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Physical Therapist Shares 6 Moves Men Over 50 Need To Prevent Falls And Build Reaction Power

Even if you don’t think falls are a concern for you yet, it should be on every aging person’s mind. Each year, falls account for about 4.5 million emergency department visits, including roughly 1.4 million hospitalizations among older adults. But it’s never too early to start building the strength you’ll need to stay on your feet and reduce your risk of fatal injuries with age. Along with building lower body strength, the other key to reducing your fall risk is boosting muscle power. When you lose your balance, you don’t have ample time to react. Your muscles need to produce force quickly enough to help you regain your footing.

“The ability to produce force quickly is a skill,” says Nicholas Rolnick, DPT, MS, CSCS, of The Human Performance Mechanic. “Yes, it may improve to a degree simply by getting stronger since you’re improving muscle force, but you’ll get the best results by working on contracting key muscles as hard and as quickly as possible.”

The two most important muscles for preventing falls are your calves and quads. Your calves produce the counterforce needed to push your center of mass and catch your balance, while training the quads through jumping and other explosive movements improves your ability to react quickly. Try doing the exercises below three times a week to build lower-body strength and power that will keep you stable and agile as you get older.

6 Exercises to Prevent Falls

How to Do Calf Raises

Calf Raise

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold onto something for balance as needed.
Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as you can.
Pause briefly, then lower your heels back to the floor.
Perform 2 sets of 30 reps.

How to Do Explosive Calf Raises

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and keep your knees slightly bent. Pause at the bottom.
Quickly explode up and drive through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as possible.
Lower your heels and immediately repeat with fast, controlled movements
Perform 2 sets of 30 reps.

How to Do Single-Leg Calf Raises

Single-leg Calf Raise

Stand on one foot with your other foot lifted behind you. Hold onto something for balance as needed.
Push through the ball of your foot to raise your heel as high as possible.
Lower your heel with control and repeat before switching sides.
Perform 2 sets of 20 reps on each side.

How to Do Explosive Single-Leg Calf Raises

Stand on one foot with your knee slightly bent and hold onto something for balance.
Quickly drive through the ball of your foot to raise your heel as high as possible.
Lower with control and repeat before switching sides.
Perform 2 sets of 10 reps on each side.

How to Do Double-Leg Jumps

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
Jump straight up by quickly pushing through both feet.
Land softly on both feet with your knees slightly bent and immediately repeat.
Try to get higher as the reps go on.
Perform 20 jumps.

How to Do Single-Leg Jumps

Stand on one foot with your knee slightly bent and keep your other foot off the ground.
Jump straight up by pushing forcefully through the floor with your standing leg.
Land softly on the same foot, absorb the landing, and repeat before switching sides.
Perform 5 to 10 jumps on each leg.