Fastest Agility Training at 60

Agility training for people in their 60s involves improving the same components that it does for younger athletes, although older athletes need to take extra precautions to avoid injury through proper warm-up and footwear. Agility is the body’s ability to change direction efficiently and effectively while maintaining balance, coordination and consistent speed. The rapid movements involved in agility training generally involve acceleration and deceleration. The fastest way that athletes in their 60s can train to better their agility is to work on improving several individual components of agility repeatedly.

  1. Speed

    • By the 60s, maintaining speed becomes an obstacle as muscle fibers decrease. Yet, the ability to move all or part of the body quickly is a crucial building block to heightened agility. Athletes in their 60s do not need to do speed work every day. But including a hard “out of breath” workout at 80 to 90 percent effort once a week can make a huge difference in agility, as well as general fitness. Aging athletes must be careful not to overdo speed training because it carries a greater chance for injury at this age. Three to five “strides” — short-running accelerations of 50 to 100 meters (or a sprint of about 10 to 20 seconds) — can be sufficient to help maintain speed.

    Strength

    • Many improvements in agility — such as power, explosiveness and endurance — are associated with strength training. Strength training is important at all ages. But because lean muscle mass and muscle fiber size decrease with aging — resulting in a loss of as much as 30 percent of muscle power by age 60 — older athletes must incorporate strength training into their agility-training program. Weight machines at the gym provide a fast way for older adults to build a strength foundation that will help improve their agility. For a speedy routine, 60-year-olds can focus on just two sets of lifts with eight to 10 repetitions: one lift for upper body muscles by using a chest-press machine, one lift for lower body muscles by using a seated leg-curl machine and one lift for core body muscles by using an abdominal or “crunch” machine, or even just basic sit-ups.

    Flexibility

    • Connective tissues between muscles and bones become more rigid over time, so it is crucial for older athletes to maintain flexibility. A regular stretching program of the basic muscle groups in the arms, legs and core area can help minimize injury that may be caused by the sudden movements required in agility training, and it can also help keep exercise movements more powerful and efficient. For the fastest stretching option, consider combining stretching with strength training at the gym. For example, when performing any strength-training lifts, rest in between the two sets of repetitions with a few basic stretches. To stretch arms, bring right arm overhead, with hand behind neck (as though to scratch the back). Place left hand on right elbow, and apply gentle pressure. Hold for 30 seconds and switch arms. To stretch legs, stand two to three feet from the wall or exercise machine, and hold it with your right hand. Hold your left ankle with your left hand for 30 seconds, and then switch legs. To stretch core muscles, try a gentle twist of your torso from side to side while standing, holding the stretch for 30 seconds on both the left and right sides.

    Balance and Coordination

    • Improvements in strength and flexibility indirectly enhance balance and coordination, which are crucial for agility. Those in their 60s must perform exercises that specifically challenge balance and coordination capabilities — particularly because as people age, bone fractures due to loss of balance become more of a threat to health than any other ailment. A quick exercise for 60-year-old athletes to test their balance and improve their coordination as well as agility is a simple knee raise, lifting one knee to a point where their thigh is parallel to the floor, and holding the position for five to 10 seconds. This can be repeated three to five times on alternate legs to increase chances for faster improvement.