7 Exercises to Prevent Muscle Loss

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are crucial for healthy aging, building muscle, and increasing strength. The hinge pattern in weight lifting is a fundamental movement pattern that carries over to daily life. Bending to pick things up safely is key to preventing back injuries and functioning well.

This compound, multi-joint, multi-muscle movement is excellent for preventing muscle loss because it targets many muscles at once, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and back. Each variation will emphasize some of these muscles more than others.

There are several types of deadlifts you can try. Choose the type you feel most comfortable with. However, it is wise to work in a few variations to get the most out of the hinge pattern.

Squats

Squats are another fundamental movement pattern that everyone should be able to do. Performing this exercise does not mean you necessarily have to lift heavy weights or use a barbell, but being able to squat is key to functional movement and is considered a primal human position.

The squat effectively prevents muscle loss because it activates muscles through much of the body, including the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and core (back and abdominal muscles), including the deep core stabilizing muscles.

Lower body resistance training is imperative for preventing muscle loss. And, the squat is the ultimate lower body movement.

Bench Press

Another of the main compound lifts is the bench press. This exercise focuses on the upper body.

Bench press variations mostly target the chest muscles (pectorals). But, they also will activate the shoulders and triceps.

Shoulder Press

Healthy, strong shoulders are vital for a functional body. The shoulders are one of the most injury-prone areas of the body due to their high mobility and lack of structural support. Shoulders are also used for many human movements, controlling everything you do with your arms and hands.

For these reasons, preventing muscle loss in your shoulders is crucial for injury prevention and healthy functioning. The shoulder muscles are also known as the deltoids, and consist of the anterior (front), posterior (rear), and lateral (side) deltoids.

These muscles assist in moving your arms to the front, back and sides, supporting the ligaments and other structures supporting the shoulder joint—so building and preserving muscle in this area is important. The shoulder press is an excellent choice for working the shoulders because it can activate all the muscles of the shoulder.

It is a good idea to add some other shoulder exercises into your programming as well that can target the various areas of the shoulder muscle and keep the ligaments strong in all planes of motion. Try lateral raises, front raises, upright rows, and Turkish get-ups.

Rows

While the traditional deadlift helps build and maintain muscle mainly in the lower back, the row is a compound exercise that does the same for the upper and mid-back muscles. Losing muscle in your back can contribute to poor posture, injury, and pain.

There are several types of rowing exercises you can try. This exercise can be done with a loaded barbell, dumbbells, cables, or resistance bands as long as you keep the weight challenging and progressing, it can prevent muscle loss.

Lunges

Lunges and other unilateral lower body movements are excellent for building and maintaining muscle in your legs, glutes, and even your core as it works to stabilize you. Most of the actions you take with your legs are unilateral, such as climbing stairs, walking, and stepping over objects. Preventing loss in the stabilizing muscles of the lower body is vital for healthy aging.

Single leg movements work the muscles that can suffer when you sit a lot during the day. These muscles can tighten and weaken from inactivity, leading to muscle loss and dysfunction. Lunges help build and keep muscle in the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Loaded Carries

Loaded carries use a heavier weight, usually a kettlebell or dumbbell, that is held in your hands or on your shoulders in various ways while you walk. They are highly effective for building and preserving the muscles in your biceps, triceps, forearms, shoulders, upper back, trapezius, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, lower back, obliques, transverse abdominis, and rectus abdominis.

Essentially, they are a full-body functional exercise that provides carry-over in other aspects of functional daily life, including grip strength and shoulder stability. Loaded carries preserve the muscles of the core that help you stabilize and balance, preventing injuries, back pain, and falls.