- We received the following question
the other day on Facebook.
"I have trouble getting out of a chair.
It takes more than one effort.
Do you have any exercises I can do?"
- So if you're having trouble getting out of a chair
it's very likely it's as a result of weak legs.
Now, if you're not sure if your legs are weak
there are tests you can do at home to figure out
if your legs are weak compared to other people your age.
We're gonna show you this at the end of the video.
It's very easy and anybody can do it.
- But before we get into the test,
we wanna show you three very important exercises that all
seniors should master to really strengthen up their legs.
- Now we have selected these three exercises
from many, many exercises over many years
of experience working with people with weak legs.
So we think you'll enjoy 'em and it'll work very well.
- We think these three exercises are perfect because
- [Brad] They're good for beginners
as well as advanced individuals.
- [Mike] You don't need a gym, weights or bands.
- [Brad] You will strengthen each side equally.
- [Mike] The exercises are functional.
- [Brad] You can strengthen all muscles
in the legs in five minutes.
- So the first exercise is known as the split squat
and Brad is gonna show the beginner variation to start with.
- Alright, for this you're gonna have to have
something to stabilize yourself.
The back of a chair, a countertop like this works very well.
One foot is in front, the other foot is back
about this distance, and go down slowly.
When you feel like you were down enough, go up.
Your hands are there just to assist.
But they're there to protect in case
you would go down because you overdid it.
So, 10 of these with your left leg forward
and switch and do 10 of these with your right leg forward.
It's an excellent leg exercise.
Now to the intermediate version.
- For the intermediate variation of the split squat
I'm just gonna hold onto a stick or cane for balance.
If you need a countertop still, that is fine.
The purpose of this exercise
is to go the full range of motion now,
bringing this leg all the way down to the floor.
If your knee is kind of sensitive there,
you could certainly put a pillow down there
for some protection and now it feels nice and soft.
Again, you're gonna want to do 10 repetitions.
Notice I'm holding the pole on the opposite side
of the leg that is forward.
Go nice, get control,
and do 10 repetitions on one leg.
Make sure to switch to the other side.
Now, for the advanced version
you're gonna need some sort of weights.
So you can just take a duffle bag and fill it full of stuff.
Make sure you can hold it, though.
To perform, we're gonna do the same thing.
I'm just gonna hold it here for a variation.
I'm gonna do the lunge, go down slow, up.
Keep my back in a nice good posture.
Again, I wanna do 10 repetitions on one side
and then switch.
- So the second exercise is for the anterior tibialis.
It's a muscle that is actually right here.
Mike has a good, and go up and down, Mike.
You can actually see the muscle belly work right there.
It's very critical for walking and balance.
Go ahead, Mike.
- So, for beginners, if you struggle to do the standing,
you could start in a seated position.
We're gonna try to do 20 repetitions, and you can do it
throughout the day, morning, midday, and evening.
- Okay, the second and more advanced version for this
is stand about 12 inches from the wall.
You'll put your feet like this,
your buttocks and your back up against the wall,
and then you simply pull your toes
up as far as you can and back down.
That's one repetition.
Now, to make it more difficult you simply bring your feet
farther away from the wall, and easier, closer to the wall.
One word of warning, if you start going farther out,
it's important that you have shoes on so they grip
to the floor so they don't slip out and you end up falling.
So it's really critical.
It's nice if you want to have something to grip
like a cane or a chair, and we just simply do these.
Keep your knees locked, isolate that muscle.
10 of 'em should work out well.
- So the third exercise
is gonna be calf raises for beginners.
We're gonna start in a seated position.
And all you're gonna do is lift up your heels
and go up on your toes just like this.
Go nice, slow, and controlled.
Start with 10 reps, maybe work up to 20
and just take it easy.
If this becomes too easy,
Brad's gonna show you a harder variation.
- All right, we're actually gonna do an intermediate
and transfer right into an advanced mode.
So you go up to some stairs or hold onto something solid,
a countertop, whatever it may be, and you simply stand
feet shoulder-width apart, and go up exactly the same thing.
Now we got the weight of our body going through there.
We're gonna actually go for 10 repetitions.
What you're gonna do is progress to using the steps.
You have to have shoes on, okay?
Something with rubber soles so they grip.
You're gonna go to the edge of the first step.
Not here, but you're gonna go back so that the ball
of your foot, the fore foot, is securely on the step.
And then you drop your heels down.
You'll get a little stretch in the calf muscle,
and you work all the way up.
Now, this is really advanced.
It's nice to get the stretch and you get a complete
range of motion, which is desirable.
Now, some people may never get to this
because it's gonna be too challenging.
If you have carpeted steps and you feel like your feet
are gonna come off, obviously that's not gonna work.
So 10 repetitions of this as well, if you get to this.
Otherwise, on the floor is fine.
- Now we're gonna move on to the testing
portion of the video.
This is called the 30-second sit-to-stand test
and Brad is gonna show you how to set it up.
- All right, so this is an official test.
They've done this in studies.
We're gonna go through the actual setup.
So it's the way they do it in the studies.
First of all, you need a good chair without arms.
It needs to be solid.
And even with it being solid,
still put the back so it's up against the wall.
It assures more stability.
The height of the seat pan to the floor should be 17 inches.
Now you can measure that.
This chair is actually a little taller than 17.
It's okay because you're not gonna buy
a new chair for the test.
Just when you do the next test,
use the exact same chair so it's all relative.
- So once you have the proper chair set up,
in order to do the test, you want to sit off the back
of the chair with a straight back like this.
Do not lean back against the chair like this way.
Again, I want my feet shoulder-width apart
for optimal standing position.
The hands, you're going to cross at the wrist
and place on your chest like this.
Again, you're not using your arms.
If you use your arms, you get a score of zero.
So we're gonna get in a proper position.
Now, we're gonna stand.
You have to stand all the way up with straight knees.
This is not count as a full repetition.
I'm not standing all the way up.
Also, when you're sitting down,
don't just fall into the chair.
That does not count either.
You need to be controlled.
Now what you're gonna do is you have 30 seconds
to do as many proper sit-to-stands as you can.
Once you get your number, you're gonna compare to the chart.
Brad, you wanna talk about that?
- Sure. So you get your number.
If you cannot do 30 seconds worth, you're too tired,
just stop and you'll use that number.
The chart is gonna be categorized in age group
starting at 60 to 65, or whatever the chart says.
And you look over in your age group,
compare what the average number is.
It's not one number, there's a range.
And see where you're at.
That's not too important.
What is important is after you do the exercises for a week,
go back and repeat the same tests the same way
and you're gonna find out that you'll get stronger
as a result of doing these exercises the way we said to.
Okay, for those people who cannot stand up without
help of the armrest, your score is zero.
But that's okay.
There's gonna be a number of people like that.
It doesn't mean that you're a zero, your score is.
Do the exercises as we explained,
and in a week come back and do it.
You may find you can do the exercise with your
arms crossed and without using the chair.
The whole point is that you get stronger.
- So if you found this video helpful,
we do have other videos on leg strengthening.
So we'll link that down below, pinned to the top comment
and you can check out that video as well.
- That's right.
It's another wonderful video.
And get stronger, be happy, and let's go.
(Mike laughs)
- So I heard you had a dad joke for me.
- Yes. My wife said I should do lunges to stay in shape.
- Why?
- That would be a big step forward.
- Oh my gosh.
- Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
(upbeat music)