Where Should Seniors Exercise? The Best Place to Work Out After 60, 70, and 80

By Doug Jones

Where Should Seniors Exercise? The Best Place to Work Out After 60, 70, and 80

What's In This Article

• A Reader Asks: Where Should I Train?
• Where You Were Taught Beats Where You Train
• Best Places to Work Out for Seniors, Ranked by Convenience
• Setting Up a Safe Home Workout Space
• Boulders, Branches, and Beachside Benches
• Should Seniors Over 80 Join a Gym?
• How to Practice Anywhere: 6 Simple Balance Drills
• Where Should Seniors Exercise? Questions I Get Asked Most

Aloha from Kaua'i. Of all the questions that land in my inbox, where should seniors exercise may be the most common — and the most overthought. Folks tell me they are waiting on a gym membership, a spare bedroom, a set of dumbbells, or a ride into town before they can begin. Meanwhile, the weeks go by and nothing gets stronger.

Let me save you the wait. You can start today, right where you are standing. Here is the letter that kicked this whole conversation off.

A Reader Asks: Where Should I Train?

Aloha Doug,

I have been working out fairly consistently for my entire life. Sometimes I had access to the poshest of health clubs. Other times, I did push-ups and sit-ups at home. Now, living in Kauai, do you have any suggestions on where I should train? Should I look for a place that has a certain kind of equipment, or should I buy something specific for my home? Thanks for your help!

Joseph J. - Kauai -

Aloha Joseph,

While I could make this article very brief by suggesting that you choose to work out in the privacy of your own home, with me by your side, that's not my style, in person or in pen. The island of Kauai offers a multitude of options and locations for exercise and healthy living.

If you have convenient access to workout facilities and fitness programs, please, by all means, support your local community and businesses.

With that being said, let me start by first saying this: working in working out should be high priority for everybody, and every body… everywhere! If you know the best way to exercise, then you can truly transform your body and your life regardless of your healthy avocation location.

Anybody, and any body, can achieve great results, anytime… and anywhere. And, this means YOU, right now, and right where you are. It's all about what you know, and not necessarily a matter of where you go.

Seriously, once you learn the best way to exercise, you can then work out to your heart's content anywhere… at your hometown fitness center, home gym, health club, carport, YMCA, school, friend's house, garage, or even in your own backyard. It really doesn't matter. Here in Kauai, sometimes I'll use only boulders, branches, and beachside benches. Other times, I'll train at parks, playgrounds, and picnic pavilions.

Where You Were Taught Beats Where You Train

While there are countless answers for "where" to do an exercise, I believe that the more important question is where... were you taught to do that exercise? Where you get your training is always more important than where you train.

Even as the former owner of one of the largest personal fitness centers on Connecticut's Gold Coast, I have never cared about where people exercise, even if it wasn't at my own facility. My motto has always been "training you to train yourself," and it really didn't bother me if people trained at facilities other than mine. My primary focus has always been on teaching the smartest, simplest, speediest, and safest scientific solutions to strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance. The question of location has always been one of my least important concerns.

It just doesn't matter!

People are more important than places. In all actuality, anywhere that helps you transform your physique and psyche is probably the perfect place for you. Nevertheless, keep in mind that your workout routine doesn't mean squat if the trainers doing the training are all body and no brain, which is sometimes par for the course.

Think of it this way. A poorly performed squat in a $200-a-month club is still a poorly performed squat. A beautifully performed chair-supported squat in your kitchen, done with control, full range, and a smooth count, is real training. The kitchen wins every time. That is why I teach the technique first and let you pick the postal code second. You can learn the whole approach free at Super7System.com and then apply it in whatever room you happen to be standing in.

Best Places to Work Out for Seniors, Ranked by Convenience

If you want a practical ranking, here is mine — and notice that it is ordered by how likely you are to actually show up, not by how impressive the equipment looks.

• Your living room or lanai. Zero travel, zero excuses, and a sturdy chair is all the equipment you need. This is the winner for most folks over 70 and nearly everyone over 80.
• The carport or garage. Fresh air, a solid wall for wall push-ups, and a bit of separation from the television. My clients who train in the carport rarely skip.
• A hallway. Underrated. Walls on both sides mean you always have support within reach for walking and standing work.
• A park, playground, or picnic pavilion. Benches, railings, and shade. Sunshine and other humans are good medicine.
• A community center, YMCA, or health club. Great if you enjoy the social side and the drive is short. Support your local businesses if you can.
• A hotel room while traveling. A chair, a wall, and seven minutes. Travel is never a reason to stop.

Every one of those locations supports the same four pillars I teach: strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance. The pillars travel. The building does not.

Setting Up a Safe Home Workout Space

If home is your answer — and for most readers over 75 it should be — spend ten minutes setting it up properly, once, and you are done forever.

• Pick a sturdy chair. Firm seat, no wheels, no arms if possible, and a back you can hold. A dining chair beats a recliner.
• Clear a space about the size of a bath towel. You do not need a room. You need enough floor to step forward and back without hitting anything.
• Remove throw rugs. The most common indoor tripping hazard in any home, by a mile.
• Keep a wall or counter within one step. Support should always be reachable without lunging for it.
• Wear shoes or go barefoot, not socks. Socks on a wood or tile floor are how good workouts turn into bad afternoons.
• Set water within reach and open a window if the room is stuffy.

That is the whole setup. No mirrors, no machines, no monthly fee. And if you want a done-for-you starting point that fits this exact space, the free program at Super7System.com was built for a chair and a wall.

Boulders, Branches, and Beachside Benches

When I train outdoors here on the island, the "gym" is whatever the island hands me. A boulder becomes a step-up or a hand support. A low, thick branch becomes a pull-up bar. A beachside bench becomes an incline for push-ups, a seat for stamina intervals, and a rail for stretching. Picnic pavilions give me shade and a solid post to hold.

Now, before you head out looking for your own boulder, a few rules from someone who has spent decades keeping beginners safe outdoors:

• Test every surface before you trust it. Push on it with your hands. If it wobbles, walk away.
• Wet rock and wet wood are off limits. No exceptions, no matter how good the view is.
• Height should never exceed your comfort. A bench-height push-up is easier and safer than a floor push-up. Higher hands means less load.
• Go with a friend when you can. A walking partner doubles both the safety and the fun.
• Sun, hat, water, early morning. The best outdoor workout is the one you finish comfortably.

The point of the boulders and the branches is not that you need them. It is that they prove the equipment was never the barrier. Nature does not send an invoice.

Should Seniors Over 80 Join a Gym?

Many years ago, when I first started my business, I didn't have a facility. I didn't have any equipment. For that matter, I didn't have any clients. I formed the madness of my methods training one body at a time, starting with my own. Starting out with no facility, no equipment, and no clients, I basically went door-to-door searching for people who were willing to trust my recently acquired acumen and training techniques. Thankfully, I found them. :-)

Many of my clients had home gyms… with machines, treadmills, dumbbells, and bikes. However, most had absolutely nothing. While being forced to be creative, I always knew that, as long as the major tenets of fitness were included in each and every training session, it didn't matter where they did what they did. Regardless of where my clients were and what they had, they could always exercise, and exercise effectively.

So should you join a gym at 80? Join one if you like the people, the routine gets you out of the house, and the drive is short and easy. Skip it if the trip is the hardest part of the workout, if the equipment is sized for someone forty years younger, or if you would rather train in your own clothes at your own pace. Neither answer is braver than the other. The brave part is the showing up.

First and foremost, anybody and everybody can transform their training technique, anywhere and everywhere. The setting is secondary, and anywhere that works for you works for me.

How to Practice Anywhere: 6 Simple Balance Drills

Here is a small bonus that proves the point about place. These six drills need nothing but a chair or a counter, so you can do them in a kitchen, a carport, a hotel room, or a park. Hold your support the entire time. Thirty seconds each is plenty.

• Tall stand. Hold the chair back, stand tall, feet hip-width, and simply breathe for 30 seconds. Boring works.
• Feet-together stand. Same thing, but bring your feet together. Narrower base, more challenge, hands still on the chair.
• Heel raises. Holding the chair, rise slowly onto the balls of your feet, then lower with control. Ten easy reps.
• Toe raises. Holding the chair, lift your toes and rock back onto your heels, then lower. Ten easy reps.
• Marching in place. Holding the chair, lift one knee a few inches, set it down, then the other. Slow beats high.
• Weight shifts. Holding the chair, shift your weight gently side to side, then front to back, staying inside your comfort zone.

That is it. No single-leg posing, no floor work, no wobble boards. The difference between doing nothing and next to nothing… is EVERYTHING!

Where Should Seniors Exercise? Questions I Get Asked Most

Where should seniors exercise if they have no equipment?

At home, with a sturdy chair and a wall. Chair-supported squats, wall push-ups, seated stamina work, and standing stretches cover every pillar you need. Equipment is a convenience, never a requirement.

What is the best place to work out for seniors over 80?

The safest one within a few steps of a solid handhold — for almost everyone that is the living room. Fewer stairs, fewer strangers, no drive, and support always within reach. Consistency beats scenery.

Is it better to exercise at home or at a gym?

Better is whichever one you will actually do three to five days a week. Home wins on convenience and cost. A gym wins on company and structure. The exercises themselves can be identical.

Can seniors exercise outside safely?

Yes, with flat, dry footing, a bench or railing nearby, cooler hours of the day, water, and ideally a friend. Grass and paved paths are friendlier than sand or wet rock.

How much space do seniors need to work out at home?

About the size of a bath towel, plus one arm's length of clearance around a chair. If you can stand up, sit down, and take one step forward without bumping into anything, you have enough.

Online, I am still working hard to contribute to the whole wide world of workouts through my Super 7-Week Shape-Up System. In person, I am working hard to help the island of Kauai, one body and life at a time. Of course, I do also realize that, as hard as I try, I'll never be all things to all people. So, as you seek your own perfect "fit" for either a health coach or a health club, take your time and do your homework. There are definitely some incredibly well-qualified trainers out there but, unfortunately, sometimes you're actually much better off just going it alone.

For those of you who are flying solo and have specific questions about the best way to exercise and eat, I am always here to help. So stop shopping for a location and start training in the one you are already standing in.

Ready to put this to work today? Try SUPER 7 FREE for a Smart-Simple-Speedy-Safe daily starting point: no gym, no equipment, no downloads - just open and go.

In Health & With Hope,

Doug :-)

About the Author: Douglas Jones, BS, MA, CSCS

Douglas Jones earned his Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. As an Exercise Physiologist and Concierge Fitness Professional based in Kaua'i, he has helped thousands of clients in person and millions online build simple, science-based habits for strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance.

Doug is the founder of the Super 7 System — a complete training system you can do at home in as little as 7 minutes a day.

Watch his free intro and start free at Super7System.com.

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