Women: lift weight to live long and well.

Helloooo! I’m so happy you’re here!

I had a conversation with a coach friend, and we agreed that almost nothing feels as good as empowering women to lift weight, to find out how strong they can be, and that they can do something they didn’t think could be possible.

Whether virtual or in-person, I love coaching women to get strong and feel great. I love sharing their enthusiasm and accomplishments. Check out @getupkeepmoving reels showcasing women lifting. They’re smashing the old trope of women being afraid of lifting whether for fear of injury or getting bulky*.

I want to live long and well, and I’ll bet you do too.

You might know that I’ve been coaching virtual small group sessions since the pandemic. Sessions are fun (for me too!), and effective strength and cardio training for these women who have been with me 3-4 times a week for years.

Virtual group training includes weights that members have at home, focusing on classic compound moves like squats, deadlifts, and push/pull variations. There’s always a dynamic mobility warmup and a review of the exercises. Members have gradually accumulated heavier weights for our sessions as they’ve gotten stronger.

Virtual and in-person sessions include exercises in all planes of motion, mobility, and plyometrics for power. All workouts incorporate resistance/weights, and also include body weight core training. The key difference is that in-person training is focused on lifting heavy. Women are using heavy kettlebells, dumbbells, and the barbell powerlifting in Iron Ladies sessions.

Every workout is an investment in living long and well.

Heavy weight training is essential for women.

If a client is proficient in mechanics of functional movements, plus working on core strength and stabilization (always a part of programming), using heavier weight is the most efficient way to get strong.

Heavy weight training is beneficial for everyone, especially for women through perimenopause and beyond. Here’s how weightlifting in your 60s can preserve strength for years (gift article).

If you only open one link in this article open this one: Menopausal Women Need Unique Muscle Making Guidelines

“Postmenopausal women may not actually make muscle with moderate strength training, according to a new study. When it comes to making muscle, active menopausal women also don’t respond to the general population’s protein intake requirements. We need our own muscle-making guidelines designed just for us.”

Don’t wait until after menopause to start strength training. Muscle loss, sarcopenia begins in your mid 30s. It’s hard to maintain muscle. It takes work – and it’s worth it.

Fear of injury can lead to injury.

Lifting heavy with effective mechanics is unlikely to cause injury – in fact, it will help reduce the likelihood of injury in everyday life. It’s important to note that fear of injury can lead to injury, as cited in this research: relationship of fear to pain intensity. and this: relationship of fear of injury to chronic back pain.

If you’re fearful of lifting heavy, consider the benefits:

1. Physical strength, reducing the likelihood of injury
2. Aesthetics (muscle hypertrophy “definition”)
3. Sharp mental acuity
4. Disease prevention
5. Improved quality of sleep
6. Skin improvement
7. Strength training can also  help alleviate symptoms of perimenopause (like brain fog). This article suggests strength training 3 times a week, but even 2 short, intense workouts a week are effective.

“Heavy” is relative.

Intensity is relative to the individual. Focus on getting to the point where you feel challenged, and those last last few hard reps are where the magic happens.  A short intense (heavy) workout with fewer sets and reps can be very effective.

Starting out at home?

Get two kettlebells. One 25%  of your body weight, and one lighter. Get a couple of sets of dumbbells 15% and 10% of your body weight. Add more/heavier weights to the collection as you get stronger.

Light weight can elicit muscular strength, but will require more volume and more time. Light weight workouts also require really good mechanics – which can degrade with multiple reps and sets, meaning that high volume can lead to overuse injury.

Heavy weight lifting is efficient and effective. Even 2 sessions of strength training a week can lead to gains (remember those last couple of reps should feel hard). If you like training 3-4 times a week you can include more moderate, longer duration workouts too.

Focus on solid mechanics, gradually increasing weight, and include rest as part of training.

Get a coach you like and trust to guide you.

Start now.

Your older, strong self will thank your younger self!

*Oh, and you’re not gonna get bulky.

I promise.

x

Polli