02/01/2026
If I could only focus on 5 exercises for the rest of my life
to build an “old lady body” that can do whatever I want, it would be these:
1. Pull-ups (or assisted pull-ups)
This is about keeping your back, arms, grip, and posture strong for life. Being able to pull your own body weight translates to climbing, carrying, lifting, and not rounding forward with age. If full pull-ups aren’t there yet, assisted versions absolutely count. The goal is clean, controlled strength, not momentum.
2. Push-ups (progressed over time)
Push-ups build chest, shoulders, triceps, and a surprisingly strong core. They also teach you how to stabilize your body as one unit, which matters more with age than isolated strength. Knee push-ups, regular push-ups, then eventually weighted versions all belong to the same family.
3. Overhead pressing (pike push-ups or presses)
Being able to press weight overhead is a marker of independence. Think lifting luggage, groceries, boxes, or placing things on shelves. Pike push-ups, handstand progressions, or dumbbell presses all train shoulder strength and core control in real-world positions.
4. Squats (deep and honest)
Squats are about getting up and down from the floor, chairs, toilets, gardens, and low seats for decades to come. Bodyweight squats, heel-elevated squats, split squats, or goblet squats all work. The goal is depth, control, and leg strength without rushing.
5. Hip hinge (Romanian deadlifts or similar)
This is the anti–fragile-back exercise. Hip hinging trains glutes, hamstrings, and the muscles that protect your spine when lifting anything off the floor. Deadlifts with dumbbells or a barbell, done well, are how you keep picking things up safely as you age.
Why these five matter
Together, these movements cover how humans actually move:
pulling, pushing, pressing overhead, squatting, and hinging.
They don’t require fancy equipment, endless variety, or chasing trends. They reward patience, consistency, and strength that compounds quietly over time.
This is how you build a body that doesn’t just look strong, but stays capable, resilient, and independent well into old age.
