Arm Exercises For Seniors and the Elderly

Reach Back

Arm exercises for seniors and the elderly should be non stressful and performed with good posture. Try to pick exercises that avoid placing undue stress on your shoulders, elbows and wrists.

Move your arms in directions which are normal and natural.If arm exercises are performed with the wrong angle,  over-stretching or hyper-extending a joint, a stressful injury may occur.

The reach back exercise below is an example of a safe and simple way to stretch your shoulders to improve extension.

Purpose of this exercise

Improve your ability to reach behind as in reaching back to hold on to an armrest before sitting down. Increase the range of motion of your shoulders and stretches your chest muscles.

Step 1

Stand with a chair behind you. Inhale as you interlace your hands behind your back.

arm-exercises-1a

Step 2

Exhale and gently move arms backward. Pause, then return to the start position and repeat 10 times.

arm-exercises-2a

Breathing

Exhale during the backward movement phase. Inhale during the forward movement phase.

Tips

Stand with spine straight and ribs lifted. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Stretching should feel fairly good. Stop if you experience any pain.

Take it up a notch

Lean forward at the waist as you bring the arms back and exhale.

How to do Reach Back

How to do Reach Back

More Upper Body Flexibility Exercises

1. Shoulder And Upper Back Stretch

2. Shoulder Rolls

3. Neck Side Stretch

4.Neck Rotation

5. Shoulder Circles

6. Shoulder Stretch

7. Chest Stretch

8. Overhead Reach

9. Reach Back

10. Triceps Stretch

11. Hand Stretch

12. Arm Raises

Resources Family Caregivers https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-CaregiverBrochure.pdf