Not into weight lifting. Is it really necessary at all?

I don't like doing planks, but I do them anyway. I don't like going to the dentist, but I do. I don't like spinach, but I eat it. Life is full of these decisions. Sounds like you don't want to strength train, and you won't. So, don't. Like everyone else, you decide what your goals are and how you'd like to get there.

Lol. I actually love doing planks. I can hold one in good form forever. I hate sideovers though.

Yup, I've been struggling with whether or not to reincorporate weight lifting. Part of it is intimidation cause I don't know how anymore. And part of it is worry about spending too much time doing it, cause I used to be really into the whole 4 days a week or more and a split routine. And it's time consuming. Then, last, I think or wonder, is it really necessary when I already like other things I can maintain muscle mass with...or at least I think I can.

I am worried about losing muscle mass as I age though, thus my thinking about all of this.

I call BS on this.

3-5 sets, 5-10 reps of squats, bench press, rows on Monday, should take about 30 minutes
3-5 sets, 5-10 reps of deads, pull-ups, overhead press, should take about 30 minutes

No reason to do time consuming iso work or several day per week splits.

Honestly, I despise going to the gym and lifting weights. I find it fantastically boring and tedious. I know many people love it, but it just ain't my thing. So, about 6 weeks ago, I started going to Crossfit. I now am really enjoying lifting heavy weight and I am starting to see some changes and results. I have always been a believer in the benefits of lifting but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. What I would tell you OP is to find some way to incorporate weights that you enjoy. You WILL see a benefit.

I don't like doing planks, but I do them anyway. I don't like going to the dentist, but I do. I don't like spinach, but I eat it. Life is full of these decisions. Sounds like you don't want to strength train, and you won't. So, don't. Like everyone else, you decide what your goals are and how you'd like to get there.

Lol. I actually love doing planks. I can hold one in good form forever. I hate sideovers though.

Yup, I've been struggling with whether or not to reincorporate weight lifting. Part of it is intimidation cause I don't know how anymore. And part of it is worry about spending too much time doing it, cause I used to be really into the whole 4 days a week or more and a split routine. And it's time consuming. Then, last, I think or wonder, is it really necessary when I already like other things I can maintain muscle mass with...or at least I think I can.

I am worried about losing muscle mass as I age though, thus my thinking about all of this.

I call BS on this.

3-5 sets, 5-10 reps of squats, bench press, rows on Monday, should take about 30 minutes
3-5 sets, 5-10 reps of deads, pull-ups, overhead press, should take about 30 minutes

No reason to do time consuming iso work or several day per week splits.

You might be right. This was in my 20's though. And one, might have just taken me longer. And two, my boyfriend at the time practically lived at the gym. So guess where I would go a lot too.

But I also know my personality and when I get into something, sometimes I really throw myself into it completely. So it is something I actually know about myself and consider.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is to discern between an excuse and a reason. As you're thinking about why you should or shouldn't lift, make sure you are separating the reasons from the excuses.

Let's face it, if you dislike lifting, you're not going to do it, whether we tell you its necessary or not.

I believe strength training is critical to being healthy. It is especially critical for women, as they get older, for bone health (i.e. lifting a heavy load strengthens your bones, not just your muscles).

And just for the sake of keeping it real, those ballerinas you're talking about have been training and eating a certain way for most of their lives. You're not going to get a body like that from a few months of yoga and pilates.

QFT.

Find some sort of strength training that you do enjoy doing and do that. Body weight training, for example. The important part is for it to be progressive.

The debate on whether or not dancers & gymnasts lift - they may not. It may be all body weight. But what you need to remember is that they are increasing their ability to do difficult moves and requiring more out of their body as they learn and train. That is progression. They continue to do a more difficult body weight workout regularly.....they don't stop at a cartwheel.

My legs are very muscular - mostly from Zumba and cardio. But I do also do the "toning" sections which include planks, push-ups etc and some exercises with hand weights. In fact I've just ordered some bigger weights because I've been using the ones I had for 6 months and they are small (and a bit rubbish - wrist/ankle ones that are really uncomfortable :ohwell: )

I'm really not into lifting stuff - I would just find it boring - but I'll do a Davina body pump with weights, or a Rosemary Conley session for abs etc.

As others have said, its finding what works for you and what you're prepared to do - no point signing up for something you won't keep to.

I would maybe try a more body-weight based program. Dancers have awesome legs cause we do lots of plies (think body-weight sumo squats), going up on our toes, jumping, holding awkward positions, etc.

The point is, no matter what you do, it's going to take hard work. Ballerinas (and dancers in general) work really hard and professionals dance for 8+ hours a day.

It's not as if OP is saying, "can I just do cardio?", or "do I really need muscles?". She is doing work-outs that do focus on muscles. Body weight training is an effective way to improve muscle health and build muscle. She isn't asking how to be the next strong woman championship body builder. To maintain a balanced healthy lifestyle all that is required is some kind of strength training- this can be met with yoga and pilates. I would add other body weight exercises, too (squats, lunges, wall-sits, push-ups, planks, tricep dips, what have you).

That helps. Thank you. I do already incorporate most of those things.

I should add I don't just do mat pilates. I have a personal trainer and we use both the reformer machines and gyrotonic. They both have weights on them, as opposed to just the floor work. It's just not traditional weight lifting.

resistance training is not limited to "weight lifting"

Yoga is a form of resistance training

It's not necessary, but there are a lot of benefits, especially as you age. You reach your peak strength by age 25.

Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. If you are not working to preserve the lean body mass, you will increase the percentage of fat.

Strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

As you gain muscle, your body begins to burn calories more efficiently.

As you get stronger, you won't fatigue as easily. Building muscle also contributes to better balance, and enhances performance in other sports.

Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including back pain, arthritis, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

I am worried about losing muscle mass as I age though, thus my thinking about all of this.

Then I recommend that you consider lifting weights.

As a practical matter, I believe it is by far MORE necessary for women to do strength training than it is for me, as we age. Bone health and all that.

It's probably easier to get in 10-15 minutes of weightlifting 4-5 days a week, say, before or after your other stuff than to try to fit in longer weightlifting-only workouts. If you did compound lifts, like deadlifts, squats, and an upper body pull and push you could just do one of those at each workout and it'd be better than nothing. Think of it like rehab or medicine. Nobody likes to take time to do a warm-up, pre-hab work, or cool-down, but it needs to be done anyway. It's just housekeeping.

That coupled with power yoga, bodyweight exercises and your reformer Pilates sounds like it'd be pretty good.

Why not do both? Three days a week I do a half hour of strength training, then I do 47 minutes of pilates. Two days a week I do an hour of pilates. I'm not a big fan of strength training, but I find it's helped me greatly.

It's really your choice. Do what you like.

Resistance training of some kind is essential IMHO...weight training happens to be the most efficient way to train your muscles in the least amount of time. You can do body resistance training too, but it takes a lot more time and eventually will require some imaginative thinking to keep challenging your muscles.

Every sport I've ever played...Track and Field, Football, Soccer, Swim Team, Diving, Wrestling, Basket ball, golf, and tennis all required some form of weight training...obviously I lifted a lot more and differently playing football than I did with the swim team...but nevertheless, weight training was an important aspect of my training...so I'm not sure where all of this, "well these athletes don't weight train and those athletes don't weight train" is coming from

Can do a lot of strength training without weights. But weights are in many ways easier, especially if you're starting out weak. Setting up a workout structure and progressive training is pretty simple.

Bodyweight can be really great, but also can be just f'ing around and avoiding weak points.

It's definitely not necessary. But it is helpful, and good for you. Here's the thing: If feeling like having to lift weights is going to deter you from working out because you dread it that much, don't do it. But if it's a minor annoyance to spend a little time on it every week, you might just want to do it since it's great for lean muscle mass and looking good.

Spot on. The thing is, especially for women, it becomes more important as we age, because for example, we lose significant bone density as we creep up to menopause. Weight lifting increases bone density, therefore minimizing the effects of aging on our bodies.

Plus I love knowing that I can deadlift my husband if I needed to (not sure why I would, but still.) I love feeling strong and capable, and lifting helps me feel that way, even though my body still has a good bit of fat to lose.