help you understand what is going on and what is safe to work on. Explore our services or get in touch to find out more.
How Apollo Health Collective Supports Healthy Ageing
Healthy ageing is about understanding your body, looking after it well and having the right support when you need it.
At Apollo Health Collective, we help people stay active, capable and independent through personalised, evidence-informed care. Our integrated approach brings together different areas of expertise to support movement, recovery and long-term wellbeing.
Our Sheringham clinic offers Osteopathy, Sports Therapy, Sports Massage, Clinical Exercise & Rehabilitation, Reformer Pilates, Podiatry, Biomechanics, and Lifestyle & Wellbeing services. We also offer Osteopathy appointments in Norwich and Coltishall.
Whether you are recovering from an injury, managing ongoing concerns, looking to improve your movement or simply investing in your future health, our team is here to support you.
