• FLEXIBILITY
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• BALANCE
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• STRENGTH
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• ENDURANCE

Upper Body and Shoulder Exercises For Seniors And The Elderly

Strength training shoulder exercises for seniors and the elderly  can have a significant and lasting effect on your independence as we age.

Upper body and shoulder exercises can not only improve function in older adults, it can actually reverse some of the muscle loss and deterioration associated with aging.

 Strength is the ability to exert force. Lifting weights is one of the oldest and time honored way to not only increase our strength, but quantify our strength.

Strength training will positively affect our neural control, muscle size, fiber arrangement and muscle length.

The free weight upper body and shoulder exercises below have the advantage of simulating real life situations of lifting.

They will promote bone mineralization, help prevent osteoporosis and stabilize your supporting muscles.

Pick 3 or 4  exercises from the list below. Watch the videos and try to perform the exercises as best you can. Then perform a new set of 3 or 4 of the exerciese below next week.

Work your way through the exercises until you complete all 12. You should begin to feel stronger, more flexible and better able to accomplish tasks at home.

Please review the getting started page before beginning.

You can download an exercise log and instructions on starting a senior and elderly fitness program.

Upper Body Exercises

Watch These Exercise Videos

1. Bicep Curls

• Strengthens the upper part of your arm with elbow exercises.
• Will make lifting activities easier.

2. Overhead Elbow Extension

• Strengthens your upper arm muscles with this arm workout.
• Improves your ability to lift your arms above your shoulders when reaching high to a shelf.

3. Tricep Kickbacks

• Strengthening and toning arm workouts.
• Improves your ability to rise from a chair.
• Makes reaching to a high shelf easier.

4. Diagonal Inward Shoulder Raise

• Build the strength in your upper arm and back with arm training.
• Increase the mobility of your shoulder for better arm swing while walking.
• Add to your ability to reach overhead.

5.Diagonal Outward Shoulder Raise

• Strengthens the upper arm, back and shoulders with arm toning.
• Improves your shoulder mobility.
• Increases your ability to comfortably reach overhead.

6. Shoulder Rolls

• Improves the mobility with shoulder shrug.
• Stabilizes your shoulder blades for heavier lifting.

7. Overhead Press

• Improve the ability to safely reach overhead
• Stabilizes the back muscles shoulder rehab exercises.
• Increases the mobility of the shoulder joint.

8. Shoulder Press Lying Down

• Improve the mobility of your shoulder and chest with shoulder rehabilitation exercises.
• Increase your strength when reaching forward or lifting with two hands. 

9. Upright Rows

• Increase the strength in your upper arms and back with upper arm exercises.
• Improve your ability to lift heavier objects around the house.
• Assist in the mobility of your shoulder and elbow joints.

10.  Bent Over Rows

• Strengthens your upper arm and back with shoulder workout.
• Improves your ability to pull and lift.
• Increase shoulder range of motion.

11. Side Shoulder Raises

• Strengthen your upper arms, shoulders and chest with these best shoulder exercises.
• Improve your daily activities like opening doors or pushing a shopping cart.

12. Elbow Side Extensions

• Help strengthen your upper arm and shoulders with shoulder muscle workout.
• Improve your ability to grip and pull as in opening a stuck refridgerator, moving a chair to vacuum,  or opening a sliding glass door. 

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.