Best leg exercises to prevent falls - Fall Prevention Series 2/5

Week Two: Best Leg exercises to prevent falls

When the Vintage Fitness personal training team goes to meet clients in their homes, one of the most common issues that we discuss is strengthening their legs after a fall or reducing the fear of falling.  In the first of the fall prevention series I covered the most common reasons that people fall.  One of the key risk factors for a fall is lack of leg strength. 

Here are the best exercises to prevent falls:

Chair Squat

Benefits of the exercise

Builds leg strength

Tips:

• Place your feet far enough from the chair that your knees line up over your ankles
• To make this exercise harder use hand-weights or do the movement slower

How many should I do?

• 10-15.

Video:

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Side Leg Lift

Benefits of the exercise

Builds  hip and leg strength

Tips:

• Standing behind a chair lift you leg from one side to the other like a pendulum
• Stand tall: don’t lean on the chair just use it to help with balance
• Keep your feet flexed as you lift them from side to side

How many should I do?

• 10-15.

Video:

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Calf Raise

Benefits of the exercise

Builds balance and lower leg strength

Tips:

• To make this harder followed the video link  below which demonstrates single leg calf raises
• Stand tall: don’t lean on the chair just use it to help with balance

How many should I do?:

• 10-15.

Video:

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Bridge

Benefits of the exercise

Builds hamstring (back of the leg) strength

Tips:

• Place your feet flat on the floor close enough that you can graze your fingertips to the back of your shoe
• To make this exercise harder do the movement slower or hold at the top for a 10 seconds

How many should I do?

• 10-15.

Video:

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Good Luck!

Erin

Vintage Fitness

Vintage Fitness is an in-home personal training company in Toronto, Canada. We specialize in energizing the lives of people over 50 with exercise.