When you read your favorite online magazines, there are plenty of enriching articles providing go-to tips and tricks on how to look younger, or at least, how you can slow down the aging process. Taking care of yourself by following the right skincare regimen and eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet can certainly help, but you also can’t neglect regular exercise. That’s where I come in with 10 of the best exercises to look 10 years younger than your actual age.
If you want to look and feel younger, choosing exercises that burn fat, build muscle, and increase blood flow throughout your body is essential. That’s because, as you grow into your 40s and beyond, your body starts to change—whether you like it or not. You naturally lose muscle mass, endurance, speed, and power. Hormones such as testosterone change and decline as well.
Beyond aesthetics, these hormonal and bodily changes make it imperative to build and maintain muscle mass. You should be strength training at least two to three times a week, and consider focusing on the below exercises that are compound movements—aka, ones that incorporate more than one muscle group.
If you’re unsure of where to begin, I have you covered with some of the best exercises to look 10 years younger. Keep reading to learn all about them, and after you’re done, for more inspiration, check out A 69-Year-Old Fitness Trainer Shares the 6 Exercises That Keep Her Looking Half Her Age.
Dumbbell Front Squats
Start the dumbbell front squat by holding a pair of dumbbells up by your shoulders. Keep your core tight, push your hips back, and squat down until your quads are parallel to the ground. Drive through your heels and hips to stand back up, flexing your quads and glutes to finish. Perform three sets of 10 reps.
Dumbbell Renegade Rows
Get into a pushup position with a wide stance, holding onto a dumbbell in each hand. Maintain a tight core and squeezed glutes as you row one weight up to your torso. Return the dumbbell to the ground, and perform a row with the opposite arm. Return to the starting position before performing another pushup. Perform three sets of six to eight reps on each arm.
Bulgarian Split Squats
From a standing position, rest your back foot on a bench or couch, and step out with your other foot about two to three feet away from the bench. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Start the move by lowering your body straight down—using control—so that your back knee almost touches the ground and your front knee is in a runner’s lunge. Come up a quarter of the way, then lower back down to the bottom. Use your weight to drive through your front heel to return to standing, flexing your quads and glutes as you rise. Complete three sets of eight reps per leg.
Dumbbell Push Press
Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height. Keeping your core tight, dip into a quarter squat. Explode up, and use the momentum to press the weights overhead. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position before performing another rep. Perform three sets of eight reps.
Bike Sprints
Get on your favorite exercise bike, and strap your feet in. Holding the handles, lean forward, and begin peddling hard. Don’t stop for 30 seconds. Complete three rounds.
Deadlifts
Stand with a weight—a kettlebell, dumbbell, or trap bar—in front of you on the ground. Assume a shoulder-width stance. Push your hips back, and squat down low enough to grab the weight. Keep your shoulders aligned with the weight and your torso straight as you get into position. With a tight core, pick the weight up by pushing through your heels and hips to stand up tall, squeezing your glutes. Reverse the motion to lower the weight before the next rep. Perform three sets of 10 reps.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Lie flat on an incline bench, and grab a pair of dumbbells. Hold them straight above you with your arms extended. Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench as you lower the weights to your chest. Then, press the weights up to the starting position, squeezing your pecs and triceps. Do three sets of 10 reps.
Lat Pulldowns
Grip the lat pulldown bar just outside shoulder-width with your palms facing away from you. Lean back slightly, and pull the bar down toward your sternum, squeezing your lats at the bottom of the movement. Resist on the way up, maintaining tension in your lats. Get a solid stretch at the top by letting your shoulder blades come up before performing the next rep. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
Seated Cable Row
Place your feet firmly on the pad of a seated row machine, and grab the handle. Pull the attachment out, and position yourself so that your back is straight and your legs are almost fully extended. Keeping your chest tall, core tight, and knees soft, row the attachment toward your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Next, straighten your arms fully until your shoulder blades extend. Perform three sets of 12 reps.
Bodyweight Split Squats
Place one foot ahead of you and one foot behind you. With your chest tall and your core tight, lower until your back knee touches the ground. Push through the heel of your front leg to rise up, flexing your quad and glute to finish. Perform all reps on one side before switching legs. If bodyweight alone is too easy, you can do this movement with a pair of dumbbells. Perform three sets of 10 reps for each leg.
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