Weak 49 year old woman weight training- advice?

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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 ...

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

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.