A longevity expert says these are three exercises we should all be doing regularly
Longevity has become a thing of late, even Chris Hemsworth is diving into the topic in his Disney + series Limitless. Still, it makes sense—who wouldn’t want to live, and live well, as long as possible?
As the fitness director at the Pritikin Heights Center, Caitlin Donato is something of an expert on this subject. He shared his three best tips for longevity, and they may be surprisingly common.
The movement is the squat, deadlift and pull-up—three things that build strength and muscle. In addition, a strong body allows you to cope with the challenges of everyday life while reducing the risk of injury.
This exercise also covers three basic movements that are similar to what we do every day—whether you’re reaching to pick something up, bending over to tie a shoelace, or open the heavy door—so that you may know it well.
How to do Caitlin Donato’s three great exercises for longevity
1. Squat
- Start by standing straight with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Lower your body by bending your knees and lowering your hips as if you were about to sit on a chair. Keep your chest up and your back straight. It’s important to go through your range of motion, says Donato, so limit yourself as much as you can.
- From this area below, drive on foot back to the stop. You can add weight to increase the difficulty by holding a dumbbell with both hands tightly to your chest, or holding a barbell on your shoulders.
Benefits of this move
“In order to have full-body strength for a long life, it’s important to focus on exercises that engage multiple muscles,” says Donato. Every exercise on this list fits that criteria, with the squat targeting the quads and hamstrings (front and back thigh muscles) as well as the glutes (butt muscles) and calves.
“When it comes to longevity, our goal is to live as long as possible unassisted,” he adds. “So we want to think about daily movements that we would like to continue to do. Our training should imitate those movements to strengthen the muscles used to do that work.”
The squat involves moving the hip, knee and ankle joints under load, such as walking, climbing stairs or picking up heavy objects from the floor. By working these joints through a range of motion while supporting more weight, the squat can also improve your mobility.
2. The Romanians kill
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- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands in front of you, hands on the floor and palms facing you.
- To maintain a straight back and a proud chest, stick to the hips and stick your hips back to lean forward and lower the body weight. Keep the weight close to your feet throughout.
- Donato advises to work according to your range of motion, so reduce the weight as much as possible. Then squeeze your glutes to reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Benefits of this move
The Romanian deadlift is another multi-muscle, multi-compound exercise, paying particular attention to the muscles around the hips including the hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
This exercise will also strengthen your back, challenging you to maintain a neutral spine while supporting the load from your body. This stabilizing effect can reduce your risk of injury in and out of exercise, help reduce back pain and support a healthy spine.
To improve your form, watch the video above or read up on how to lift dumbbells.
3. To draw
- Hold the bar overhead with a shoulder-width grip, hands facing away from you.
- Pull your body up until your chin is above the bar.
- From here, lower your body back to the starting position with control. Keep your shoulders engaged (pulled back and down) throughout the range of motion.
- If you can’t pull up, you can attach a long resistance band around the bar and the other leg to help you. Alternatively, find a low place where you can keep your feet on the ground and knees bent, while hanging from it. Then, support some of your weight with your feet as you pull to make it easier (shown in the video below).
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Benefits of towing
Pull-ups target the shoulders, back and biceps muscles, and can also improve your grip strength. They are also great for strengthening important core muscles, such as the erector spinae (back muscles) that stabilize and support your body.
Speaking previously to Fit & Well, NASM trainer Wendy Bates explained that one important benefit of pulling is that it improves your relative strength.
“Relative power is how much power you can produce according to your body weight and it shows how you can move your body effectively and efficiently,” he said.
Having a good balance of energy can help you stay active and lean as you age.
Buy pull-out bars for doors
Want to practice pull-ups at home without hitting the walls? Then buy a removable door panel. Here are three major options.
Sunny Health & Fitness entrance bar attraction
Center is Chris Hemsworth in a multi-tasking pull bar
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