Without stress on joints: a set of exercises for the whole body for those 45+

We all need exercise, and after 45 it is vital to maintaining health.

Sometimes joints hurt even with normal movement, so how to exercise? Let's find out with trainer Natalia Blinova.

It is important to understand that joint pain is not a contraindication to exercise, but a reason to reconsider your activity. The fact is that pain is a breakdown in the body's adaptation to exercise.

Therefore, training should be such that it does not overload the joints. At the same time, the load should be there, but it creates the opportunity for the development of adaptation.

We cannot train without using joints at all, since muscles contract only when moving joints. In 99% of cases, knees, neck, and lower back hurt. Let's create a workout so as not to overload these muscle groups.

The first exercise is a dumbbell press. Stand up straight, hold two dumbbells weighing one to two kilograms (or water bottles) in each hand and spread your elbows out to the sides.

Raise the dumbbells from the bottom up until your elbows reach full bend at the sides. As you exhale, raise the dumbbells up. Perform the exercise slowly and not too often, 10-15 sets of three times is enough.

The second exercise is squats. To make the load easier, you can lean your hands on two chairs or a windowsill. Squat as if you want to pick something up from the floor, lifting your heels off the floor. When you rise, lean your hands on the windowsill.

If you can't bend your knees fully, lower yourself to a level that is comfortable and does not cause discomfort.

Don't force yourself. Let your knees not bend completely, but go down and up so that it is convenient and comfortable. Your heels don't have to be on the floor, we bend our ankles on purpose, and our heels come off the floor.

The following exercise will strengthen your abs and arms. To do it, lie down on the floor, bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Take a dumbbell weighing 1-2 kilograms in both hands. Arms are straight, elbows are pointing to the ceiling.

Move your hands behind your head, as if you were trying to put them on the floor, and return them back to a vertical position. You can make the dumbbell heavier up to 3-3.5 kilograms. As you inhale, move the dumbbell behind your head, and as you exhale, contracting your abdominal muscles, return the dumbbell to a vertical position above your chest.

Perform these exercises in three sets, each lasting one minute. The workout will take about 35 minutes in total and will improve blood circulation in all parts of the body.

After the workout, evaluate your condition. If you feel a surge of vivacity and energy, then the workout was useful and you did not overexert yourself. If you feel discomfort, then you overdid it. Next time, you can reduce the weight of the dumbbell or do the exercises more slowly!