What Are the Best Exercise Equipment for Seniors?
Exercise should be a fundamental part of the daily routine of seniors. It is necessary to pay attention that not all exercises and exercise equipment are suitable for the elderly. Among various exercise equipment in the market, only a few suit seniors’ needs. As we age, it becomes increasingly important to maintain an active lifestyle to preserve physical health and mental well-being. While many seniors may shy away from high-impact exercises or heavy weights, plenty of options can still help improve overall fitness and mobility. This article introduces the best exercise equipment for seniors to help them make the most of their workout sessions.
Elliptical Machine
The elliptical machine is sports equipment that the elderly can use to maintain their physical health. This device can engage older people’s muscles with the lowest pressure for a sustained period. Moreover, it strengthens their muscles with aerobic exercise. Working with an elliptical machine includes strengthening the heart and lungs.
Moreover, this machine is good for weight reduction and balance improvement. Two modes of independent and dependant are available on this machine. In the independent mode, you must apply a specific force by each foot to rotate the bases. In the dependent mode, one of the legs can help the weaker leg and cause the pedal to move.
This exercise equipment for seniors’ specific positions helps you avoid the harmful pressures applied to the joints while running. Hence, it is the right choice for those who cannot do exercises due to an increased risk of joint damage. Also, you can choose the slope to the appropriate degree according to your physical strength. Unlike a treadmill, it does not put much pressure on the knees with the correct adjustment.
Overweight seniors can quickly lose weight in the long run by working on an elliptical machine. Most fitness experts believe that the elliptical machine’s effect on fat burning is more significant than the treadmill.
Medicine Ball
Pilates is an exercise method that largely avoids high impact and heavy muscular and skeletal loading. Medicine ball is one of the best exercise equipment for seniors and essential for pilates. It is interesting to know that sitting on the medicine ball makes your body continuously try to maintain its balance. This moves many muscles in your body. Older people can sit on a medicine ball for about half an hour daily and enjoy its good effects.
Some seniors look for ways to reduce fat, and the medicine ball can help them burn fat. Medicine ball increases mobility in different body parts, which is essential to burn fat.
You can do flexibility and endurance exercises with this ball and get the most out of stretching exercises. The medicine ball allows the elderly to do movements such as sitting, squats, and bridges. The diameter of these balls varies from 15 to 120 cm. Using them to perform various sports movements causes more muscles in the body to be involved and strengthened. The medicine ball can increase the motivation of older people to exercise and improve their mood.
Lat Pulldown Machine
The lat pulldown machine is another best exercise equipment for seniors. The seniors can use it in proportion to their physical strength and strengthen their back muscles. This machine also reduces back pain, which most elderly are suffering from. You can increase or decrease the weights in this machine and perform lat pulldown exercises using the bar placed on your head.
To practice, you can pull the bar toward the front of your face or the back of your neck. The exercises done on the lat pulldown machine involve the elbow, shoulder, and arm muscles. This is a horizontal motion stimulating machine used in a sitting position.
The lat pulldown machine simulates pull-up exercises done with a bar. With the high weight of the body and the occurrence of unwanted movements due to the resulting pressure, the body of the elderly is damaged if they do pull-up exercises. The lat pulldown machine prevents the occurrence of such injuries by lowering the displaced weight.
You only need to sit on the machine seat and place the foot protector on your thigh. Adjust the bar attached to the rope with both hands. Note that the distance between the two hands is about twice the shoulder’s width. Bring the bar low to your chest or back of your neck. Slowly raise the bar close to where it was before. Do not turn the bar completely to maintain pressure on your muscles. Repeat this movement several times.
Wrist Weights
Another exercise equipment for seniors is wrist weights. These weights are attached to the wrist and give the best results by increasing weight during walking, running, and other sports. The wrist or ankle weights strengthen the body’s various muscles by creating a small amount of extra weight on each arm and leg.
The lightweight of this exercise equipment for the elderly prevents stress and damage to the sensitive body of the elderly. Ankle and hand weights are usually made of soft fabrics, and using them during exercise will not irritate your skin.
The structure of these weights is such that you can use them in any sport, and by using them, you can add a series of simple sports movements to your workout to strengthen different muscles of your body. The only thing you need to do to use wrist weights is to attach them to your wrist while performing your usual exercises.
Stationary Bike
The stationary bike is another best exercise equipment for seniors who want to use the benefits of cycling for their health. The design of this equipment enables all people with different abilities to use it to maintain their health.
This type of bike can adjust the level of pressure on the legs, and you can increase or decrease the pressure according to your physical strength and prevent injuries to your body. This machine reduces body fat at a slower rate and is suitable for people with vulnerable bodies.
A stationary bike engages the gluteus, hamstrings, and calf muscles and strengthens them over time.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends about 30 minutes of daily exercise. Thirty minutes of exercise with this bike is beneficial for health and reducing weight, strengthening the muscles. Furthermore, the experts believe that the stationary bike helps burn belly fat.
Rowing Machine
The rowing machine is one of the best exercise equipment for people over 50. This machine is adjustable for everyone and puts minimal pressure on the joints. The elderly can use the rowing machine to exercise safely and without worries. Using this machine with the right pressure can improve the heart function of people.
Hence, with regular use of this device, you can burn about 600 calories per hour, which is more efficient than the other bodybuilding machines.
Rowing Machine vs. Treadmill
Both the rowing machine and treadmill are among the best exercise equipment for seniors. However, the former has many benefits compared to the treadmill. Compared to others, such as the treadmill, the added benefit of this machine is that it can involve all parts of the body, while the treadmill is only suitable for the lower body.
In comparison between a treadmill and a rowing machine, we must note that the treadmill involves most of the lower body muscles, but this machine can affect all parts of the body. Treadmills are a priority for burning more calories.
Final Words
In conclusion, you can benefit from various equipment to do exercises, but the ones we mentioned above are the ones that all seniors can use safely to improve their health. Moreover, having some of the equipment above at home might seem impossible, they are available at most sports centers and gyms. Look for the gyms in your neighbourhood and start using this equipment to enjoy better health and an improved mood.
References
Ellipticals are great workout machines. For example, I use the under-desk elliptical. It has helped me a lot with my knee pain. It doesn’t take much place, and it has helped me lose weight. And most importantly, it is easy to use.
My wife and I got this exercise bike because we couldn’t go running in the mornings during the pandemic and needed an alternative for staying in shape and healthy. Best purchase ever. It’s so useful.
We did the same here, but nothing could replace jogging in parks inhaling the fresh air. We missed it.
Because of the lockdown and the pandemic, I could not go to the gym; therefore, I ordered a treadmill online, and now I spend 1 hour a day working out. It makes me relax, and I feel less stressed, but the only problem I have is that it’s so big and I can’t find a proper place in my house for it.
You know each of these instruments has its pros and cons; this also goes for treadmills. As you said, they are perfect but also space-consuming and better for spacious places unless you bear having less space at the price of being healthy.
Well there are so many options out there.
It depends on your mobility and fitness level, but I recommend resistance bands.
They’re suitable for stretches and using a full range of motion; you can also go as ‘heavy’ or ‘light’ as you need.
You can also do a broad range of exercises from face pulls to bicep curls without getting various pieces of equipment and spending more money.
After that, if you feel some weights or equipment would benefit you, at least you have been building a solid foundation.
Treadmills are great equipment for staying active at home during the pandemic and the lockdown. However, my grandma found it easier to sit while doing her exercise, so she replaced her treadmill with a recumbent bike. Personally, I prefer Elliptical machines over other exercise equipment to use at home. However, a rowing machine isn’t a bad option either. All in all, picking the right equipment should be based on the person’s goals, abilities and limits. If your friend made progress with their rowing machine, it doesn’t mean it will 100% be the right choice for you as well, especially if you’re looking for a cardio machine.
I’d say the Stationary bike is the clear winner here! Way less likely to fall, easy to use, usually takes up less room, makes less noise, and is much gentler on the joints.
I share the same idea with you. My sister had a treadmill because she finds walking outside tiresome, but with the stationary bike, she can work out and always get lost in something to keep her entertained. Sure, the treadmill might burn more calories, but she can use the stationary bike in the long run.
My mom and I suffer from neck arthritis, and our dr told us to join a pilates class. So we took an online pilates class, and we had to buy a medicine ball for some of the exercises. First of all, they are not expensive, and we can make many pilates moves. It’s a delightful experience to use these balls, so I love to lay and sit on them even when I’m not doing exercise. The only thing that I think would cause some trouble is their size. Medicine balls are enormous! So if you have a little tiny place, that would be a slight problem to fit the medicine ball in somewhere.
I’m 62 and dealing with arthritis in both knees. For me, the exercise needs to be effective and efficient.
I suggest an Air bike. Why?
Because it is low impact and doesn’t hurt the joints and knees over the long term…
It uses wind resistance, so the machine depends on the effort you put in; the harder you cycle, the harder it is for you, the lesser effort you put in, the easier it gets.
You can do all types of exercise with this machine, 30 secs on and off, cardio, etc…
Most worthy equipment I ever bought.