Older Women Lifting Weights

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retiredjg
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by retiredjg »

Thanks for all the comments so far! I'm learning a lot. :D

Not quite sure what "volume" is though....
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by totallystudly »

Not quite sure what "volume" is though..
Volume is the amount of work done. One way of looking at it is the simple German volume training which is 10 sets of 10 or 100 reps total. Most typical programs start with 3 sets of 10 which isn't a lot of volume.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

Although I posted earlier that I was doing body weight exercises, the responses in the thread got me rethinking that approach. I haven't been on a regular schedule and do push-ups, pull-ups... whenever. I do jog at least 10 minutes every day, though. I also have an elliptical trainer at home.

To be honest with myself, I truly enjoy weights. I've been doing strength training in some form since I got out of college. First, I went to a gym and used machines. After that, I purchased a Bowflex to workout at home. I used it for so many years that I took them up on their lifetime resistance rod warranty and got a full replacement set at no charge. (The rods lost their stiffness and no longer worked as well.)

My inspiration and training guide was "The Nautilus woman", by Ellington Darden. The paperback was published in 1983 (no longer available).

One of the intriguing attractions to the Nautilus machine was the constant resistance cam design. (I'm an engineer...) Here's a 1978 NY Times overview: The Case for Nautilus: ‘Full Range’. Google is showing that times have changed and this approach is not in favor any more.

In the late 2000's, I lost the ambition and got rid of the machine. Since then, I've been doing ad-hoc body weight exercises along with a 10 minute workout on my elliptical.

I know I'm not at my best right now. My weight is fine and I may even be underweight. What doesn't feel right? My muscle tone is not where I want it to be. The strength is below what I know I can do. All it takes is some incentive and 8 weeks of serious training.

Why 8 weeks? That's how long it takes for your body to make a long-term change.
- First week - you don't notice anything
- Second week - you start to feel it
- Third week - Nothing is working, feel lousy
- Fourth week - Starting to accommodate
- Fifth to eighth week - On your way... maxing out at week 8.
- After the eighth week - Change to a maintenance routine or go to the next higher level

As for weight, remember that muscle is denser than fat. A 1" cube of fat weighs less than a 1" cube of muscle. If you are overweight, strength training will cause your weight to drop until you reach a minimum. Once the excess fat goes away and your muscles start building, your weight will increase. For a woman, it shouldn't be that much of an increase.

I've got some reading to do.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by CFM300 »

retiredjg wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:09 pm Not quite sure what "volume" is though....
Unfortunately, the term is used ambiguously by strength coaches. Suppose you perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions of an exercise using 150#.

Some will say that the volume is the number of sets multiplied by the number of reps, so 30.

Others will include the weight used and multiply sets times reps times weight, so 4,500. But that's also called "tonnage".

Volume is one of many variables that can be manipulated to produce a desired adaptation. Others include frequency (how often you perform a particular exercise), load or intensity (how much weight is used in absolute terms or as a percentage of your one-rep maximum), exercise variation, and rest between sets.

Things can get complicated and confusing fairly quickly. Which is "better"? Performing 3 sets of 10 reps at 150#, or 5 sets of 5 reps at 185#, or 10 sets of 1 rep at 200#? Different configurations of frequency, sets, reps, and intensity can produce different adaptations, or at least skew the adaptations in various directions: toward hypertrophy, strength, or muscular endurance.

As an aside, I'll mention that this is one of the drawbacks of programs that rely exclusively on bodyweight movements to build strength: the load never increases, and you just add more and more volume (more sets and reps). Fairly quickly those additional reps do nothing to improve strength, just muscular endurance. You can do as many unweighted bodyweight squats as you want, and you're not going to get very strong.

The Starting Strength and Barbell Prescription method that many are advocating here prescribes (generally speaking) 3 sets of 5 reps per exercise per training session. That's a relatively low-volume approach. But the load is increased every single workout (by a small amount). Surprisingly to some, this can be sustained for quite a while. Those increases in the amount of weight being lifted add up to substantial amounts over weeks and possibly months. Ultimately, that simple method stops working, but at that point most people are stronger than they ever imagined. Like my 55-year-old, 135# female trainee who three months ago had never touched a barbell and yesterday deadlifted 135# for a set of 5 reps.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

CFM300 wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:22 pm ...As an aside, I'll mention that this is one of the drawbacks of programs that rely exclusively on bodyweight movements to build strength: the load never increases, and you just add more and more volume (more sets and reps). Fairly quickly those additional reps do nothing to improve strength, just muscular endurance. You can do as many unweighted bodyweight squats as you want, and you're not going to get very strong.
That's a very important point and one I never realized until you mentioned it. Thank you.

Your explanation of "volume" is helpful, but my engineering mind is going nuts trying to understand how this ever got confused with basic mechanical physics. It does not compute.

Moving a force (weight, F = ma) over a distance is Work or Energy expended. See: Work = Energy Expended.

Volume = a 3-dimensional space
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by randomguy »

LadyGeek wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:07 pm
CFM300 wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:22 pm ...As an aside, I'll mention that this is one of the drawbacks of programs that rely exclusively on bodyweight movements to build strength: the load never increases, and you just add more and more volume (more sets and reps). Fairly quickly those additional reps do nothing to improve strength, just muscular endurance. You can do as many unweighted bodyweight squats as you want, and you're not going to get very strong.
That's a very important point and one I never realized until you mentioned it. Thank you.

Your explanation of "volume" is helpful, but my engineering mind is going nuts trying to understand how this ever got confused with basic mechanical physics. It does not compute.

Moving a force (weight, F = ma) over a distance is Work or Energy expended. See: Work = Energy Expended.
It is only sort of true. There are numerous variations of body weight exercises that allow you to increase the difficulty rather than add volume. Think about pushups. You can put your feet up. Negatives, You can go 1 armed. You can add claps. You can pause at deload at the bottom. And so on. And there is a bunch of evidence that low weights,high reps works for building strength. But we are talking a ton of volume after a certain point. And we would have to define very strong. No your probably not squating 600lbs off bodyweight exercises:)

All that being said, weights are a heck of a lot easier to progressively overload when you can just add a 5lbs to the bar. If you have access to a gym, makes sense to use it. If you don't for whatever reason, you can work around it to some extent.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by skjoldur »

CFM300 wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:22 pm ...but at that point most people are stronger than they ever imagined.
That's what happened to both my wife and me using Starting Strength. She is almost 60, I'm a bit younger. But now that I see how it works I can easily imagine getting even stronger--in fact, I plan on it. I wish I had discovered this 30 years ago, but I'm very glad we are doing it now.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by CFM300 »

LadyGeek wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:07 pm Your explanation of "volume" is helpful, but my engineering mind is going nuts trying to understand how this ever got confused with basic mechanical physics. It does not compute.

Moving a force (weight, F = ma) over a distance is Work or Energy expended. See: Work = Energy Expended.

Volume = a 3-dimensional space
Some coaches and training programs do calculate work (in the true physics sense), but the distance the bar and body travel during a particular exercise varies between lifters, and getting accurate measurements is tricky. (Load, sets, and reps are easy to "measure.") Plus, however far I move the bar on each overhead press is relatively constant (for me), so distance and thus work is not something that I or most lifters track.

CrossFit is famous for being concerned with work and power (work/time), but even they don't typically calculate those values. In their model, if I'm able to complete a given task faster or if I'm able to do more work in a given amount of time, I'm becoming fitter. The task might be something like, take a 135# barbell from ground to overhead 30 times. If at the beginning of the year it took me 10 minutes to complete that task, and now after training it only takes me 7 minutes, then I've become fitter. Alternatively, if I can now complete the same task with 155# in 10 minutes, or can perform 35 repetitions with 135#, I've also become fitter. So again, they're relying on the concepts of work and power to measure fitness, without ever actually calculating those values.

Two additional asides:

Running coaches also talk about volume, and they mean time or distance. If you run longer or farther, you're increasing volume, and that's independent of speed. That too is similar to work, but without having to worry about your stride-to-stride vertical displacement.

"Powerlifting" typically refers to the sport in which the bench press, squat, and deadlift are contested. But those are typically performed slowly. In contrast, the Olympic weightlifting movements (snatch and clean & jerk) are generally much faster, and portions of those lifts require and display far more power (in the true physics sense).
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by randomguy »

CFM300 wrote: Fri Jul 06, 2018 9:36 am
LadyGeek wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:07 pm Your explanation of "volume" is helpful, but my engineering mind is going nuts trying to understand how this ever got confused with basic mechanical physics. It does not compute.

Moving a force (weight, F = ma) over a distance is Work or Energy expended. See: Work = Energy Expended.

Volume = a 3-dimensional space
Some coaches and training programs do calculate work (in the true physics sense), but the distance the bar and body travel during a particular exercise varies between lifters, and getting accurate measurements is tricky. (Load, sets, and reps are easy to "measure.") Plus, however far I move the bar on each overhead press is relatively constant (for me), so distance and thus work is not something that I or most lifters track.

CrossFit is famous for being concerned with work and power (work/time), but even they don't typically calculate those values. In their model, if I'm able to complete a given task faster or if I'm able to do more work in a given amount of time, I'm becoming fitter. The task might be something like, take a 135# barbell from ground to overhead 30 times. If at the beginning of the year it took me 10 minutes to complete that task, and now after training it only takes me 7 minutes, then I've become fitter. Alternatively, if I can now complete the same task with 155# in 10 minutes, or can perform 35 repetitions with 135#, I've also become fitter. So again, they're relying on the concepts of work and power to measure fitness, without ever actually calculating those values.

Two additional asides:

Running coaches also talk about volume, and they mean time or distance. If you run longer or farther, you're increasing volume, and that's independent of speed. That too is similar to work, but without having to worry about your stride-to-stride vertical displacement.

"Powerlifting" typically refers to the sport in which the bench press, squat, and deadlift are contested. But those are typically performed slowly. In contrast, the Olympic weightlifting movements (snatch and clean & jerk) are generally much faster, and portions of those lifts require and display far more power (in the true physics sense).

Physics definition of work is sort of useless for lifting:). Try doing something like holding a squat at the bottom. You aren't moving so physics says your not working. The person doing the exercise would disagree:)

There is a a subset of the lifting community that believes in velocity training (how fast you move the bar. Not the same as how long it takes you to do x lifts. That depends more on conditioning). There is some evidence that it is a factor that you can manipulate to get slightly different training results. 10 years ago it was a tough thing to measure. Now a days a bunch of companies sell various devices (push is the most popular) to provide the feedback.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by montanagirl »

I lift very light weights. I'm 69 and seem to be on a permanent plateau. Whenever I've tried to ramp up the pounds, I injure myself usu with tennis elbow.

But I think it's kept me from becoming a flabby stoop shouldered old lady. So far. A bit of ankle weight helps with therapy for my knee (quads) too.

I believe a used a book at first, Weight Lifting for Women or something, but that was 20+ years ago. Plus whatever tips I got from physical therapists.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by ChinchillaWhiplash »

We have a 73 year old woman in our Crossfit gym. She does everything from kettle bell swings, deadlifts, back squats. She doesn't use a ton of weight but has good form/technique. Key is having a good coach/trainer and working your way up. Lots of advantages for an older person. Oldest Crossfiter I know is around 81. He started when he was 79. I would not recommend weight lifting on your own, at least until you have good techniques down. A certified coach is the best way to proceed and avoid any injury. If they are good, they will start you off just getting the movements down with no or very little load.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Halicar »

Miriam2 wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 1:22 am
randomguy wrote: Men and woman are both 99% human.
And what is the remaining 1% :shock:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_microbiota I think it's far more than 1%... :|
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Baconquest »

OP said, "Tell us about it." OK!

TL;DR: I like barbells -- squats, deadlifts, benching and pressing -- and Oly lifting, and I like to do a bunch of bodyweight work and running too. I rotate things around to give myself time to recover, which is the key factor for me at my age.

I'm 51 y.o., 125#, and I lift a lot. I designed my own program, based on my specific goals and experience. It's an 8-day rotation that allows me to do all the things I like to be as well-rounded as possible:

Day 1: (Lower-body focus) Snatches for 20 minutes, usually up to a heavy single which is about 115# for me. Next, squats -- either front or back squats. I do as many as I can in 20 minutes, using a variety of loads/rep schemes, between 3-10 reps per set. For example, last week I did 12 sets of 5's @ 145#. Finally, some kind of metabolic conditioning finisher; lately I've been doing 300m shuttle sprints.

Day 2: (Upper-body focus) Bench press for 20 minutes, using a variety of loads/rep schemes. Today I did 10 sets of 4-5 reps at 112.5#. After that, I like to get in a bunch of pullups. (For example, max pullups every 2 minutes for 20 minutes.) I also did a bunch of 1-arm dumbbell supersets today, just for some added suckage. Oh, and before all this, I like to run an easy/slow 3-miles just to try to build up some volume in my running this summer while I'm not working (I'm a teacher).

Day 3: Run, long slow distance. "Long" to me is about 5-6 miles. I don't have any interest in doing anything much longer right now, since I'm trying to focus more on Oly lifting this summer.

Day 4: OFF

Day 5: (Lower-body focus) Squat-cleans for 20 minutes, usually working up to a heavy single, which is about 140# for me. Next, 20 minutes of deadlifts, using a variety of loads/rep schemes. For example, last week I kept it light and did 7 sets of 10 @ 175#. The previous week, I did 12 sets of 4's @ 205#. Lastly, some kind of fast finisher, like stair sprints. (10 rounds of 15-second sprints, every 1:30)

Day 6: (Upper-body focus) For many weeks, I did standing overhead presses here, but since I'm really working on my Oly lifting, now I'm doing heavy jerks for practice, working up to a max. Afterwards, I'll do anything that allows me to get in a bunch of pullups. Lately, my husband and I have been doing "Murph" (unweighted) every week here: 1-mile run + 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 bwt squats + 1-mile run. It takes me about 45-50 minutes.

Day 7: Track work. Lately I've been doing 6 rounds of 800m on the track at a tempo pace (difficult but doable) with 3:30 rest intervals.

Day 8: OFF
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

Many thanks to several members for the detailed descriptions on "volume". Also, for insights on body weight.

After reviewing all of the helpful advice in this thread, along with some google research, I have a way to get myself restarted back into shape. Here's what I'm going to do:

The first step is to develop a workout plan. Without a plan, there's no way to track progress or understand what you're doing. (The workout version of the Investment policy statement).

Considerations:
  • Safety first. I don't have anyone spotting me, so weight lifting should be done in a gym. The risk of serious injury from body weight training is low.
  • Trainer. Lifting weights should be done under the guidance of a trainer. That also needs a gym.
  • I have a full-time day job. I don't have time to go to a gym.
  • I have a perfectly fine elliptical trainer. Don't ignore what I have simply because I want to change my workout style. Use it.
  • I have a pull-up bar hanging over my doorway. Use it.
  • I don't have any room for extra workout equipment (weights, racks, machines, etc.). My old "training room" was forked over to my husband as a "train room" (his model train hobby). I'm not getting it back, I tried.
Given the above, I've come to the realization that free weights are not going to happen at this point in time. I will reevaluate when my lifestyle changes (retirement...). For now, body weight fits my plan. Game on.

I found a website that aligns with what I'm looking for: Free Resources, from Nerd Fitness. Look at the "Free Workouts" section. (I'm ignoring the diet section.)

My plan is to use the Beginner Body Weight Workout and alternate strength training days with Interval Training.

My elliptical trainer is simply perfect for interval training. BTW, I've been doing interval training since the late 1970's. It's been around a very long time.

I'll follow the above plan for a few weeks and see how it goes. If the training starts to get easy, I'll switch to the Advanced Body Weight Workout.

My plan is in the form of a spreadsheet. It might need a few tweaks at the start, but I'll try to follow it. (It will be modified when I'm ready to change my techniques.)

In case anyone is interested in my age: I just qualified to withdraw from an IRA without penalty.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by JFKtoSFO »

OP: Most users didn't explicitly post their gender, just their stats. Maybe there were women participating in that other lifting thread! :D
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Miriam2 »

Halicar wrote: Fri Jul 06, 2018 1:01 pm
Miriam2 wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 1:22 am
randomguy wrote: Men and woman are both 99% human.
And what is the remaining 1% :shock:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_microbiota I think it's far more than 1%... :|
Yikes!
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

letsgobobby wrote: Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:00 pm Great plan. As others said don't abandon progressive resistance just because you must use bodyweight. The principle of progressive overload still applies. You only get stronger by asking your muscles to lift more weight.
Thanks for the encouragement and perspective.

I just completed my first workout. Since I'm now focused on body weight, I posed my update in Re: Pull-ups and Push-ups and will continue to update that thread with my progress.

During my google research, I found this helpful article. See: Who Wants to be a Novice? You Do | Mark Rippetoe. It's written for free weights, but the same concepts apply to body weight.

(I encourage those who can't (or don't want to) use free weights to do body weight.)
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by InMyDreams »

dodecahedron wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 7:21 pm This thread is motivating to me. I had a brief time of inspiration some years back (when I was in my late 40s) from the book Strong Women Stay Young, written by a couple of PhDs, based on research they published in JAMA.

I need to find a way to get back to a regimen along the lines suggested in the book, which is eminently practical (in my view) for women in their 60s (like myself and the OP.)
Miriam Nelson has a series of books, the titles all starting with the words, "Strong Women". More at her website:
http://www.strongwomen.com/

Yes, staying with the program is tough. I've found a local program run by a local hospital system that caters to those with aging joints. Reasonable costs (~$5/class), with guidance from paid professionals.

And I have an appointment. I show up!

But I think the OP is focused on free weights and more. Not sure my joints would allow me to try that.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by randomguy »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:17 pm

Given the above, I've come to the realization that free weights are not going to happen at this point in time. I will reevaluate when my lifestyle changes (retirement...). For now, body weight fits my plan. Game on.
Your plan sounds good but you don't really have to make it an either/or. Putting a rack in the house probably isn't the right solution:). But picking up a couple of adjustable dumbells (pretty darn small, cheap and portable) and being able to do say 50lbs goblet squats has some benefits versus going pure bodyweight in the couple studies I have read about maintaining bone mass. Something about loading up the skelaton really helps. Obviously how much you need this depends on your starting point. If you are doing 5 bodyweight squats and are done, you don't need weights. If you are doing 50, your probably do.:) And there are alternatives like tubing that give similiar results.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

Thanks, you make some excellent points. I'll do some research into skeletal loading (with caution to consider the source of the information).*

I never thought about using dumbbells, but it makes perfect sense. My limitation is safety and available space to work out. Using a barbell is the dividing line.

I'll follow-up on your suggestion and pickup a set of adjustable dumbbells (pun intended). When I was working out at a gym, I was very comfortable curling a 20 pound dumbbell (maximum rep weight).

Yesterday, I filled a gallon milk jug with sand. It was only 13 pounds and seemed too light for me. I wanted more. Having a "real" set of dumbbells is what I need.

As for leg strength, I've heard that your legs can press twice your body weight. I've gone slightly beyond that during my long-ago gym workouts (leg press machine).

I didn't know there was something called a Goblet Squat. When I'm ready to add weight, I'll do so.

*Update: See this post: Re: Pull-ups and Push-ups
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by totallystudly »

As for leg strength, I've heard that your legs can press twice your body weight. I've gone slightly beyond that during my long-ago gym workouts (leg press machine
Your legs are stronger than you give them credit for. Lee priest on a bet did 500 pounds, which was about twice his body weight over 1000 times. Twice your body weight on the leg press should be pretty easy for most people. Most should be able to do at least 3-4x to make it challenging. The leg press is one of those machines you can load up with a ton of weight and it is easy to cheat by essentially doing knee bends and using momentum to bounce a bit.

I've seen videos of people leg pressing well over 1000 pounds.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by randomguy »

LadyGeek wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 9:26 am Thanks, you make some excellent points. I'll do some research into skeletal loading (with caution to consider the source of the information).*

I never thought about using dumbbells, but it makes perfect sense. My limitation is safety and available space to work out. Using a barbell is the dividing line.

I'll follow-up on your suggestion and pickup a set of adjustable dumbbells (pun intended). When I was working out at a gym, I was very comfortable curling a 20 pound dumbbell (maximum rep weight).

Yesterday, I filled a gallon milk jug with sand. It was only 13 pounds and seemed too light for me. I wanted more. Having a "real" set of dumbbells is what I need.

As for leg strength, I've heard that your legs can press twice your body weight. I've gone slightly beyond that during my long-ago gym workouts (leg press machine).

I didn't know there was something called a Goblet Squat. When I'm ready to add weight, I'll do so.

*Update: See this post: Re: Pull-ups and Push-ups
Leg presses get mixed reviews. Yeah you can really load them up and look impressive, but it is sort of an unnatural motion. You might find that doing a Goblet squat with say 100lbs is harder than doing a leg press with 300. Having to stand and stablize versus sit and just push makes a huge difference.

The other easy exercise with things like dumbbells are things like loaded carries. Take that milk jug and hold it with one hand and try to walk around while keeping your spine straight. You might be surprised at how hard it is. This is the type of motion that we did for hundreds of years (think carrying a couple pals of water from the well to your house) before modern tech came along.

In the end the big things with picking what do to isn't gender as much as goals. A lot of books are written towards people trying to max out things like strength, muscle size or 6 pack abs:). If your goals are just to be a bit stronger for every day life, you don't have to be as hard core. Just getting in 40 mins 3x/week is really good start for a lot of people. Sometimes all you need is good enough and not perfect.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Hug401k »

I haven't read this whole thread, but the gym I go to is exclusively women and everyone does 30 minutes of "resistance" training with small group training. This means weights, push ups, sit ups, planks etc. I'm the youngster at 45. Most of the women are over 55. We are all lifting weights. There are some really fit 70+ year women out there!
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Kersten »

I have lifted weight on and off for the last twenty years.

The last three years I have consistently lifted 45 minutes 2x per week. I use the machine weights at the gym but if I can't make it to the gym, use hand weights at home, although this is not as effective as the machine weights. Also I do Yoga 2 x per week and walk 5-7 hours per week. Sometimes I run. My goal is to run 6-8 miles per week. However, I have had chronic sinus problem and infections which reduces my enthusiasm for running . But when recovered, get back into the schedule.

For 37 years I ran 10-15 miles per week, more if training for a race. So I am pretty self disciplined to keep on keeping on.

I am 74. Even with doing all of the above it seems difficult to remain strong, trim and energetic-welll harder than it used to be. But I am determined

I do Yoga for flexibility, strength and balance. Running for cardio and endurance. Weights to fight osteoporosis and so I can do those household tasks that require strength such as lifting and such simple things as opening jars. Keeping up with all of these modes of exercise gives me confidence in body strength and confidence that I will not loose my balance and fall, breaking something, as so many older women do.

Besides all the other benefits of exercise, it helps you maintain your independence in that you won't end up recovering from breaking something and thus, dependent on others.
Ninnie
Posts: 393
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Ninnie »

I am in my forties and haven't lifted weights in 20 years, although I have kept lightly active with sports, yoga, and elliptical. I have always had very weak upper body strength. I recently bought a few pairs of dumbbell and in three months have gone from 5 to 7 to 9 lb, planning to move soon to 12 lb. There is no shame in starting low. My arms are already feeling stronger and look more toned. I use the dumbbells twice per week. I aim for 3-4 days of cardiovascular, but don't always succeed.
shell921
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by shell921 »

If interested, you can google Miranda Esmond White. She is a 60-something former ballerina from Canada.
She is not a fan of weight lifting and she says fitness has these components:

1. strength
2. flexibility
3. range of motion
4. balance

She says flexibilty is the fountain of youth and her exercises re-balance the whole body.
Look at ballet dancer's bodies-they are strong, lean & well-defined. Her stretches are exaggerated so as to maximize
the benefits of strengthening and stretching. A program that involves continuous motion is by
definition always strengthening the muscles.

I am 70 and have been doing Classical Stretch for 10 years. Here, where I live, it is on the public broadcasting
station week days at 4:30am. I have about 20 30 min episodes on my dvr at all times but I can do many of the routines without needing
to watch. However, it's fun to do 20 min a day with Miranda! That's what i do and I swear by it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvLPr-LmSc&t=6s


"The human body is designed to remain pain-free, energetic and healthy throughout its lifespan. With Aging Backwards—gone are the days when we had to accept the negative consequences of aging as inevitable and a “normal” part of getting older. In reality, we should never have to surrender helplessly to chronic pain, hip and knee replacements, loss of energy and mobility, poor posture, weight gain—regardless of our chronological years.
Most of us are unaware that the process of aging is triggered by cell death. In Aging Backwards, Miranda explains how you can slow down and reverse the speed in which your cells die—showing scientifically, how anyone can stay feeling young and vibrant their entire life! Everyone, no matter their age—can benefit from the breakthrough knowledge and advice provided in Aging Backwards. It’s never too late to take control of your body and never let aging get in your way!"

For more information on NY Times bestseller, Aging Backwards see: http://essentrics.com/agingbackwards....

CLASSICAL STRETCH BY ESSENTRICS
AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION'S LONGEST RUNNING FITNESS TV SHOW

The Classical Stretch television series is created, produced and hosted by Miranda Esmonde-White. The #1 fitness show on Public Television for over 18 years—Classical Stretch has been helping people of all ages and fitness levels rebalance their bodies, increase mobility and keep joints healthy and pain-free. Based on the intelligent fitness technique Essentrics—each 30-minute episode of Classical Stretch features a full-body workout with dynamic strengthening and stretching exercises: all-standing, all-floor or all-barre.

Participants will notice an immediate increase in flexibility and a release of tension in their muscles after each episode–improving their posture and range of motion. Stress is released and aches and pains are soothed through the gradual unlocking of the entire body.


http://www.essentrics.com/classicalstretch.html
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simplesimon
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by simplesimon »

My wife is in her 30's, but asked me to train her using Starting Strength as that was what I followed. She says the training has made everyday tasks so much easier, which is a benefit I don't think I totally appreciated. Going from a 0lb (bodyweight) squat to a 100lb squat has such a huge quality of life impact compared to going from a 300lb squat to a 400lb squat.

I started listening to More Female Strength podcast to try to gain a better understanding of the female's perspective. It was founded by two female Starting Strength coaches, although they are not in their 60's.

The Barbell Prescription's author is a doctor and a coach who has a gym attached to his medical practice with a particular focus on older clients. He is active on the forums of Starting Strength and can probably give you many more stories about training older females.

Edited to add:

Another female coach on Starting Strength's website is Inna Koppel who operates out of Long Island and has created content for the site including a YouTube video about barbell training for women and a case study of a 65-year old female client.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by letsgobobby »

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Last edited by letsgobobby on Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
alfaspider
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by alfaspider »

letsgobobby wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:52 pm Note also the growing popularity of the Starting Strength model, which is different from old fashioned 'weightlifting' in that it emphasizes basic human movements (much like your stretch and dance routine) rather than beach body muscles that weightlifters or bodybuilders follow. Starting strength is absolutely functional.
Most "old fashioned" weightlifters and bodybuilders are doing very the same exercises "starting strength" recommends as core building blocks of their strength training regimens. It's a good book, but there's nothing new about anything in it. It takes basic core strength training principles and exercises and distills them into a method that is easy to understand and start for people new to strength training.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by letsgobobby »

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Last edited by letsgobobby on Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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simplesimon
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by simplesimon »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 7:41 am
letsgobobby wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:52 pm Note also the growing popularity of the Starting Strength model, which is different from old fashioned 'weightlifting' in that it emphasizes basic human movements (much like your stretch and dance routine) rather than beach body muscles that weightlifters or bodybuilders follow. Starting strength is absolutely functional.
Most "old fashioned" weightlifters and bodybuilders are doing very the same exercises "starting strength" recommends as core building blocks of their strength training regimens. It's a good book, but there's nothing new about anything in it. It takes basic core strength training principles and exercises and distills them into a method that is easy to understand and start for people new to strength training.
I bolded the above...this represents most of the general population. I think these people need to be picking up Starting Strength and not The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding or a fitness magazine at the grocery store checkout (like I did when I first started).

Have you read the Starting Strength book? It's an instruction manual (a textbook really) on how and why the lifts are done the way they are. What other resource explains why feet must be pointed out and why the knees must align with the toes during the squat? Or that the shoulders need to be slightly forward of the bar at the beginning of the deadlift?

I agree that most websites and magazines say that squats, deadlifts, and bench press are good for you...but I have not seen anything that explains how and why it should be done a certain way...in fact, after reading SS I'm convinced that most websites and magazines do a disservice to the general population. Without good instruction and understanding of the lifts the novice gets injured, quits, and says barbell lifting is dangerous.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by alfaspider »

simplesimon wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:07 am

I agree that most websites and magazines say that squats, deadlifts, and bench press are good for you...but I have not seen anything that explains how and why it should be done a certain way...in fact, after reading SS I'm convinced that most websites and magazines do a disservice to the general population. Without good instruction and understanding of the lifts the novice gets injured, quits, and says barbell lifting is dangerous.
I agree that most fitness magazines are garbage and there's plenty of junk out there, but there are some great online resources for learning proper form for the major lifts. Stronglifts is a nice online alternative that adopts a very similar approach to starting strength and has detailed guides to form:

https://stronglifts.com/

As far as misinformation is concerned, I think the primary problem with the fitness industry is that there's just not that much to sell when it comes to a basic strength training regimen, and there's no "snake oil" or gimmick that can create made for TV ads. Any time you see fitness information presented, it's good to ask what is being sold. Unless the answer is "nothing" (or at most some very trivial ancillary thing like T-shirts), then the information should be treated as suspect. It's a lot like the financial world :happy
shell921
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by shell921 »

Thank-you letsgobobby - I am going to look into Starting Strength.

you posted:
...........
This is a great complement to strength training and of course active ballet dancers are immensely strong (especially strength for weight ratio), but most adults will not have access to the kind of rigorous ballet training that would build such strength. In its absence, weightlifting is a much more accessible and very acceptable alternative. Note also the growing popularity of the Starting Strength model, which is different from old fashioned 'weightlifting' in that it emphasizes basic human movements (much like your stretch and dance routine) rather than beach body muscles that weightlifters or bodybuilders follow. Starting strength is absolutely functional.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Hayden »

simplesimon wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:07 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 7:41 am
letsgobobby wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:52 pm Note also the growing popularity of the Starting Strength model, which is different from old fashioned 'weightlifting' in that it emphasizes basic human movements (much like your stretch and dance routine) rather than beach body muscles that weightlifters or bodybuilders follow. Starting strength is absolutely functional.
Most "old fashioned" weightlifters and bodybuilders are doing very the same exercises "starting strength" recommends as core building blocks of their strength training regimens. It's a good book, but there's nothing new about anything in it. It takes basic core strength training principles and exercises and distills them into a method that is easy to understand and start for people new to strength training.
I bolded the above...this represents most of the general population. I think these people need to be picking up Starting Strength and not The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding or a fitness magazine at the grocery store checkout (like I did when I first started).

Have you read the Starting Strength book? It's an instruction manual (a textbook really) on how and why the lifts are done the way they are. What other resource explains why feet must be pointed out and why the knees must align with the toes during the squat? Or that the shoulders need to be slightly forward of the bar at the beginning of the deadlift?

I agree that most websites and magazines say that squats, deadlifts, and bench press are good for you...but I have not seen anything that explains how and why it should be done a certain way...in fact, after reading SS I'm convinced that most websites and magazines do a disservice to the general population. Without good instruction and understanding of the lifts the novice gets injured, quits, and says barbell lifting is dangerous.
I purchased the book, but in my personal case, all of this information about where my knees should be etc is of limited use because I have lousy propioception. I know where my body parts are supposed to be, but I don't know precisely where they are. That's why I work out with a trainer. He is constantly correcting my form. Maybe someday I'll be able to do the moves correctly myself without a trainer, but until that day I figure I'll continue to pay for training twice a week.

Any suggestions on finding a trainer who specifically focuses on correct body position?
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simplesimon
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by simplesimon »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:51 am
I agree that most fitness magazines are garbage and there's plenty of junk out there, but there are some great online resources for learning proper form for the major lifts. Stronglifts is a nice online alternative that adopts a very similar approach to starting strength and has detailed guides to form:

https://stronglifts.com/

As far as misinformation is concerned, I think the primary problem with the fitness industry is that there's just not that much to sell when it comes to a basic strength training regimen, and there's no "snake oil" or gimmick that can create made for TV ads. Any time you see fitness information presented, it's good to ask what is being sold. Unless the answer is "nothing" (or at most some very trivial ancillary thing like T-shirts), then the information should be treated as suspect. It's a lot like the financial world :happy
I actually did Stronglifts before Starting Strength, but bought into SS/Practical Programming because of the amount of detail and logic behind the lifts and programming. Although I do substitute power cleans and rows with more deadlift volume when people ask me for advice. Totally agree with the comparison to financial news.
Hayden wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:00 am
I purchased the book, but in my personal case, all of this information about where my knees should be etc is of limited use because I have lousy propioception. I know where my body parts are supposed to be, but I don't know precisely where they are. That's why I work out with a trainer. He is constantly correcting my form. Maybe someday I'll be able to do the moves correctly myself without a trainer, but until that day I figure I'll continue to pay for training twice a week.

Any suggestions on finding a trainer who specifically focuses on correct body position?
Your trainer may need to try different cues to help you remember what your body should be doing, but at least you're doing something about the lack of proprioception and paying someone to help you.

https://startingstrength.com/coaching

Hopefully there is one near you (closest one to me is about a 2.5 hour drive away). Alternatively you can try their Online Coaching, where you take a video of your lifts for them to review after every workout.

I am not affiliated with Starting Strength.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

After slacking off for nearly a year, I'm back to strength training. I thought that you got in shape by moving the maximum amount of weight for a particular muscle group.

Not so fast. The whole-body approach with kettlebells takes this in an entirely different direction. Even though I can barely walk after the workout, I've never felt better. There's something to be said for core strength.

The only problem is that I have one 15 pound kettlebell. Fortunately, I can use my Bowflex adjustable dumbbells as substitutes for most exercises. It's not the same, but I'll make do with what I have.

I'm using this website: Complete Guide to Kettlebell Workouts for Women

Even though I consider myself experienced lifting weights, it's very different experience with kettlebells. I'm starting at the beginner level until I get comfortable. My workout so far:

Three circuits of:
  • Single arm deadlift (but with both arms), 12 reps, 50 lb dumbbell
  • Squat and press (a.k.a. Thruster), 12 reps each side, 15 lb kettlebell
  • Row, 12 reps each side, 25 lb dumbbell
  • Pushups, 12 reps
I'm alternating my strength training days with jogging.

(Body weight exercises are discussed here: Pull-ups and Push-ups)
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by Sandtrap »

retiredjg wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 5:13 pm So....the menfolk have a very active power lifting thread going on, but I did not see any participation from women. Surely there are some women here who lift weights!

Tell us about it. :happy

I'm particularly interested in older women (say over 60) who are lifting weights, but am also interested in the experience of any age group.
Some randome thoughts:

This can also happen as part of one's lifestyle activities rather than a separate task (ie: "lifting").
So, . . .weight bearing whole body movement tasks.

IE: (for example:)
Yardwork that includes lifting motions, push/pull and rotational stresses.
or
Garden planting and or raised bed vegetables that includes messing with 25 pound bags of mulch and compost and soil, digging, harvesting, etc.
or
Moving around 50 pound bags of horse grain, hay bales, feeding horses 2x/day, cleaning paddocks, shoveling poop, grounds maintenance with a tractor. (DW :shock: )
or
Pickle Ball 2-3x/week, or tennis, plus house cleaning, laundry lifting, carrying a heavy vacuum cleaner up and down 3 flights of stairs, schlepping bags of groceries, etc.
or
Using a "lympholine" mini trampoline 30-40 minutes 3x/week as it uses bodyweight stresses.
or
???

A recent senior doc to me that it's not so much adding weights and workout routines, but instead, avoiding inactivity in a well rounded way, and avoiding injury (big one for seniors to be).

I "used to" (pre Covid-19) go to the hospital "rehab center" (not gym) to do a customized well rounded PT program 2x/week. But, after more consults with PT and Docs, have switched to home gym plus mini ranch chores. Why? I was so focused on "working out" that there was no more "oomph" to do chores and I risked injury.

So IMHO: , there's a balance to these things found in moderation. Especially for "pre seniors" and "hybrid seniors".

Avoid inactivity
Injury prevention.
Weight bearing (counters osteporosis/bone density loss)
Overall fitness and tonality
Nutrition and supplementation
Health Balance (HPTA Axis Balance) Especially women.
Rest

It pays to have a PT, or Sports Doc MD do an evaluation and then monitoring on achieving one's goals, then maintenance (forever) within one's capabilities and unique physiology and limitations.

j :happy
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LilyFleur »

shell921 wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:23 pm If interested, you can google Miranda Esmond White. She is a 60-something former ballerina from Canada.
She is not a fan of weight lifting and she says fitness has these components:

1. strength
2. flexibility
3. range of motion
4. balance

She says flexibilty is the fountain of youth and her exercises re-balance the whole body.
Look at ballet dancer's bodies-they are strong, lean & well-defined. Her stretches are exaggerated so as to maximize
the benefits of strengthening and stretching. A program that involves continuous motion is by
definition always strengthening the muscles.

I am 70 and have been doing Classical Stretch for 10 years. Here, where I live, it is on the public broadcasting
station week days at 4:30am. I have about 20 30 min episodes on my dvr at all times but I can do many of the routines without needing
to watch. However, it's fun to do 20 min a day with Miranda! That's what i do and I swear by it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvLPr-LmSc&t=6s


"The human body is designed to remain pain-free, energetic and healthy throughout its lifespan. With Aging Backwards—gone are the days when we had to accept the negative consequences of aging as inevitable and a “normal” part of getting older. In reality, we should never have to surrender helplessly to chronic pain, hip and knee replacements, loss of energy and mobility, poor posture, weight gain—regardless of our chronological years.
Most of us are unaware that the process of aging is triggered by cell death. In Aging Backwards, Miranda explains how you can slow down and reverse the speed in which your cells die—showing scientifically, how anyone can stay feeling young and vibrant their entire life! Everyone, no matter their age—can benefit from the breakthrough knowledge and advice provided in Aging Backwards. It’s never too late to take control of your body and never let aging get in your way!"

For more information on NY Times bestseller, Aging Backwards see: http://essentrics.com/agingbackwards....

CLASSICAL STRETCH BY ESSENTRICS
AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION'S LONGEST RUNNING FITNESS TV SHOW

The Classical Stretch television series is created, produced and hosted by Miranda Esmonde-White. The #1 fitness show on Public Television for over 18 years—Classical Stretch has been helping people of all ages and fitness levels rebalance their bodies, increase mobility and keep joints healthy and pain-free. Based on the intelligent fitness technique Essentrics—each 30-minute episode of Classical Stretch features a full-body workout with dynamic strengthening and stretching exercises: all-standing, all-floor or all-barre.

Participants will notice an immediate increase in flexibility and a release of tension in their muscles after each episode–improving their posture and range of motion. Stress is released and aches and pains are soothed through the gradual unlocking of the entire body.


http://www.essentrics.com/classicalstretch.html
Thank you for this information. I think I will give this a try, as I cannot go to my gym right now. There are some videos on Youtube. I don't have access to public television.
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LilyFleur
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LilyFleur »

retiredjg wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 5:13 pm So....the menfolk have a very active power lifting thread going on, but I did not see any participation from women. Surely there are some women here who lift weights!

Tell us about it. :happy

I'm particularly interested in older women (say over 60) who are lifting weights, but am also interested in the experience of any age group.
I just turned 60. I have done free weights and machines at the gym, off and on, since I was age 17 and learned on Nautilus machines. For the last ten years (except for last year), I have been very faithful. If you don't look at my facial wrinkles, I have the body of a much younger woman. I love what weights do for my posture. I have some stretches with light weights that I do on the bench that open up the chest area, and when I stand up, I see my posture noticeably improved. It's amazing. It also stretches my left arm which tightens from the radiation I received in cancer treatment.

My routine involves doing one set of the heaviest weights that I can handle, following good form, and working slowly. I do 30 minutes of free weights and machines, followed by 30 minutes of combination treadmill/stair climber.

About a year ago, I had a bad traffic accident and had x-rays done of most of my body. It explained a lot of my aches and pains. (The arthritis in my lower back explained why the leg press was hurting my back.) When I can get back to the gym, I will need to find better exercises for my gluts (I had started doing bridges with a barbell across my belly.)

With the Covid shutdown, I am looking for ways to get more fit. Not working and having some time to research has been good. I'm realizing I haven't done yoga because I need to do some pre-Yoga stretching first. I cannot even sit cross-legged because my hip flexors are so tight. So I started the pre-Yoga stretches which made me feel better the first day! I just moved more fluidly. I started walking again, but walking three miles a day two days in a row irritated a foot injury, so I have been elevating my foot and icing it for a week now. I will have to start off more slowly!

Great thread!
Sometimes I do wonder what the demographics of this site are. Many of the user names do not let us know if they are male or female. (And, actually, for that matter, someone with the username "Martha" could be male--we just don't know :mrgreen: )
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by clip651 »

LilyFleur wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 2:40 pm
shell921 wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:23 pm If interested, you can google Miranda Esmond White. She is a 60-something former ballerina from Canada.
She is not a fan of weight lifting and she says fitness has these components:

1. strength
2. flexibility
3. range of motion
4. balance

She says flexibilty is the fountain of youth and her exercises re-balance the whole body.
Look at ballet dancer's bodies-they are strong, lean & well-defined. Her stretches are exaggerated so as to maximize
the benefits of strengthening and stretching. A program that involves continuous motion is by
definition always strengthening the muscles.

I am 70 and have been doing Classical Stretch for 10 years. Here, where I live, it is on the public broadcasting
station week days at 4:30am. I have about 20 30 min episodes on my dvr at all times but I can do many of the routines without needing
to watch. However, it's fun to do 20 min a day with Miranda! That's what i do and I swear by it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvLPr-LmSc&t=6s


"The human body is designed to remain pain-free, energetic and healthy throughout its lifespan. With Aging Backwards—gone are the days when we had to accept the negative consequences of aging as inevitable and a “normal” part of getting older. In reality, we should never have to surrender helplessly to chronic pain, hip and knee replacements, loss of energy and mobility, poor posture, weight gain—regardless of our chronological years.
Most of us are unaware that the process of aging is triggered by cell death. In Aging Backwards, Miranda explains how you can slow down and reverse the speed in which your cells die—showing scientifically, how anyone can stay feeling young and vibrant their entire life! Everyone, no matter their age—can benefit from the breakthrough knowledge and advice provided in Aging Backwards. It’s never too late to take control of your body and never let aging get in your way!"

For more information on NY Times bestseller, Aging Backwards see: http://essentrics.com/agingbackwards....

CLASSICAL STRETCH BY ESSENTRICS
AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION'S LONGEST RUNNING FITNESS TV SHOW

The Classical Stretch television series is created, produced and hosted by Miranda Esmonde-White. The #1 fitness show on Public Television for over 18 years—Classical Stretch has been helping people of all ages and fitness levels rebalance their bodies, increase mobility and keep joints healthy and pain-free. Based on the intelligent fitness technique Essentrics—each 30-minute episode of Classical Stretch features a full-body workout with dynamic strengthening and stretching exercises: all-standing, all-floor or all-barre.

Participants will notice an immediate increase in flexibility and a release of tension in their muscles after each episode–improving their posture and range of motion. Stress is released and aches and pains are soothed through the gradual unlocking of the entire body.


http://www.essentrics.com/classicalstretch.html
Thank you for this information. I think I will give this a try, as I cannot go to my gym right now. There are some videos on Youtube. I don't have access to public television.
There are many ways to access Miranda's workouts if you don't have access to PBS. Start by looking at her website. You can buy DVDs (a "season" will include several DVDs with 25-30 short episodes for lots of variety). There is a streaming service available - I think it usually has a free trial offer. And you can find some short videos of her (and some of her fellow instructors, including her daughter) on their website, as well as on their facebook page, etc.

I think she really has great workouts. They work for any age, and for men as well as women. But I think for any woman looking for a way to stay healthy, strong, and limber, they are super! There are a variety of workouts (some are tougher than others, the website will guide you on this), and you can also vary the intensity of each workout by how much you put into each movement. Well researched and effective exercises. And they require minimal or no equipment.

cj
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LilyFleur
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LilyFleur »

clip651 wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 3:12 pm
LilyFleur wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 2:40 pm
shell921 wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:23 pm If interested, you can google Miranda Esmond White. She is a 60-something former ballerina from Canada.
She is not a fan of weight lifting and she says fitness has these components:

1. strength
2. flexibility
3. range of motion
4. balance

She says flexibilty is the fountain of youth and her exercises re-balance the whole body.
Look at ballet dancer's bodies-they are strong, lean & well-defined. Her stretches are exaggerated so as to maximize
the benefits of strengthening and stretching. A program that involves continuous motion is by
definition always strengthening the muscles.

I am 70 and have been doing Classical Stretch for 10 years. Here, where I live, it is on the public broadcasting
station week days at 4:30am. I have about 20 30 min episodes on my dvr at all times but I can do many of the routines without needing
to watch. However, it's fun to do 20 min a day with Miranda! That's what i do and I swear by it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvLPr-LmSc&t=6s


"The human body is designed to remain pain-free, energetic and healthy throughout its lifespan. With Aging Backwards—gone are the days when we had to accept the negative consequences of aging as inevitable and a “normal” part of getting older. In reality, we should never have to surrender helplessly to chronic pain, hip and knee replacements, loss of energy and mobility, poor posture, weight gain—regardless of our chronological years.
Most of us are unaware that the process of aging is triggered by cell death. In Aging Backwards, Miranda explains how you can slow down and reverse the speed in which your cells die—showing scientifically, how anyone can stay feeling young and vibrant their entire life! Everyone, no matter their age—can benefit from the breakthrough knowledge and advice provided in Aging Backwards. It’s never too late to take control of your body and never let aging get in your way!"

For more information on NY Times bestseller, Aging Backwards see: http://essentrics.com/agingbackwards....

CLASSICAL STRETCH BY ESSENTRICS
AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION'S LONGEST RUNNING FITNESS TV SHOW

The Classical Stretch television series is created, produced and hosted by Miranda Esmonde-White. The #1 fitness show on Public Television for over 18 years—Classical Stretch has been helping people of all ages and fitness levels rebalance their bodies, increase mobility and keep joints healthy and pain-free. Based on the intelligent fitness technique Essentrics—each 30-minute episode of Classical Stretch features a full-body workout with dynamic strengthening and stretching exercises: all-standing, all-floor or all-barre.

Participants will notice an immediate increase in flexibility and a release of tension in their muscles after each episode–improving their posture and range of motion. Stress is released and aches and pains are soothed through the gradual unlocking of the entire body.


http://www.essentrics.com/classicalstretch.html
Thank you for this information. I think I will give this a try, as I cannot go to my gym right now. There are some videos on Youtube. I don't have access to public television.
There are many ways to access Miranda's workouts if you don't have access to PBS. Start by looking at her website. You can buy DVDs (a "season" will include several DVDs with 25-30 short episodes for lots of variety). There is a streaming service available - I think it usually has a free trial offer. And you can find some short videos of her (and some of her fellow instructors, including her daughter) on their website, as well as on their facebook page, etc.

I think she really has great workouts. They work for any age, and for men as well as women. But I think for any woman looking for a way to stay healthy, strong, and limber, they are super! There are a variety of workouts (some are tougher than others, the website will guide you on this), and you can also vary the intensity of each workout by how much you put into each movement. Well researched and effective exercises. And they require minimal or no equipment.

cj
Thank you! Good timing to learn about this!
cherijoh
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by cherijoh »

retiredjg wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 5:13 pm So....the menfolk have a very active power lifting thread going on, but I did not see any participation from women. Surely there are some women here who lift weights!

Tell us about it. :happy

I'm particularly interested in older women (say over 60) who are lifting weights, but am also interested in the experience of any age group.
I haven't done any serious weight training in more than 15 years. But when I was in my early 40s, my employer built a new administration building and included a gym for employees that charged about $15/mo in fees. (I had been a member of the Y but I switched over to the in-site gym). We had treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair climbers, stationary bikes and rowing machines for cardio and a selection of machines and free weights for weight training. There was also a room set up for classes in the basement and both men's and women's locker rooms. The gym was open for about 14 hours a day M-F and a half day Saturday in the winters.

I used to like to come in regularly 3 - 5 times a week either early before work or at lunchtime for an aerobics class. One of the employees (a 20-something who I expect was a bit bored) offered to design a weight training routine for me. So when it wasn't busy she got me started on some of the weight machines over the course of a couple of days. But it was pretty obvious that the machines we had were not designed for short women, so my upper body workout (with the exception of the lat pulldown) was set up using free weights. She was very good about critiquing my form, so I was comfortable I was doing the excercizes safely.

Most of the times I came in to work out she was on desk duty, so she always greeted me with a smile and "you are going to do weights today, right?" (I was alternating upper and lower body workouts). I found the accountability really helped, plus she monitored my progress and suggested when I should switch from increasing the number of reps or sets to using a higher weight with fewer reps/sets.

Looking back on it, I think that was my period of peak fitness. Unfortunately, the work site was sold and I took a separation package and decided to watch my pennies so I didn't immediately join another gym. I started walking with friends in the neighorhood for fitness but never got back to dedicated weight training. I have a gym membership (currently on hold due to COVID 19) and have considered hiring a personal trainer. But most of them I've seen around the gym are of the "boot-camp" variety which I know I wouldn't enjoy.
runner540
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by runner540 »

getthatmarshmallow wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:20 am
3) You're going to want to take extra care of your core, especially if you've had kids. The big lifts are good for that, too, but if you have ab separation or a weak pelvic floor, work with the trainer to find modifications that work for you. (It might mean that you do split squats instead of deep squats, for example.
+1,000,000.
even if you had kids decades ago. a big difference for women that needs to be considered in exercise plans.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by LadyGeek »

LadyGeek wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:54 pm ...The only problem is that I have one 15 pound kettlebell. Fortunately, I can use my Bowflex adjustable dumbbells as substitutes for most exercises. It's not the same, but I'll make do with what I have.

I'm using this website: Complete Guide to Kettlebell Workouts for Women

Even though I consider myself experienced lifting weights, it's very different experience with kettlebells. I'm starting at the beginner level until I get comfortable. My workout so far:

Three circuits of:
  • Single arm deadlift (but with both arms), 12 reps, 50 lb dumbbell
  • Squat and press (a.k.a. Thruster), 12 reps each side, 15 lb kettlebell
  • Row, 12 reps each side, 25 lb dumbbell
  • Pushups, 12 reps
I'm alternating my strength training days with jogging.

(Body weight exercises are discussed here: Pull-ups and Push-ups)
Update - I've continued my alternating strength training with jogging, but have changed my workout to the Full Body Kettlebell Tone and Fat Attack in the above website.

Three circuits of:
  • Kettlebell Turkish Get Up – 3 reps each side, 12.5 lb dumbbell
  • Kettlebell Swing – 20 reps, 25 lb dumbbell
  • Kettlebell Side Lunge – 8 reps each side, 30 lb dumbbell
  • Kettlebell Squat and Press – 10 reps each side, 17.5 lb dumbbell
  • High Knees – 50 reps (run on the spot lifting your knees up high, count just one leg)
This is one intense workout.

The Turkish Get Up is incredibly difficult to get the correct form. It took me over a week just to get close and it's still not right. All I could handle was a 10 lb weight. Today, I finally advanced to 12.5 lb. The best I can do is to focus on keeping my arm fully vertical for the duration of the rep. My legs will somehow follow.

The adjustable dumbbell can be set in 2.5 lb increments up to 25 lb, then 5 lb increments. The smaller increments at the low range helps considerably, as I can't handle a 5 lb increment with some of these exercises.

As for the swing, I can safely hold the dumbbell by one of the wedges. You can see what I mean in the Product Overview video, 20 S in. I hold the dumbbell low for swinging, but you can see the general idea.

Bowflex has since come out with SelectTech 840 Kettlebell, $300 for a pair, which is about the same price as the adjustable dumbbells. I'm not sure which I would have purchased had they both been available when I was shopping for some weights. Each has their advantages. I can use the dumbbell in some kettlebell exercises.
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BL
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by BL »

I don't think this would apply to the above women, but just to make this topic complete for less athletic women over 65, the SAIL Program is offered in small communities in Minnesota and a few other states. So it is nearby, free of charge (ankle weights and hand weights are usually furnished free to use on site), and sponsored by RSVP in our case. It emphasizes strength and balance for Seniors. Bone Builders was the previous somewhat similar program.

https://www.ncoa.org/wp-content/uploads ... ummary.pdf
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galeno
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by galeno »

I've been lifting weights for decades. Regarding soreness. It's unnecessary. It just means you're working out too hard for your current physical condition. Like holding too much equity. Back off. Take it slow. Most importantly don't get hurt. That's like panic selling during a market crash.
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Re: Older Women Lifting Weights

Post by alfaspider »

galeno wrote: Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:41 am I've been lifting weights for decades. Regarding soreness. It's unnecessary. It just means you're working out too hard for your current physical condition. Like holding too much equity. Back off. Take it slow. Most importantly don't get hurt. That's like panic selling during a market crash.
Disagree here. Some people are just more prone to soreness than others. I'm sore every single time after leg day. I've been doing leg day once a week for years and have more or less plateaued. Still sore without fail- even if I do a lighter leg day.

It also depends on your fitness goals. If you are looking for a low level of strength and mostly looking to preserve muscle rather than build it, you can take it pretty easy and probably avoid soreness. If you actually want to get stronger, you are going to have to progressively overload, and most people will be sore if they push harder than before.
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