Weak 49 year old woman weight training- advice?

Sharla_G

Point me to a book, please. Or a website. Should I see a personal trainer? I don't want someone who screams at me while I'm trying.

I'm 46 body fat, weigh 175 and am 5'2" - if that helps you see where I am physically. (FAR, FAR from fitness)

I'm mostly afraid of hurting myself. I've been treadmilling it and tinkering around with the weight machines at my gym. I like the machines, because it feels like they protect me from injuring myself.

But I can't even come CLOSE to doing a situp or a plank or a squat or a lunge right now. It's a strain for me to do the bicep machine at 15 lbs. What's a good plan for someone who is starting from such a position of physical weakness?

Thanks for any input!

JenMc14

Get New Rules of LIfting for Women or check out Starting Strength as a good place to start. Browse around bodydbuilding.com (I've heard good things about jamie Eason's LiveFit program) or muscleandstrength.com. Nerdfitness.com is a good resource as well.

sally_jeffswife

Kettlenetics is a good Dvd it starts you out with light weight weights mixed with aerobic-cardio type excercise. When you get used to them and comfortable then I would up it to heavier kettlebells. They are nice cuz they give you toning but don't bulk you up super big being a woman.

Azdak

One of the cool things about our bodies is that, no matter how "weak" they might be, they can always become stronger. And, to start with, it doesn't take a huge effort to see improvement.

Whatever your current strength levels, you just need to start with what you can do, put in some effort, be consistent, and you will get stronger.

There is no need to try to do anything you cannot do, or to judge yourself by what you can't do. You don't have to worry about any of the silly arguments about machines vs free weights, about whether to do weights or cardio first, or other extraneous nonsense.

Pick some basic exercises (machines, if that's where you are comfortable right now) that feature large muscle groups--leg press, leg curl, chest, lat pulldown, lat row, shoulder press or lateral raise, maybe biceps and triceps--and start there. Start with a weight that is heavy enough that you can feel the muscles working but that you can comfortably lift. Do 10-15 reps, wait 60 seconds, do 10-15 more.

As you adapt and feel more comfortable over 2-6 sessions, start adjusting the weights so that you have to struggle to reach 15 reps. As soon as 15 reps starts to feel comfortable, increase the weights again.

It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. In a relatively short period of time, you will feel stronger, more confident, less disoriented--and then you can start to broaden your approach and add some simple functional exercises if you want.

Many machines are designed so that even beginners can figure them out. Working with a good trainer can help speed up that process. Not all trainers are idiots like the ones you see on TV--in you are interested, you should be able to look around at some in your club or maybe talk to a supervisor that could match someone to your needs and your style.

If you are at a club that features equipment from a major brand -- Life Fitness, Precor, Cybex, etc--they will likely have videos on their websites so you can get a basic idea of how the machines work --although they don't really show how the movement feels.

And right now, I wouldn't worry about peripheral exercises--you don't need to waste time on things like planks, ab crunches, etc. Quite frankly, you don't even need to do biceps and triceps. Again, just pick the basic, bigger-muscle exercises, do each one twice, work to 12-15 reps each time, and increase the weight when you feel you can do more than 15. That's fine for starters, and by the time you need to ramp up your program (6-12 weeks), it will seem like a natural progression. Good luck.

I've done this hundreds of times with people older, weaker, heavier, and less coordinated than you. Trust me, you soon find you are more than capable of following a successful program.

fit_mummy

Azdak thanks for the awesome advice... I'm not 49 but have really poor muscles and no strength so ill be following that advice too!!
Appreciated

briggsy13

I completed Chalean Extreme and am continuing to do it with a hybrid. I love Chalene she is funny, and I never get bored doing her workouts. I have gained SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much muscle by doing it. I started out with small weights that I had from my husband (like 5 lbs) then I eventually worked up to 10 lbs. My parents gave me the bowflex dumbbells for Christmas and I love being able to lift heavy now.

lizziebeth1028

Get New Rules of LIfting for Women or check out Starting Strength as a good place to start. Browse around bodydbuilding.com (I've heard good things about jamie Eason's LiveFit program) or muscleandstrength.com. Nerdfitness.com is a good resource as well.

^^^^ I'll second this book..'new rules of lifting for women! It was really helpful and full of great information. The program is easy to follow!

ninerbuff

Along with what Azdak stated, a trainer can be good to have for a couple of sessions to ensure that you're actually doing the selected exercises correctly.
There have been times I've been hired for 30 or so minutes just so people can get my opinion on their form on a certain lift or exercise.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Calliope610

I'm a physical weak 50yr woman with a strong desire to start some strength training. I'm am dedicating this weekend to learning everything I can about strength/weight training. A MFP friend (56yo female) has sent me several links. I will post them for you.

Monday is D-Day. I will be starting my program then. And I can't wait.

gatorginger

I'm 51 one and a beginner with weights also I just ordered the Jillian Michaels trouble zones and hoping this will be a good way to tone up

Calliope610

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/womens-strength-training-guide.htm

fimary

Hi

i am 43, 4ft 10 and 164lbs so very close to you.

I am exactly the same, very weak due to hypermobility syndrome and had some lung problems this year and trust me cannot run for a bus.

i found the c25k app very usefull, did it last year and got up to week 2 and really shocked myself, going to start again monday 18th march again (delay as moving house and becoming a single parent,) also i try and swim once a week, which i always found quite good as have the time to gather thoughts, dream away etc....and have promised ,my dog loads of walks when we move as well.

good luck, feel free to add me as a friend.

Calliope610

Go to COMMUNITY > GROUPS > SEARCH GROUPS

search something "strength training women" There are several groups to pick from.

MostlyWater

either get a dvd to use at home or a recommendation for a trainer that will encourage you. i prefer cheerleader over drill sgt any day.

p.s. i'm 48 and like taking classes. but someone is alwahys the slowest, the oldest, the fattest ...

KatsMom50

What really helped me was joining my circut class. I am very lucky it is an awsome group and we are all over the board age, weight, strength etc. We have awsome trainers.

I like the class because each day it is changed. The same person does not always teach but they might. I get out of it what I put into it like any other class. (am I using weights that challenge me, am I moving fast enough on the track...)

Is there a class you might be interested in to help with "boredom"? Maybe do a few sessions with a trainer to see what they say. A trainer will help you set up a workout that will change as you get stronger.

As for the amount of weigh you can do on a machine may very. Our gym was completely redone this summer. Some machines I use heavier weights than I did on the old and others I use lighter. It depends on how the machine is set up. I think this is my 4th year doing the circut class and I still cannot do some of the things well.

I know for me if I had not found this class I would have quit a long time ago from boredom. Funny that after all this time this year is the year I finally made up my mind that I am going to do it all, lose weight and get stonger. BTW I just turned 51 at the end of Feb.

You can do it and any exercise is better than not exercising at all.

Sharla_G

Thank you all for taking the time and effort to advise and encourage. I ordered the "NEW RULES..." book yesterday. I'm following up on the sites that you're suggesting as well.

The fitness club that I go to is small town, no classes offered. I don't see boredom as an issue for my personality type. I listen to my music and fantasize about being Wonder Woman.

My main struggle is feeling overwhelmed and inadequate to add a meaningful weight training program to what I'm already doing.

You all have steered my in several right directions. I feel better now about forging ahead.

kingscrown

This was me November 2011. I hired a trainer to help be figure out what I needed to do. About a year and half later I'm 78 lbs. lighter and training for a 5K.

mcdebbie

Thanks for the links and books, I will check them out also. (57 here - gasp)

mfpcopine

Don't be afraid to start with light weights and focus on your form and breathing. You need to condition your joints for the stress of heavier weights and find out if you have any physical vulnerabilities
After a few weeks, start increasing the weight very slowly. Observe how you feel.

llkilgore

I'll be 60 in a couple of months and have maintained at ~123lbs since the fall of 2011, following a loss of 58lbs. I started out on the gym resistance machines, and in fact joined the gym specifically for access to them, because it was the only sort of strength training I could motivate myself to do. I didn't have a problem with cardio, and sticking to a moderate calorie deficit was easier than I expected, but I could NOT seem to get started on any sort of home strength training program. So it was off to the gym. I'd used the machines decades before and they hadn't changed enough that I thought I needed a trainer, but if you think that would help... The most important thing is to GET STARTED.

People will tell you that the machines are less than ideal, which I'm sure is true, but they saved my make-over program and were more than adequate for my needs at the time. After a few months I was not only strong enough to do "real" (not girly) push ups and planks, I tackled the C25K program and breezed through it with relative ease. Becoming a runner at my age would have been beyond imagination before then. I let my gym membership lapse after reaching goal (never really enjoyed going there) and eventually settled into a free weights program at home. Motivation wasn't so hard once I'd gotten in the habit of doing it, especially after I realized how quickly I lose ground if I let things slide for too long. I found out that cardio alone doesn't keep me fit enough to continue doing the cardio, much less anything that requires strength.

Currently I'm doing a pull/push/legs 3 day split workout using mostly dumbbells (up to 25lbsx2) and put together at this site: http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Instructions.html . I do daily flexibility routines, also very important for older adults, from this site: http://www.fitnessblender.com/ , which is also my go to place for rainy day cardio. Running is my primary cardio.