Women over 40 and already lifting? Let's build a supportive community!

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  • 60to35
    60to35 Posts: 297 Member
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    @klaak I have a suggestion for you but please take it as that. I don't like pushing diets on anyone as I am not a doctor or dietitian but this way of eating worked for me. I am also hypothyroid and struggled with 30 extra pounds FOREVER, even sometimes running 200 miles a month. It is-
    The Paleo Thyroid Solution by Elle Russ

    Best of luck. I hope you find a solution.
  • runningforthetrain
    runningforthetrain Posts: 1,037 Member
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    I'm in.
  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
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    luluinca wrote: »
    @WithWhatsLeft I spent 10 weeks in PT for what they called Frozen Shoulder with a possible small rotator cuff tear. I do the therapy at home still and at the gym. I spend at least 15 minutes or more a day just doing that.

    I've gradually been able to add a few things back into my workouts but at much lower weight than I was doing before my injury.

    I do a lot with 8 lb weights, lateral raises, fwd raises, bicep curls/pistols/overhand and then do a lot of shoulder rotations with the cable machines as well as pull downs and flys. I just added back in incline shoulder press but only with 17.5 DB's and a floor press with the bar only. I also do a farmer's walk with one arm raised w/only a 10 lb Kettlebell and the other arm down with a 35 lb KB and then switch.

    I started swimming again yesterday, doing backstroke, but I could feel it so only went 10 min swimming then 5 min treading water, then repeated that 3 times for a total of 45 mins. I didn't feel any worse for wear afterwards so I hope it was more therapeutic than stressful on the shoulder.

    Hope some of this helps!

    Yes thanks, especially the reminder to continue the therapy and strengthening at home, which I have been very slack about.
  • SugarySweetheart
    SugarySweetheart Posts: 154 Member
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    I'm 49 yrs old and losing weight, so I need to start lifting weights. I hate the bat arms I'm getting and if I don't start lifting soon I'll soon fly away... so .... help!
  • Cinflo58
    Cinflo58 Posts: 326 Member
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    Hi ladies, i am not sure if this is the right group for me. I am 57, soon to be 58 y/o. My main exercise is cycling and i started lifting and doing core work to improve my riding. I have had a personal trainer for one day a week for 2 months and I GAINED 1/2 - 1 inch everywhere on my body including my waist with no weight loss. So i think it is an increase in muscle. I know I don't have any fat on my shoulders. 2-3 years ago did intermittent fasting and got down to 122 lbs. I know i lost both fat+muscle. Now i am back up to 139 and I am 5'3 - so my goal is now 125-130. I have a hard time letting go of the dream to have that 20 year old body again. It ain't gonna happen without liposuction. I only have 10 lbs to lose, and will ever be able to get rid of this belly at my age?
  • modmom1
    modmom1 Posts: 210 Member
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    @WithWhatsLeft I am going through rotator cuff rehab right now as well. Doc recommended 12 weeks of aggressive physio. I haven't started yet, but I've been working on it myself mostly through yoga and continuously stretching it during the day. In a week I went from not being able to place the back of my hand on my lower back, to being able to touch my mid back (for comparison, my 'good' hand can reach way up between my shoulder blades). I have yoga to thank for that. Hope you find something that works for you

    Welcome @cinflo58, @sugarysweetheart, @runningforthetrain and @klaak
  • modmom1
    modmom1 Posts: 210 Member
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    So I'm planning a photoshoot in 11 days. It just kind of happened and I'm quite excited about it (and very intimidated). I'm not in competition form...haven't ever gone that route. My upper body is good, but I carry extra on my lower body and there are no visible abs).

    My gf is a photographer and they are doing a one day blitz for fitness shoots at a really great price. My goal is to capture the effort that I put into my health. I got my personal training certificate a year ago so I do some training outside of my day job and I want to use the photos for that. No one but my husband knows I'm doing this (that's for my own mindful protection..in case I'm disappointed in the photos lol)

    I've been doing a lot of research for prepping before a shoot and I think I have a pretty good plan of manipulating protein, carbs, sodium and water. From now until 5 days out I'll be shooting for:
    1.5grams protein/lb of body weight
    .5 grams of carbs/lb of bw
    maintaining bw x 10 for calories.

    For the last 5 days I'll be running a schedule of dropping carbs and then a high increase. Calories will stay the same. I'm not trying to go extreme, but I want to look the leanest I can and still look healthy and round out the muscles.

    For any of you that have prepped before, how do I handle the day of the shoot? It's in the afternoon. I'm reading that its very minimal water and frequent carbs (dry carbs every few hours). Can you help me with that?

    And if anyone has advice, I'll take it!
  • modmom1
    modmom1 Posts: 210 Member
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    Good morning ladies! I wanted to share this kick *kitten* biceps/triceps workout I did last night. It hurt so good!! A lot more reps than I usually plan but it was a good challenge to really switch it up. I tried not to drop my weight too much but it is necessary to drop if you're used to 8-12 reps. Push hard!!
    Have a great Tuesday!

    Single arm curls 4 sets: 30, 25,20,15 reps
    Overhead tri ext 4 sets: 30, 25, 20, 15
    Concentration curls 3 sets: 30, 25, 20
    Skull crushers 3 sets: 25, 20, 15
    Alt hammer curls 4 sets: 30, 25, 20, 15
    Tri kickbacks 3 sets: 20, 15, 10

    Hit some abs between sets, you know, 'cause we're crazy like that
  • dcresider
    dcresider Posts: 1,272 Member
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    Hi ladies. 46 and 5'1" petite lady who's fairly active doing SL and running and bicycling. I've been doing SL for a few months now but have slightly injured my rotator cuff and trying to get back to it by increasing weight and reps gradually. My downfall: I'm a foodie and love the vino and try to incorporate it within my macros. I'm currently eating 1290 calories and eating my cardio calories back. Still have a lot of fat to lose and hoping that all this hard work will eventually pay off.
  • modmom1
    modmom1 Posts: 210 Member
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    Great to meet you @dcresider
    Seems like a lot of rotator cuff injuries around here. You'll have to share some of your favorite recipes!
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    @modmom1, your photo shoot sounds like so much fun! I've never done anything like that, but I did do a boudoir shoot for my husband a couple of years ago. I hadn't been working out at all, and I only had a couple of weeks notice, so I pretty much cut all carbs/sugar and did Jillian Michaels ab workouts every day. LOL

    I have a friend that specializes in athlete/dancer children's photos (her daughter is a competitive gymnast) and they are so breathtaking. http://cathynoblephotography.com/index2.php?v=v1 Check out the artists and athletes section. You might find some poses/inspiration.
  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
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    Back to the weight room today - first in a long, long time.

    Day 1 of SL 5x5 - I did the beginner start, where you don't load any weights and just use the barbell. It felt weird not loading anything but I hurt myself doing my own "thang" so now I'm going to do an actual program and I want to ensure I don't overstress my shoulder. :wink:

    I also did some rotator cuff work. Face presses, after reading this: http://www.primalhub.com/how-to-strengthen-your-rotator-cuff-video/, then scapulars and internal / external rotations per this: http://www.muscleforlife.com/rotator-cuff-exercises/.

    Low weights, nice and easy, wake everything back up!
  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
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    dcresider wrote: »
    Hi ladies. 46 and 5'1" petite lady who's fairly active doing SL and running and bicycling. I've been doing SL for a few months now but have slightly injured my rotator cuff and trying to get back to it by increasing weight and reps gradually. My downfall: I'm a foodie and love the vino and try to incorporate it within my macros. I'm currently eating 1290 calories and eating my cardio calories back. Still have a lot of fat to lose and hoping that all this hard work will eventually pay off.

    I'm off the sauce for a while. I love wine and good food, so much. But I just cannot drink and lose at the same time.

    It's horrible.
    6l6ncrlcq3x4.jpg

  • modmom1
    modmom1 Posts: 210 Member
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    @mom23mangos those photos are beautiful. So artistic and graceful. Thank you for sharing. I am looking hard for inspirational photos. Everything seems to be no clothes and lots of *kitten* hahahaha. I'm thinking more along the lines of combining yoga poses with dumbbells. I will have pants on!!

    That baby face is cracking me up
  • alesiasmith8269
    alesiasmith8269 Posts: 24 Member
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    modmom1 wrote: »
    Hey gals! I think it would be great to get together with other women over 40 who have a real interest in lifting and want to be actively chatting with each other. Whether you're on your first program, been at it a few months, or even a few years...we can all learn from each other. Let's face it, keeping fit or finding fitness over 40 is HARD!

    I'm 46 and have been lifting off and on for about 5 years but have been more committed to it over the last year. Yoga is also a big part of my practice. I come from a lifetime of weight struggles and thyroid issues (I no longer have one) and this road into strength training is creating wonderful changes to my body. My only regret is that I didn't find it sooner in life. I have no desire to compete, just to be the strongest, healthiest me and balance it with life enjoyment (that means don't touch my cookies hahaha)

    So shout out! Where are you in your strength training journey? Let's be supportive of each other! Let's hand out the HIGH FIVES for the great days and give support for the low. Let's talk workouts, bucket lists, frustrations, and the best in compression workout clothes to hug that 40+ year old body in and up lol.

    If there's enough interest here, I'll start a private group for us

  • alesiasmith8269
    alesiasmith8269 Posts: 24 Member
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    Hi,mob mom I am 46 struggle with loosing weight and really want to see results faster than I do motivation I need and support that will give me more motivation to continue. Thanks in advance Alesia.
  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
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    modmom1 wrote: »
    @WithWhatsLeft I am going through rotator cuff rehab right now as well. Doc recommended 12 weeks of aggressive physio. I haven't started yet, but I've been working on it myself mostly through yoga and continuously stretching it during the day. In a week I went from not being able to place the back of my hand on my lower back, to being able to touch my mid back (for comparison, my 'good' hand can reach way up between my shoulder blades). I have yoga to thank for that. Hope you find something that works for you

    Welcome @cinflo58, @sugarysweetheart, @runningforthetrain and @klaak

    Thanks! I actually did 12 weeks of PT. My RC injury wasn't bad, but unknown to me until my evaluation, my muscles were so tight and knotted (no rolling, massage or proper stretching) that when I laid on my back, my shoulders didn't touch the table! I was a mess. PT assistants kept asking me if I'd been in a car wreck. I could barely turn my head.

    Alsso wasn't using proper form when lifting and was letting my dominant right side bear the burden - for example, when doing rows, I wasn't squeezing my shoulder blades to ensure both sides were working equally. The effect this had was a pinching sensation in my left shoulder when I ran, that I couldn't figure out. Very uncomfortable. Finally the PT felt me up again (lol) and realized that my rib cage was now a tiny bit crooked. She had the largest PT in the practice come adjust me. And it worked, although I felt like he beat me up for a few days!

    I'm now being *very* careful at the gym, I'm being more vigilant about doing the exercises at home I'm supposed to, and I like this yoga sequence for neck and shoulders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLVYdiY_T0E
  • megemrj
    megemrj Posts: 547 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Did my strong Lifts today. Still pretty low on the weights I think but I am progressing. I held back on progression for awhile to work on form.

    Squats: I do Sumo as I am able to get close to or break parallel there. I was in a car accident in my teens (oh my that was 24 years ago!!!!) and am missing ligament/cartilage & part of bone in my right knee. WOW!!! 24 years ago (O.O)...

    On to question- do any of you do squats other than back squats as part of your normal routine? Not just strong Lifts but any routines.

    Hubs thinks I'm odd for the Sumo but with the knee, it's the most comfortable, controllable, and doesn't cause swelling (too badly) afterwards. I do catch myself having to correct my stance on deadlift and rows often as I try to assume the Sumo stance. LOL

    Eta: BC I'm a goober and forget stuff
  • dcresider
    dcresider Posts: 1,272 Member
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    @modmom1 - I've always had weak shoulders so I'll need take it slow. My highest bench press was up to 85 lbs. but then realized my form wasn't good. Once I did it correctly (bench all the way down to your chest), it was harder than I expected.

    @WithWhatsLeft - I know about the vino so I'm cutting down to one glass ever other night with dinner, although now it's beer season. Yikes! Sorry about your rotator cuff problems. Mine started just recently so I've cut down on the weight and focusing on form. Its still twinges ocassionally

    @megemrg - do whatever is comfortable for you but eventually try to get your legs more parallel to your shoulders. Also, someone told me to do wall sits and slowly go down as far as you can and hold for a while. This should open your hips (my hips are really tight) and it's amazing how far down I can go now. Good luck!
  • megemrj
    megemrj Posts: 547 Member
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    @dcresider. Thanks for the feedback.

    I've heard of the wall sits too. I do assisted/braced squats (not sure that's the correct name) in between each of my Sumo sets. I hold on to one side of the rack very low down with my hands and squat as low as possible and hold for awhile, until my hip begins to ache. I am able to get pretty close to heels. I do the position in Sumo stance. Think maybe I should try it in back squat?

    I do the wall sits when I use my cage at home but need to implement them more as I'm not consistent with them each time. I don't do them at the gym as I would be facing the guys working out. That weirds me out. I like to pretend I'm alone, if i can't see them, they aren't there! Works great until the hubs walks over and reminds me, yep others are here. I'm working on expanding my comfort zone a few more feet though...baby steps you know. ;)

    Also, God blessed me, ABUNDANTLY, with a big butt, huge tight calfs, inner ear imbalance, and over all clumsiness. Not excuses, just things I work with. Any help with those areas?

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