10-Minute Strength Training Exercises for Seniors: Exercises and Routines to Build Muscle, Balance, and Stamina

I'm not a senior and I can lift heavy when the mood strikes. So why did I get this book? Well, it's not uncommon to go through times when you want to keep the body moving, but you don't necessarily want to push your body to the limits with crazy-high heart rates, puddles of sweat, and big weights. This book makes exercising accessible and uncomplicated, and when you take away "seniors" from the title that sentiment (plus the workouts listed) will applicable to really anyone. Honestly, the most age-specific sentiment of the book is the illustrations, which all feature retirees. And that's no problem because they're nice illustrations that show different body types, diversity, and--probably most important--they all have a gentle smile and look happy to be moving, rather than super serious. (Because we all know certain YouTube fitness personalities who equate doing a workout with going through the fire of battle or some over the top comparison....) Okay, about the book: The first half of the book offers lovely illustrations and tips on how to do each exercise. The back half provides you with a daily routine that shows you a reminder illustration of each move, the rep count (usually the standard 8-12 for 2-3 sets), and gives the page number so you can easily re-reference a move if you need any reminders. I do love the book's uncomplicated, straightforward style. There's 4 moves per workout that are practical and functional. I stress this because as much as there is on YouTube, it's easy to get caught up in instructors who preach complex "party trick, wow-factor moves". Sure, it's fun to see what the body can do, but there's so much to be said for your standard compound movements. As someone who grew up in gymnastics, cheerleading, and a bit of dance, parts of my body are most definitely hypermobile and I need to be careful with those "wow factor" moves that feel okay while doing but I regret the rest of the week. Instead these are your traditional exercises. When it comes to the weight lifting aspect, the weights they show are of people using soup cans or water bottles. Of course you could modify with heavier weights, but the vibe of the book is more fitness and strength to protect your bones, keep you moving daily (i.e., not maxing out on the regular), and sustainable fitness that will carry you, well, into your senior years. I personally aim to do one of these workouts 4x a week without weights or light 1-2lbs, and then once or twice a week I'll do a harder, heavier workout from YouTube. See, I don't totally hate YouTube fitness ;) And side note, even doing the arm workouts without weights lets you focus on correct movement, mobility, and bilateral discrepancies, so it's not pointless. Overall, this is a fabulous book that's approachable and serves as a great reference. And if you like to know what you'll be doing in a workout before you start, it'll just take a minute to review the pictures and read any reminders. Compare that to fitness videos where unless you watch through at a fast speed you come in unaware of the next moves, pacing, etc. I mention this because if you're like me and do need to amp yourself up to workout, knowing what's on the docket so to speak can take some of that underlying anxiety away and make it mentally easier to set aside the time and just get your 10-20 minutes in.

This is an awesome. Highly recommend.. it is clearly laid out with great art and large print and great plan to get you started! Many 10 minute workouts to keep you motivated! Thinking of buying more for gifts! Thank you Ed DeBoo for a wonderful & encouraging book for seniors!

I got this book from the library and liked it so much that I ordered my own copy the next day. The author, who is a physical therapist, gives clear, concise descriptions of what the purpose or focus of each exercise is, and he obviously understands limitations and concerns of older people, so he mentions advantages or how the exercises will help and increase strength, flexibility and help us remain independent. Illustrations show how to do each exercise. About 3 of the illustrations didn't quite match the text explanation, so I had reread once or twice to figure out what the image should have shown. The intense skin colors of the people in the illustrations were overdone and distracting, but were certainly "inclusive," and I'm glad they weren't all women or white people. One thing that would be helpful as a related option: Tall cards. To me, it's far too cumbersome to use a book for reference while learning new movements. If the book is spiral-bound, that helps. But even better: glossy, wipe-clean, light cardboard cards for each exercise with all of the same information that's in the book (images could be on the back if necessary). My adaptation is using 4 different colors of page markers to identify the target / purpose of the exercise and a 5th color to tag which ones use dumbbells, so I can do those together. For example, blue tags mean Balance or Bones, and orange tags are for exercises that involve weights or dumbbells. The photo shows what I mean, I hope.

Great Layout / Up to date / Easy to understand picture , No guess work , on what they are trying to show you/ Information about the the muscles groups , you will be working , on is very important , most do not have that / It also shows different way to use household item , to make your workout more cost effective , for a senior program ,Also a section with preloaded routines , makes working out more fun , and not so boring , you change it up each day if you want to ~ Thank You

First let me say I preordered this book after watching some of Mr Deboo's videos on YouTube and waited a good two months before it came out. Just received today, and I was not disappointed. Love the illustrations which are large and colorful. No problem seeing these at all and they are on every page. First part of book details the benefits of strength training, second part are the exercises and third part are short routines for different purposes. What I especially like about the third part is that there is a smaller picture of each exercise in brilliant color to jog your memory about what the exercise is. The exercises themselves are pretty basic and can be done with homemade props if you actually do not have handweights. They are also simple to do and let me tell you while a younger person might scoff at wall pushups, when you are old and stiff those easier options are so welcome. The exercises in this book might not turn you into a champion weight lifter or pump you up like a body builder, but they are doable for most of us oldies and that is exactly what I wanted.

Good information. Lots of different exercises for seniors to try out. It's important to build muscle at older ages.

Amazing book.

Exercises straight forward to understand, so far so good.

Great direction and explains each exercise as it should be done. Also has plenty of suggestions of work outs put together for you. Good size and easy to read. Easy for seniors and younger also. Has suggestions to make suggested routines easier or harder if needed.

Ik heb het boek vandaag ontvangen.ik was al lang op zoek naar oefeningen voor senioren en dit boek ziet er veelbelovend uit. Ik kan niet wachten om te beginnen! Je krijgt er bovendien volledig gratis toegang tot instructievideos en weekplannen bij.

It arrived quickly and it had the right level of easy exercises that I hope will help my Dad build up leg muscles etc. to increase steadiness (was looking for safe/useful/easy instructions he could try for building leg strength, and these look good for exactly that).