Physical fitness has many health benefits. Exercising especially helps people of advanced age avoid illnesses. Exercising may prolong one’s life due to the health benefits. However, as you advance in age, some activities can be harmful rather than being beneficial. Seniors should therefore avoid such exercises that prove to be harmful to them. The exercises are bound to cause strain, leading to joint pain, posture problems, and atrophied muscles. The following are some of the exercises that seniors should avoid at all costs.

• Leg presses
• Crunches
• Deep squats
• Toe Touches
• Deadlifts

Leg presses require you to lie down on your back as you use your legs to push some weight. It aims at building your leg muscles. However, it can cause serious damage to your lower back. That is because the lower back lacks the support to maintain its arched posture as you exercise. As you bend your legs in a leg press, the lower back flattens from its arched posture. Continuous movements may lead to damage to the spinal discs.

Crunches have a similar effect to leg presses. As you raise your head and shoulders, your lower back flattens on the floor. However, it goes back to its arched posture as you lower yourself to the floor. The repetitions can have a big impact on the lower back and the spine.

Joint injuries such as knee injuries are common among seniors. Thus, it is risky to do exercises that involve the knees. Incorrect application of such exercises can lead to serious problems. You could easily aggravate a problem. Deep squats involve a lot of pressure on the knees. Such pressure could prove damaging to the knees. Seniors that have balance problems may also find this exercise quite challenging. The can easily encounter accidents as they may fall when trying to rise from a squat. Thus, they should avoid the exercise and seek an easier and safer alternative.

Toe touches work on your flexibility. With stretches, you are able to keep your joints limb while mitigating the symptoms of arthritis. However, toe touches put a strain on the back. For seniors, this can be strenuous. It can cause pain their backs and may aggravate existing back issues. It is therefore advisable for seniors to avoid this exercise or do it from a sitting position.

Deadlifts involve lifting heavy weights off the ground. For younger body builders, it is a healthy exercise. However, for seniors, it is not an advisable activity. Often, seniors have many issues to do with their back and posture. Thus, incorrect lifting of the weights can cause serious damage to their back or even their shoulder and arm muscles.