If you want to AGE GRACEFULLY don't neglect these muscles!

Welcome to this week’s newsletter!

As we age most of us are made aware of key muscles/areas we should focus on in order to stay mobile, maintain stability and posture and reduce injury risk.

These usually include the following:

• The glutes

• The “Core” (including low back)

• Upper back

• Calves

Essentially the core and posterior chain gets much of the hype and attention.

Whilst I won’t disagree the importance of these muscles to a solid “longevity focused” training program…

There are a some other super important muscles that also deserve attention, and these are:

• The adductors (inner thighs)

• The hip flexors (front of thigh)

• The hip rotators (small intrinsic muscles around the hip joint)

Let’s look at each of these and explain the benefits of training these muscles and areas!

The Adductor muscles:

The adductors are actually a group of 3 separate muscles therefore contributing to a fairly large proportion of muscle mass to the thigh area.

These muscles help transfer force from the lower to upper body, and also help us as we come out the bottom of the squat OR get out of a chair if you’re older.

Here are 3 other KEY benefits to strong adductors:

• Stability of the hip and pelvis during movement, crucial for maintaining balance and preventing injuries during physical activities like walking, running, and sports.

• Lateral movement and side-to-side motion support, allowing you to perform complex movements like side steps, skating, and quick directional changes in athletic performances.

• Protection and support of the inner thigh region, helping to maintain proper leg alignment and reducing the risk of muscle strains or imbalances that could lead to potential knee or hip complications.

The Hip flexor muscles:

Perhaps the most misunderstood muscle group in the body, often being blamed for being “too tight” or causing low back pain…

However, they are a key muscle of the hip that work synergistically with the glute muscles as they are on the opposite side of the joint.

Here’s 3 key benefits:

• They help support and stabilise the lower back, especially when we squat, deadlift or bend forwards to pick something up.

• They play a key role in the gait cycle which simply put is the cycle of movements we go though when walking or running.

• The hip flexors often become weak later in life so keeping them strong can help improve walking, mobility and avoiding falls and tripping over as we get older

The hip rotators:

Hip rotator muscles are a group of deep muscles located around the hip joint that help rotate the thigh inward and outward, enabling complex movements and joint stability.

The ability for the hips to rotate helps in lots of lower body movements and exercises such as squat and lunge patterns…

Here’s 3 key benefits of maintaining functional hip rotator muscles as you age:

• Improved balance and reduced fall risk of falls, critical for older adults by enhancing overall stability.

• Enhanced mobility and independence, allowing seniors to maintain ability to perform daily activities like walking, climbing stairs, and getting in and out of chairs with greater ease and confidence.

• Joint protection and pain prevention by supporting proper hip alignment, which helps mitigate the development of chronic conditions like arthritis and reduces the likelihood of hip and low back pain.

How can you train these muscles?

Now you know WHY you should be training these muscles, let’s look at HOW you can train them.

Below are some simple exercises that you can do in most gyms to train the muscles we have just discussed.

As with ANY exercise focus on good form, execution and using appropriate resistance.

If you want to know more about how I can help you set up an exercise program that is suitable for you.

Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, or email me on [email protected].

For now thanks for reading today, and stay tuned for the next edition of Train For Life next Saturday!

Daryl