6 Home Exercises For Greater Muscle Tone After 60

You can build muscle without leaving your house.

Key Points

• You can’t technically tone muscle, but building muscle can create a more defined look.
• Strength training can help build muscle, support balance and maintain physical function.
• A balanced diet and cardiovascular exercise can also support a defined physique.

I wish I could count how many times I’ve heard a client, friend or even family member say, “I’m trying to get more toned.” It’s a phrase that makes my fitness professional friends cringe. 

Technically, you can’t “tone” muscle. But you can build more muscle while reducing or maintaining a healthy body fat percentage, which can help create a more “toned” appearance. Building muscle is key here, because as we age, we can lose up to 3% to 8% of our muscle mass each decade—especially if we don’t prioritize strength training.

“While many may aspire to achieve a more ‘toned’ physique, there isn’t one specific exercise that will get you there. That look, and, more importantly, the health benefits behind it, comes from a combination of resistance training, cardiovascular exercise and a balanced diet. These together work to keep your body fat within a healthy range, often offering up alongside it a ‘toned’ appearance,” says Elizabeth Shaw, M.S., RDN, CPT. 

So, which exercises can help? Ahead, fitness experts share six at-home exercises to try.

1. Step-Ups

From flights of stairs to curbs, we regularly step up and down throughout the day. Yet, steps are one of the top causes of falls, so it’s important to maintain the strength and balance needed to navigate them safely.

Step-ups are a great exercise to build strength and muscle tone, since they target your glutes, quadriceps and calves while also testing your balance and single-leg control. “They provide both resistance and functional training, making them particularly useful for maintaining lower-body strength and physical function as people age,” explains Kaitlyn Hanelt, PT, D.P.T., NCS. “It is recommended that older adults incorporate strength and balance-focused activities to maintain functional capacity and reduce fall risk.”

How to do it:

1. Stand facing a step, with a sturdy surface nearby that you can hold for support if needed.
2. Place your right foot flat on the step.
3. Press through your right foot to lift your body onto the step. Keep your knee lined up with your toes and avoid pushing off with your left foot.
4. Bring your left foot up to meet your right foot on the step.
5. Slowly lower your left foot back to the floor, followed by your right foot. Control the movement and keep your right knee from collapsing inward.
6. Repeat 8 to 12 times, then switch sides. Complete 2 to 3 sets per leg.

Modifications: As you build strength and balance, try using a slightly higher step or holding a light weight in each hand.

2. Body-Weight Squats

Squatting is another movement that is a part of our daily lives. From picking something up off the ground to getting in and out of a chair, we squat more than you may realize.

“Incorporating movements that work large muscle groups is key to building and supporting lean muscle mass, especially with aging. Body-weight squats fit the bill here, working not only glutes, thighs and hamstrings, but core as well,” says Shaw. 

But before you think you have to drop low, research suggests both shallow and deep squats can be effective. One study in older adults found that home-based squat training improved functional performance tests tied to everyday movements, like standing up from a chair, regardless of how low participants squatted.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes turned slightly outward. 
2. Keep your chest lifted, shoulders relaxed and core engaged. Look straight ahead.
3. Push your hips back as if you’re sitting into a chair, then bend your knees and lower into a squat. Keep your weight evenly distributed through your feet, with your heels staying on the floor.
4. Lower only as far as is comfortable while keeping your knees aligned with your toes. You can aim for about a 90-degree bend in your knees, but you don’t need to squat that low.
5. Push through your heels to return to standing.
6. Repeat 8 to 12 times for 2 to 3 sets.

Modifications: For extra support, hold onto a sturdy chair placed in front of you. To increase the challenge, hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides or hold one dumbbell with both hands in front of your body.

3. Rows

“Rows strengthen the upper back, posterior shoulder and arm muscles, contributing to greater upper-body muscular development and definition,” says Hanelt. “Resistance training has been consistently associated with improvements in upper-body strength in older adults, and maintaining muscle through the back and shoulders can also support posture and functional activities.”

You can do at-home rows using a resistance band, recommends Melissa A. Hatton, M.S., NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS, CNC. “Resistance band pulls are a great exercise for the upper body, including the arms, shoulders, chest and back. Depending on how the band is positioned and pulled, you can challenge a variety of muscles.” Don’t have one? You can also use dumbbells, or even canned beans or soup cans. 

How to do it:

1. Secure a resistance band around a sturdy, stationary object, such as a stair banister or heavy table leg. Stand facing the anchor point with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Hold one end of the band in each hand and take a step back until there is some tension in the band.
3. Keep your shoulders relaxed and pulled down away from your ears. Bend your elbows and pull your hands toward your waist, keeping your elbows close to your body.
4. Pause briefly, then slowly straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
5. Repeat 10 to 12 times for 2 to 3 sets.

Modifications: You can also sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you and loop the band around the soles of your feet. 

4. Wall Pushups

There’s a reason you see people doing pushups and why we had to do them in PE class. Pushups work multiple upper-body muscles while strengthening your core and supporting better balance and posture. They can help build definition in your shoulders and arms, too.

However, you don’t need to get down on all fours to get the results of a pushup. You can also do them against a wall or countertop for additional support. “Wall pushups can be a great way to improve strength of the arms, back, shoulders, chest and core,” says Hatton.

Exercises like wall pushups that target the core and total body are linked with better balance, posture and mobility as we age, adds Shaw.

How to Do It:

1. Stand facing a wall, a little closer than arm’s-length away, with your feet hip-width apart. 
2. Place your palms against the wall at about shoulder height, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. 
3. Step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels. Engage your core and keep your hips from dropping toward the wall.
4. Bend your elbows and slowly lower your chest toward the wall. Keep your elbows angled slightly downward rather than flaring them straight out to the sides.
5. Press through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
6. Repeat 10 to 12 times for 2 to 3 sets. 

Modification: To make the exercise easier, stand closer to the wall. To make it more challenging, move your feet further away or take longer to lower your body. You can also use a countertop instead of a wall, which will require more strength.

5. Standing Hip Extension

Most of us are guilty of sitting for too long, which can shorten and tighten the hip flexors. That can affect lower-back stability and movement patterns while also causing the glutes to become underactive and less defined. 

“Hip extensions and abductions improve strength and function of the hip. Because we tend to spend more time sitting, we can lessen our ability to activate our glutes. These two motions can help bring it back,” explains Hatton. 

How to do it:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and toes pointing forward.
2. Place one or both hands on a sturdy counter, the back of a chair or a wall for balance.
3. Shift your weight onto your left leg. Keep your left knee slightly bent and your hips facing forward.
4. Keeping your right leg straight, slowly move it backward without leaning your upper body forward.
5. Squeeze your right glute as you lift your leg, raising only as far as you can while keeping your hips level.
6. Slowly lower your right leg back to the starting position.
7. Repeat 10 to 12 times, then switch sides. Complete 2 to 3 sets per leg.

6. Standing Hip Abduction

When we step to the side or get out of the car or bed, we use our hip abductors, the muscles that move the leg away from the midline of the body and help control side-to-side balance. These include the two smaller glute muscles, the gluteus medius and minimus, along with the tensor fasciae latae. 

Weak hip abductors have been linked to hip and even knee problems, which can make other movements more difficult. Research also suggests stronger hip abductor muscles are associated with better balance and mobility, which become increasingly important as we age.

How to do it: 

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward. Place one or both hands on a counter, chair or wall for balance.
2. Shift your weight onto your left leg and keep your hips level and facing forward.
3. Keeping your right leg straight, slowly move it out to the side. Lead with your heel and keep your toes pointing forward rather than letting your foot turn upward.
4. Lift your leg only as high as you can without leaning your upper body to the opposite side. You should feel the muscles working along the outside of your hip.
5. Slowly lower your right leg back to the standing position.
6. Repeat 10 to 12 times, then switch sides. Complete 2 to 3 sets per leg.

Modifications: To increase the challenge, place a resistance band around your ankles or use ankle weights.

Our Expert Take

While we can’t necessarily “tone” our muscles, we can build muscle strength and maintain a healthy body fat percentage to help achieve that look. A well-rounded strength-training routine that targets all major muscle groups is a great way to build muscle and potentially help give the definition you’re looking for.