Fall Prevention Starts Here: The One Move Every Senior Should Practice

Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and loss of independence in older adults—but they’re not inevitable. In this post, we break down the most important (and often overlooked) steps you can take right now to build strength, improve balance, and protect yourself or your loved ones from preventable falls. Fall prevention starts with movement, and it starts today.

3/30/20252 min read

Fall Prevention Starts Here: The One Move Every Senior Should Practice

Why getting off the floor is more than a workout—it’s a lifeline.

Why Burpees Matter

There’s a simple way to test your real-world strength—and no, it doesn’t involve weights or machines. Just lie down on the floor… and get back up.

It doesn’t matter how you do it. You can roll, push, crawl, or use your hands. What matters is that you can. Because if you can’t get off the floor on your own, your independence is already compromised.

That’s where the burpee comes in. It’s not a flashy gym move—it’s practice for one of the most fundamental human abilities: getting down and back up again, safely and confidently.

Burpees = Independence

We don’t train burpees to burn calories or build a six-pack. We train them so you can:

  • Get down to the floor to play with grandkids

  • Get up after a fall—without panic or assistance

  • Keep your freedom, even as you age

Losing the ability to get off the floor is one of the earliest signs that help will soon be needed. Burpees help you fight back.

We Don’t Care About Muscles—We Care About Function

We’re not here to sculpt abs or isolate glutes. We’re here to build capacity.

Burpees improve:

  • Controlled lowering to the ground

  • Pressing strength to push back up

  • Coordination, balance, and confidence

  • The real-life ability to get up when it matters most

That’s not a workout. That’s fall prevention. That’s independence.

Start Where You Are

Can’t do a full burpee yet? No problem. You don’t need to jump or go fast. You just need to practice the pattern of getting down and up.

Try these progressions:

  • "Floor Elevated" Burpees: Lay down and get up from an elevated surface (like a couch or some gym mats).

  • Get-Up Practice: Simply lie down and stand up—no rush, no pressure.

Every rep builds strength. Every rep builds freedom.

Burpees Are the Baseline

At Hoof & Beak Health, our Independence in Motion program (Coming Soon) uses burpees (or modified versions) because they’re a direct measure of what really matters: your ability to move through life without help.

If you can do a burpee, you can do life.
If you can’t yet—you can train for it.

Want to regain your strength and stay out of assisted care?
 Get our Free Guide and build the confidence, strength, and skills that actually matter.
Burpees included. Nursing homes not.


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