Did you know that once you get to 30 years old, the body starts losing muscle mass? And after 45, this process only gets faster. This is called sarcopenia, and before you panic: you can reverse it. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and The BMJ (medicine journal) are showing that resistance training and constant physical exercise can slow down this loss and actually reverse it. Chris Mohr, a fitness and nutrition expert, recommends starting at home with simple moves that turn out to be very effective, like step–ups, because this exercise strengthens glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and balance. In addition, when you gain muscle mass, your metabolism gets better too, so you have more energy for the day.
This exercise is literally about going up and down a stable step or a bank. It sounds pretty basic, but it activates different big muscles at the same time (glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings), and it forces you to maintain control of your body, which improves balance.
It’s a good combo for fall prevention and to do daily activities easier too, like going up and down (from real stairs), carrying the grocery bags, and picking up things from the floor. Besides, it protects the articulations because you work naturally without weird postures.
Easy steps to do steps
Go in front of a firm step. Lift one foot and put it on the step, push with that heel, and get your body up until you’re standing upright; then, finally, put the other foot on the step. Now that you’re up, you have to go down: go down in control, first one foot on the floor, then the other one.
Change the lifting every cycle so you work both sides. If you’re starting, maybe use a low step and do it next to a wall so it helps with the beginners’ balance. Keep the torso straight and your abdomen active.
Start short and slow, take little breaks in between, and then do it again. With time and practice, you will be doing higher steps and more time. But to get there, you need to do it constantly.
How to do a routine
Step-ups is just one technique out of the thousand things you can do to keep your muscle mass right where it is. So if you’re looking to start and want to add a few other exercises to make that workout deeper, then here’s what you could do for a first, soft, and effective short session centered on step-ups:
- Warm up by walking around the house for a couple of minutes; at the same time, you can start gently moving your ankles, knees, and hip.
- Do a few sets of step-up.
- In between sets, you can sit up and down in a chair, no rush, do it slowly. This will reinforce legs. Or if you’d rather work the upper body, then do some push-ups against the wall instead.
- If you want to add a last exercise, lie on your back and push your hips up for some glute bridges.
You don’t have to count anything, especially at first; work in comfortable intervals, take a little pause, and do it again two or three times. This practice 3 or 4 days a week makes a huge difference for sarcopenia.
Simple but backed up by health experts
Sarcopenia can be fought with regular movements and gentle exercises. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the BMJ, resistance training really does change the way it acts on your body.
Start today with only a few minutes, repeat tomorrow , and let the it become a habit, you won’t regret it and your body will thank you every time a daily tasks doesn’t seem like an extra effort.