4 standing exercises to flatten your stomach after 60

Lose stubborn belly fat without hitting the floor or turning to exercise machines.

Everyone has their own exercise plan and many go to the gym. Although the treadmill remains the most commonly used machine, 26.6% of gym members use it resistance machinesaccording to 2025 US Health and Fitness Consumer Reports: Broad Insights. Gym machines can be effective when that’s your goal slim down your midsection. For example, cardio equipment it is for the stars burn calorieswhile core machines are a great choice for strengthening muscles in the midsection.

But we Jacob Siwickifounder and head coach Civic FitnessNCSF and AFAA certified, former Equinox Group Fitness Instructor (2019), Dartmouth economics graduate and former Dartmouth football player, fitness expert on FOX 5 DC, ranked #1 personal trainer in DC in 2021 to learn something better. Siwicki shares four standing exercises which can make your stomach flatter after 60 compared to exercise machine exercise.

“Most adults over 60 simply don’t want to get down on the floor, and many of them physically can’t get up and down easily. So when their main exercise requires lying on a mat, they skip it,” Siwicki said. “Standing takes the whole block out, and that means people actually get a workout. And arm pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain are the main reasons our members say they bail on basic floor work anyway, so standing removes all of that. After all, the muscles that are most important to everyday life after age 60 — the hamstrings, deep core, postural muscles— already work together in standing positions, not while lying down.”

Each repetition strengthens your posture and balance, which directly translates to fewer falls – which is really important after the age of 60. Below are four stellar moves to add to your workout.

“I chose movements that stay perfectly straight because after 60, the real job is not to press your ribs into your hips. The real job is to keep your spine stable when you stand, when you walk, and when you lift things all day.” “Standing work trains the entire chain in the same way that real life uses it, and you automatically gain the benefits of your abs and posture. A floor deficit will never give you that.”

Carrying case

“This exercise trains the glutes and quadratus lumborum in the same load as a heavy grocery bag,” Siwicki says.

1. Stand tall and hold a dumbbell at your side – anywhere from 8 to 15 pounds, depending on your fitness level and what’s most comfortable.
2. Walk 30 to 40 yards without your heavy shoulder slumping.
3. Repeat on the other side.
4. For variation, use a 5-pound weight or a half-gallon water jug. In addition, shorten the distance to 10-15 meters.

Pallof Press

“It’s all about your deep core having to fight to keep you from swinging toward the group,” Siwicki says.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your left side next to the anchored resistance band (which should be about chest height).
2. Hold the band in both hands and push the band straight past your shin.
3. Hold the band for 5 seconds while resisting.
4. Use the control to return it to the original position.
5. Repeat 8 times on each side.
6. For variation, feel free to use a lighter band or shorten the press by only extending your arms about 75% of the way.

Woodchopper standing

“This exercise hits the core and transverse abdominis through rotation, which most adults completely miss,” Siwicki notes.

1. Put the cable machine in the high position and attach the handle.
2. Stand perpendicular to the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Hold the hand with both hands.
4. With outstretched arms, pull the cord diagonally across your body—a cutting motion from high to low—so it ends near your opposite hip.
5. Maintain a strong core and square hips.
6. Use control as you return to the starting position.
7. Repeat 10 times on each side.

One-handed top loading

“The deep jaw, lats, and hamstrings all fire at the same time to keep your spine under this uneven load,” Siwicki says.

1. Start standing tall.
2. Depending on your current capabilities, press a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell overhead.
3. Walk 20 meters.
4. Repeat on the other side.
5. For variation, lift or hold a 2- to 3-pound weight at chest level.

Alexa Mellardo