Advice about Lifting - Women over 50

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  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    I'm 60 and had a D&C just before Easter. I've been swimming 4 times a week for 20 years, and my doctor forebade swimming for 20 days. I decided to go to the gym and start lifting. Dumb old me--I started with 10--15 kilos, depending on the machine. That's 22--33lbs right off the bat with absolutely no problems, and I never lifted in a gym before. Now I was a bit sore for a few days in my legs (squats) and my shoulders, but it went away within a week. It's true that I didn't have a hysteretomy, but I agree with everyone else. At least get a second (and maybe third) opinion from another doctor. I can swim again, but plan on continuing to do some lifting so I don't lose my gains there, and also plan to slowly increase the weights. Good luck. B)
  • Tortitudekitty
    Tortitudekitty Posts: 67 Member
    His post operative advice is standard about lifting any weight.

    After that time period.........what is he on? Sure, you need to work things up at a pace that is right for you and not to get too ambitious too early.

    His idea that women over 50 shouldn't lift anything heavier than a pint of milk would cause my GP to spit out his morning coffee! He was as surprised as I was when we discovered that due to cardio work my BP is now consistently in the region of 116/78 when I was at borderline hypertension. My good HDL cholesterol level is perfect and the bad LDL is reduced to safe levels due to weight training and sensible cardio exercise. Does he want to deny you this? It is an issue that can affect any of us as we get older.

    I returned to weight training with a vengeance ater an absence of nearly 20 years in March 2014 after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism to boost my metabolism by hypertrophy. I am 57 years young. I currently deadlift 65kg (143lb) once a week and have plenty left in the tank and touch wood, no back issues. Also thrash around on other weight exercises involving bar, cable machines and dumbells! :)

    Maybe he wants you to have crumbly bones and be at risk of falls when you get older due to lack of core strength. I would definitely get a second opinion.
  • mabug01
    mabug01 Posts: 1,273 Member
    missh1967 wrote: »
    WTF?? Your doctor must be 150 and hasn't caught up with the times yet. Post-op yes, but not for life. Holy crap.


    Also, I would encourage you to look into the "Strong Women Stay Young" and "Strong Women Stay Slim" books by Miriam Nelson. She has conducted studies on strength training and its benefits in women into their 60s, 70, 80s, and beyond.

    Thanks for these references.

  • mabug01
    mabug01 Posts: 1,273 Member
    Tortitudekitty wrote: »
    I returned to weight training with a vengeance ater an absence of nearly 20 years in March 2014 after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism to boost my metabolism by hypertrophy. I am 57 years young. I currently deadlift 65kg (143lb) once a week and have plenty left in the tank and touch wood, no back issues. Also thrash around on other weight exercises involving bar, cable machines and dumbells! :)

    That is awesome! Thanks so much for the inspiration!

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