Functional Fitness Tools For The Older Adult And Senior Population Groups

Image of an older adult couple exercising.

As we age, the importance of staying active, independent and functional takes on greater meaning and significance with each passing year.

In fact, today, more and more older adults and seniors are making exercise an integral part of their lives in order to safeguard and upkeep their own health, fitness and overall well-being.

However, as we all know, in the realities of life, not every mature adult will have access to a gym or a fitness facility; nor necessarily need to or want to.

And despite body-weight training gaining in popularity as a practical and versatile system of exercising for anyone - regardless of age - having a spread of different training options is always still preferable and useful - especially from the standpoint of novelty and variety.

This is where the role of functional fitness tools comes into the picture.

To be exact - and to avoid any misinterpretations - the above term is used here to refer ONLY to those fitness tools that are not only functional, portable and compact in nature; but also afford low-impact exercise options to be performed.

More importantly, they must also facilitate the training of the Human Body through its natural range of motion, and support the very type of movements that we use in our daily lives.

Without further ado, the following are some great fitness tools that are great for seniors and older adults to use: both indoors and outdoors.

Exercise Mat

The exercise mat or workout mat is an excellent piece of fitness equipment to own especially if you are gaining in years or have existing health issues that make lying on a hard ground extremely uncomfortable or inconvenient. Not only does an exercise mat provide you with a padded and comfortable surface to work on, it also gives your body extra support, and is helpful for preventing injuries and accidents (such as slippage) from occurring.

Exercise Ball

Image of a senior couple exercising with gym balls.

Exercise balls - otherwise also known as gym balls, fit balls, stability balls or Swiss balls - are large vinyl balls that can be used for a wide variety of exercises. From working-on one's core strength and stability, to performing aerobic-based exercises, to even building-up one's upper and lower body muscular strength and endurance, exercise ball workouts have numerous applications and benefits to the general, senior and medical population groups.

Adjustable Dumbbells

Image of older adults working-out with dumbbells.

Economical, space-saving and versatile, adjustable dumbbells have always been one of the most favoured fitness tools used in strength and resistance training programs. In fact, just a single pair of adjustable dumbbells is more than enough to work on nearly all aspects of an older/senior adult's fitness: from building functional strength, to enhancing muscular endurance, to preserving and increasing lean muscle mass. Additionally, its adaptability and adjustability also allows any dumbbell exercise program to be fully customized and scaled to the specific level of each user.

Resistance Bands/Tubings

Commonly-used as an exercise tool-of-choice in many older adults and senior fitness programs, it is not difficult to see why the humble resistance band/tube (also known as exercise bands/tubings) is so popular among older active exercisers. Not only are they portable and light-weight in nature, their inherent elasticity also allows one to work the entire body though different planes, directions and angles - INDEPENDENT of gravity (unlike traditional resistance tools like barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells which rely totally on gravitational forces). So if you're looking for a safe, full-body, functional workout routine, you won't go wrong with a resistance band/tubing exercise program.

Medicine Balls

An old-school fitness tool, dating back to almost 3000 years ago, the medicine ball is still highly-relevant and valued today - especially in the context of injury rehabilitation and in functional training programs. Mainly made of leather, rubber or nylon filled with sand or other fillers, the medicine ball basically serves as a weighted device to add resistance to all types of exercises. In today's fitness context, many health/fitness professionals as well as exercise enthusiasts rely on medicine ball training routines to build muscle strength, increase power output, as well as to boost all-round endurance, balance and coordination.

Kettlebells

Contrary to popular opinion, kettlebells are NOT just for the old-school exerciser or the hard-core athlete. In fact, kettlebell workouts are just as relevant and beneficial to anyone - including elderly folks and those with existing health/medical conditions as well! When structured scientifically and utilized correctly, a kettlebell workout program can help a mature adult develop bone density, boost lean muscle mass, build functional strength, as well as improve heart health and motor coordination.

Suspension Trainers

In recent times, suspension training - where exercises are carried out using a specialized strap-like apparatus anchored to a fixed overhead point - has gained much traction and popularity among both the general population as well as the aging demographic group. Adjustable, lightweight and portable, the suspension trainer can be a great addition to any older adult/senior exercise routine. Not only has suspension exercises been shown to improve muscle strength and endurance in older adults, a properly-designed suspension training program is also highly-effective in boosting one's static and dynamic balance, improving joint mobility, as well as enhancing one's overall functional capacities.

Foam Rollers

Image of a senior man using a foam roller.

Usually made of dense foam and shaped like a cylinder, a foam roller is a useful tool in the arsenal of any older adult/senior fitness program. Regularly employed to relieve post-workout muscle soreness, increase muscle flexibility, reduce muscle tension and tightness, as well as to increase blood circulation to surrounding tissues, a foam-rolling program is ideal not just for the adult population, but also for the elderly; particularly when used as part of a warm-up procedure, a cool-down routine or even as a stand-alone exercise workout in itself.

Conclusion

All the above-mentioned functional fitness equipment are great additions to any senior/older adult exercise routine. When used correctly, all these tools allow the Human Body to be engaged, stimulated and challenged through a wide variety of movements and planes, creating fitness gains that are truly functional, transferable and applicable in any real-world situation.

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