Building Movement Resilience

 

Strengthening Your Lower Chain for Lifelong Movement Ability

 

JOIN THE MASTER SERIES

 

Want to extend your health span and preserve your ability to move confidently throughout life? One of the most powerful things you can do is strengthen the interconnected chain of muscles and joints that carries you through nearly every daily activity.

 

Four live sessions, Tuesdays at 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT
October 6, 13, 20, & 27

Why Strength Matters

Beginning in midlife, muscle mass and strength gradually decline unless we actively train to preserve them. Even more important, muscular power—the ability to produce force quickly—may decline faster than strength.

That matters because daily life requires more than endurance. You need strength to rise from a low chair and carry groceries. You need power to climb stairs, quicken your pace, or catch yourself when you trip. And you need mobility, balance, and coordination to put that strength to use safely.

The lower chain functions as an integrated system. The feet establish contact with the ground, the ankles adapt and propel, the knees transfer force, and the hips and glutes generate much of the power that moves you forward.
  •  Feet
  • Ankles
  • Knees 
  • Hips & Glutes

 When one part of this chain becomes weak, stiff, or poorly coordinated, the other parts must compensate. Your stride may shorten, stairs may become more difficult, and movements you once performed automatically may begin to require more effort and caution.

The Research

Walking as a Vital Sign

Walking offers a revealing window into how well the body is aging. Our natural walking speed reflects the combined work of strength, balance, coordination, cardiovascular fitness, and the nervous system—making it a useful measure of overall health and functional capacity.

Across large studies, faster gait speed is consistently associated with longer survival, while slower gait is associated with a higher risk of death from any cause. This does not mean that simply forcing yourself to walk faster will extend your life; gait speed is better understood as a marker of the health and resilience that support mobility, independence, and longevity.

  • Even small differences in walking speed matter. A 2024 meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 530,841 people found that every 0.1 m/s increase in walking speed was associated with a 6% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Maintaining pace may reflect the strength and capacity needed for healthy aging. 

  • Faster walkers consistently show better survival outcomes. In the same meta-analysis, people in the fastest walking-speed categories had a 43% lower all-cause mortality risk than those in the slowest categories. This was an association—not proof that walking faster directly causes a longer life. 

  • Gait speed captures a surprisingly broad picture of health. In a landmark pooled analysis of 34,485 adults ages 65 and older, survival estimates based on age, sex, and gait speed were as accurate as estimates incorporating chronic conditions, smoking, blood pressure, body mass index, and hospitalization history. A simple walking test can therefore provide meaningful insight into functional aging. 

  • You do not need 10,000 steps to see meaningful benefits. A 2025 systematic review found that 7,000 daily steps, compared with 2,000, was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality. More steps may provide additional benefits, but an achievable increase from a low starting point can still matter. 

  • Regular activity can help preserve walking independence. In the randomized LIFE trial, a program combining walking with strength, balance, and flexibility exercises reduced major mobility disability in at-risk older adults: 30.1% of the activity group developed mobility disability, compared with 35.5% of the health-education group.  

  • Walking is most effective as part of a well-rounded movement practice. Current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week for older adults, along with muscle-strengthening and balance activities. Brisk walking can contribute to the aerobic goal, while strength and balance work help support a steadier, more capable gait.  

The Master Series

Build Strength That Moves

This is the focus of our October Master Series with renowned yoga therapist Lynn Crimando:

Building Movement Resilience: Strengthening Your Lower Chain for Lifelong Movement Ability

Beginning with the feet and moving upward through the ankles, knees, legs, hips, and glutes, Lynn will show you how to integrate strength training into yoga-based movement practices.

Rather than strengthening one muscle at a time, you’ll train the lower chain as a coordinated system—building the ability to generate force, transfer weight, absorb impact, stabilize your joints, and respond quickly when your balance is challenged.

Through accessible, progressive practices, you’ll explore how to:
01 Strengthen the feet and improve sensory awareness
02 Build ankle stability and mobility
03 Develop strength in the calves, thighs, hips, and glutes
04 Build lower-body power for stairs, transitions, and faster walking
05 Improve knee and hip stability
06 Strengthen muscles through functional movement patterns
07 Improve balance, coordination, and responsiveness
08 Progressively increase challenge without sacrificing alignment
09 Move more confidently on stairs and uneven surfaces
10 Recover more effectively from a stumble or sudden change in direction

The Lower Chain

This lower chain—your feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, and glutes—provides the strength and power you need to walk briskly, climb stairs, rise from a chair, get up from the floor, maintain your balance, and recover from a stumble.

Feet → Ankles → Calves → Knees → Thighs → Hips → Glutes

Walking matters. But walking alone may not provide enough challenge to maintain all the muscle strength and power you need as you age.

Your Teacher

Meet Lynn Crimando

C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, Health and Wellness Coach

Lynn Crimando serves as the teaching mentor for YogaUOnline’s Wellness Educator Program. She is a yoga teacher, board-certified Health and Wellness Coach, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, Certified Personal Trainer, and Corrective Exercise Specialist. She has a private practice in New York City and teaches classes throughout the city on behalf of Health Advocates for Older People. Lynn also teaches the IAYT-approved Yoga Therapist Training at YogaNanda in Garden City, New York.

Live Series Schedule

Four sessions, Tuesdays at 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Session 1

October 6

 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Session 2

October 13

 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Session 3

October 20

 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Session 4

October 27

 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Whether you want to walk farther, climb stairs more easily, feel steadier on uneven ground, or continue doing the activities you love, a stronger lower chain gives you the foundation.

Best of all, you’ll discover practical and enjoyable ways to challenge limitations you may have assumed were simply part of getting older—and begin building the strength, power, and movement confidence needed for a more active life.

$147 $167
$20 discount

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