Exercises for the Elderly With a Pulley System

Walk into your local gym and you’re likely to find at least one cable-pulley system. This machine is particularly suited for mature exercisers who wish to reap the benefits of resistance training without exposing themselves to many of the risks that come along with weight training. By knowing safe and effective cable-pulley exercises for each section of your body, you’ll be on your way to a stronger body, both in essence and in appearance.

  1. “Shoulder” Your Joint Problems

    • Exercise your upper body with an exercise that targets your shoulders and arms. Even if you have joint problems, use an exercises that engages multiple joint movements, allowing you to avoid having to overwork your joints with individual exercises for each upper-body muscle. For an overall upper-body exercise with a pulley system, use the cable-bar military press. With a cable bar attached to a low pulley, stand with your legs at shoulder-width, holding the bar horizontally at chest-level. Press the bar upward by fully extending your arms above you while keeping your body still. Return and repeat. Start with a low weight until you are confident in your form and balance.

    A Plea for Your Knees

    • Often, the knees are one of the weak points for mature exercisers. You can perform lower-body exercises without overstressing your knees by focusing on an exercise that allows you control over how much you engage your knees. Perform the cable step-up for a cable exercise that hits many areas in your lower body. Start with an elevated platform, such as a gym bench, in front of the pulley machine. Hold the pulley grips on each side of the machine while you step up onto the platform. Step back down and repeat. Start with a low weight to ensure you can step onto the bench without losing your balance. If you have especially weak knees, switch out the elevated bench for a calf step; this way you will not have to bend your knees at a 90-degree angle.

    Hack Problems With Your Back

    • A weak back can not only leave you exposed for injury but can also prevent you from lifting objects and doing work around the house. Strengthen your back with a pulley machine by performing a low-intensity exercise that trains your balance as well as strength, such as the one-arm, bent-over cable row. Perform this exercise with a one-arm grip attached to a low pulley. Grip the pulley with your right hand and step backward with your right foot, placing your left hand over your left knee, which you should bend at a slight angle. Bend your torso forward at a 45-degree angle, keeping your back straight. From this position, pull the pulley straight to your torso, slightly under your right armpit. Return and repeat. If you have knee problems or find the starting position to be uncomfortable, raise the pulley to a higher position and perform the exercise from there.

    Do More for Your Core

    • The “core” of your body is appropriately named as it allows the stabilization of many important movements, both in and out of the gym. Use the pulley system to strengthen your core through a cable squat. Stand in the middle of the pulley system and grip one low-pulley grip in each hand. Squat so that your knees are bent at an angle as close to 90 degrees as possible without experiencing discomfort or pain. Do this without arcing your back. From this position, stand back up, keeping your back straight during the motion. Repeat. If you cannot comfortably bend your knees at a 90-degree angle, try the half or one-quarter squat, in which you only bend your knees at a 45-degree or 23-degree angle, respectively.