When addressing health concerns of older adults, being afraid of falling is on the top of the list. Whether it is because they have fallen in the past, or simply do not want to fall in the future, remaining steady on their feet is always on the top of the mind for this population. Due to this, much of the work that I do addresses exercises that challenge balance, and help seniors to reduce the risk of falling. Part of this includes doing quickness and agility drills, which helps them move quicker in space, helping to catch themselves if they do start to fall. There are many ways to work agility in seniors, but the rest of the article will address some specific drills we outlined in the video above. When doing these exercises proceed at your own risk. Also, make sure to always hold onto an object if you need. Remember that with all of the quickness exercises we are doing, we are trying to move as fast as we comfortably can.

Equipment Used in The Video

In the video above, we used a variety of equipment to help assist us in doing the agility drills. If you are interested in purchasing any of the equipment, feel free to use our Amazon Associate codes below!

Weight Bench from Video: https://amzn.to/3oEsLnB

Walker From Video: https://amzn.to/3dutHss

Step Stool from video: https://amzn.to/3cbPhl8

Agility Drills for Seniors

Seated Forward Taps

For this exercise you will start in your chair, with the step stool out in front of you about one foot. Next, you will alternate tapping the top of the box with one foot, bringing it back down to the ground, and then tapping the top of the box with other foot as quickly as possible.

Seated Side Taps

For seated side taps, you are going to move the step stool to the side of your chair, about 1-2 feet away. Next, you will reach to the side with one foot, tapping the top of the box, and then returning it back to the starting position multiple times. Make sure you move the box to the other side so you allow yourself to have equal work on the opposite leg.

Standing Forward Taps

This exercise involves you moving into a standing position. In the video listed above, we are holding on to a walker throughout the video, but a chair or any object will do in case you need it. For this exercise, start with the stepper about a foot in front of you. Then, you will alternate tapping the top of the step stool with one foot, and then repeating with the other foot as well.

Step Stool Step Overs

This standing exercise will have you placing the step stool to the side of your body. Next, you will alternate stepping over the step on one side, and then back over to the other side as quickly as possible. I really enjoy this exercise because it challenges your body going side to side, which is not often done in our day to day lives.

Fast Step Ups

Step ups are great exercise to strengthen your legs. Add some quickness into the exercise and it’s even better! For this exercise, start with the step stool in front of you. Next, you will place one foot on the step stool. Then, you will push through that leg to stand up tall on the step stool. Lower yourself back down and quickly repeat with the other leg. This is by far the most difficult of the exercises for agility in seniors, so do what you can and be careful.

These are just a few of many great agility exercises that you can do to improve quickness and reduce falls! Good luck!

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