I’m a Strength Coach. This Is the Workout That Keeps Men Over 50 Strong and Injury-Free

There’s something to be said for body part splits. They’re great for spotting weak links and adding size to specific muscles, which is exactly why bodybuilders have relied on them for decades. But if your goal is total-body strength, the kind that makes it easier to pick up your kids, haul luggage in from the car, or grab something heavy off a high shelf without tweaking your back, functional training deserves a spot in your routine. It’s built around moving better in real life, not just looking good on the beach, and that shift in focus can change how strong you actually feel day to day.

“Functional strength training is building everyday resilience through movements that mirror real life,” says Mike Manning, owner of Black Iron Athletics. “The deadlift is one of the most functional movements we can train because we bend over dozens of times a day, whether it’s putting on socks or picking something up off the floor. By strengthening that movement pattern, we’re not just building a bigger lift, we’re adding quality to our daily lives.”

With help from Toronto-based personal trainer, college professor, and owner of Boyce Training Systems, Lee Boyce, we put together a functional strength workout designed to build power and strength you’ll actually use, both in the gym and outside of it.

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Best Functional Strength Training Workout

Circuit 1: Vertical Push/Pull

Equipment needed:Three sets of dumbbells

1. Dumbbell Deadlift

How to Do It

1. To start, stand with your feet hip-width apart and place a pair of dumbbells on the floor in front of you on either side of your feet.
2. Reach down and grab the dumbbells with a neutral grip as you drop your hips.
3. Keeping a flat black, extend your hips to stand up, and pull the dumbbells up along your body until lock-out, as your hips drive through and your shoulders move back.
4. While pulling, keep your eyes on the ground a few feet in front of you.
5. Carefully lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
6. That's one rep.
7. Perform three sets of 10 reps, resting one minute between sets. 

2. Dumbbell Goblet Squat

How to Do It

1. Hold a dumbbell by one of the ends with both hands under your chin, to start. 
2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out at about 30 degrees. 
3. Take a deep breath and bend your hips back and lower into a squat, pushing your knees out and keeping your lower back in its natural arch. 
4. Squeeze your glutes as you come back up. 
5. Perform three sets of 10 reps, resting one minute between sets. 

3. Dumbbell Push Press

How to Do It

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level and stand with feet shoulder-width apart, to start. 
2. Dip your knees quickly and use the momentum to explosively press the weights overhead. 
3. That's one rep. 
4. Perform three sets of 10 reps, resting one minute between sets. 

Circuit 2: Horizontal Push/Pull  

Equipment needed: Step platform, dumbbells, Smith machine (or empty squat cage)

1. Dumbbell Deficit Reverse Lunge

How to Do It

1. Grasp a dumbbell in your right hand and stand on a step or block that raises you a few inches above the floor.
2. Step back with your right foot and lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and your rear knee nearly touches the floor.
3. Keep your torso upright. Step forward to return to the starting position. 
4. That's one rep.
5. Perform three sets of 20 strides per leg, resting one minute between sets. 

Pro Tip

Make sure the trailing leg touches the ground.

2. Inverted Rows 

How to Do It

1. Go to a Smith machine or squat rack and place the bar at waist level, to start.
2. Sit on the floor and position your hands as if you were going to do a bench press (your palms should face the ceiling).
3. Now, straighten your body so you’re hanging from the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart and your heels pressing into the floor.
4. Pull yourself up so your chest touches the bar, then slowly lower yourself back down, keeping your body straight and rigid.
5. Perform three sets of 10 reps, resting one minute between each set. 

3. Kettlebell Turkish Getup

How to Do It 

1. Lying on your back, grab the weight with your left hand, and lift and lock your arm, to start.
2. Bend your left knee, and keep your right leg straight out on the ground.
3. Then, pushing off your left foot, roll onto your right hip and come up onto your right elbow.
4. Push up onto your right hand, and bring your back off the ground.
5. Next, thread your right leg back into a kneeling position.
6. Your arm should still be locked out.
7. From this kneeling position, take a deep breath, tighten your core, and lunge forward to a standing position.
8. Reverse the process to come back down to the starting position.
9. Complete three sets of three reps per arm, resting 15 seconds between each set. 

Pro Tip

Use a weight that equals 75 percent of your push press weight for one of the dumbbells.

Related: How to Build Strength From the Ground Up: 10 Strategies That Stand the Test of Time

Circuit 3: Core Strength

Equipment needed: Pullup bar and two plates

1. Plank Drag

How to Do It

1. Start in a high plank, balanced on your palms and balls of your feet, with the weight set to the left side of your body, just behind your palms.
2. Reach your right hand across your body to grasp the lip of the weight, then drag it until it's under your right palm. 
3. Return your right palm to the floor, grab the weight with the left hand, and pull left for one rep.
4. Perform three sets of three reps, resting 15 seconds between each set. 

2. Hanging Leg Raises

How to Do It

1. Hang from a pullup bar and flex at the hips, to start.
2. Raise your legs until they're perpendicular to your torso and then lower them back down to the hanging position.
3. That's one rep. 
4. Perform three sets of 10 reps, resting 15 seconds between sets. 

Pro Tip

If keeping your legs straight out is too difficult, bend them at a 90-degree angle. 

3. Standing Russian Twist 

How to Do It

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, to start. With your arms slightly bent, hold a weight plate in both hands directly in front of your body just under your chest. 
2. Turn to one side, pause for a brief moment, and turn to the other side. 
3. Complete three sets of 10 reps (per side), resting 15 seconds between sets. 

Circuit 4: Three-Minute Metabolic Bodyweight Finisher 

Equipment needed: Pullup bar, floor space

1. Pullup/Pushup Descending Ladder

How to Do It

1. Perform eight pullups, and immediately drop down and do eight pushups. 
2. Without resting, jump up for seven pullups and seven pushups. 
3. Continue this descending fashion, until finishing off with one pullup and one pushup.

Related: How to Lift Weights: A Complete Beginner's Guide to Strength Training