Skipping Into Your Seventies = Power and Fall Prevention
I’ve posted on this topic numerous times but I’m going to write about it again because of how important I think it is.
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As you get older you HAVE TO continue challenging your nervous system to be fast, powerful and coordinated. Slow, shuffling gait and an inability to coordinate foot contact is why elderly individuals suffer from accidental falls. Everyday you should think about incorporating drills that…
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👉🏽 Keep You Moving (relatively) Fast 💨
👉🏽 Get You Up Off The Ground ⬆️
👉🏽 Challenge Your Footwork 💃🏻
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🦘 Power Skipping is one of my favorite exercises for older individuals who don’t tolerate the impact of traditional jumping and hopping. Skipping is easy on the joints but still demands the powerful hip extension that translates directly to gait patterning. An inability to walk with a long stride length is a major risk factor predisposing elderly individuals to accidental falls. Skipping demands aggressive, reciprocal hip motion which can help train a long, powerful stride.
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🛷 🏃🏼♀️ Often heavily loaded power drills are not safe options for aging adults. However, sled sprinting has proven to be a low risk and high reward way to train loaded, lower body extension power. Lower limb and hip extensor power is directly correlated with accidental fall risk in adults over 60 years old.
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🤾🏼♂️ Besides being a great way to train upper body power, medicine ball drills also provide an opportunity to train coordinated foot work and multi-directional stepping. Drills that require crossing over, lunging and lateral stepping help to develop full body movement coordination as well as deceleration skills to aid fall with prevention.
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If you reading this I hope we’ve inspired you to keep a little more spring in your step. Remember that the best way to ensure you still have power at 60, is to never lose it in the first place. Start training power when you’re young and never stop. 👴🏽💥💨