A: Lie on the floor and get in a classic push-up position—hands under your shoulders and legs straight behind you. Keeping your head in line with your spine and looking down at the floor, lift your right leg about 6 inches off the floor.
B: Do 6–10 push-ups in this tripod position. Then lower foot to the ground, and lower to your knees to rest. Resume classic push-up position, this time elevating left leg while doing the move; do 6–10 reps.
Too much, too soon? Start by doing a bent-knee push-up (knees on the floor). As you get stronger, extend one leg backward into the traditional push-up position. Progress to traditional push-ups, then to our Pilates-style move.
Why do it now? “The upper body is a major weakness in women; little attention is given to this area,” says William J. Kraemer, PhD, a physiology professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. That’s bad news because it’s the area most affected by aging. Maintaining—or even building—your upper-body strength as you age improves your chances of being able to stay both healthy and independent.
By Sarah Bowen Shea
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