Starting weight training

[Anonymous]

I’m 40, been overweight my whole life. My goal right now is just to get stronger so I’m doing personal training plus a group class three times a week.

When will I first notice a difference? I know it’s a very long term goal but trying to set my expectations correctly and I just have no idea how soon I would see any noticeable change especially at my age.

[Anonymous]

What kind of change are you expecting? You say you hope to get stronger. That should happen very quickly for a beginner. If you are expecting to see a change in appearance, you need to address your nutrition too.

[Anonymous]

A difference in how I feel. Right now I frequently feel stiff or sore after bending over or sitting with kids. Or have trouble getting up from the floor. Wondering when I’ll feel a difference there. I know weight will be a separate battle.

[Anonymous]

I’m older but I already felt better and stronger just a couple weeks in of weight training three days a week. But the weight isn’t coming down at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A difference in how I feel. Right now I frequently feel stiff or sore after bending over or sitting with kids. Or have trouble getting up from the floor. Wondering when I’ll feel a difference there. I know weight will be a separate battle.

That should come pretty fast. You should however also introduce some foam rolling and mobility work. Without that working out might actually also contribute to stiffness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A difference in how I feel. Right now I frequently feel stiff or sore after bending over or sitting with kids. Or have trouble getting up from the floor. Wondering when I’ll feel a difference there. I know weight will be a separate battle.

I'm sixty-two and started regular strength training with an experienced trainer about 6 mos. ago (2x weekly with trainer in gym, 1x weekly at home with dumbbell set), after doing little to no exercise most of my life. Prior to that, I had experienced stiffness after sitting too long for at least two decades and had terrible posture (desk jobs and too much screen time can do that to anyone). I was told by a doctor while still in my 30s that I had osteoarthritis. Yoga helped a bit with my chronic stiffness, but sticking to a regular strength training program has helped me even more. Six months in, I'm bounding up stairs, have much more energy, have noticed improved posture, and have also experienced a boost in mood. I don't experience the same stiffness getting out of bed or after sitting too long. I can get up off the ground in seconds. In addition to strength training, I try to get up from my chair every hour and move around as much as I can throughout the day--an Apple Watch or a reminder app can help with that. It took a month of strength training 2x a week to start feeling a positive difference. Please note that you will experience soreness for a while as you begin to use little-used muscles, but that does dissipate with time. By month 3-4, when I started to add a 3rd training session at week at home, I really started to feel a difference. It has been transformative in so many ways and I don't say this lightly.

In terms of looking better, that can only come with weight loss since the fat covers up muscle definition. I'm losing weight concurrently and can definitely see improved muscle definition in my arms and legs, but I need to lose the remaining fat to see the full effect. A thin person would likely see a physical difference much more quickly.

Let me know if you have any more questions or need more encouragement. You are on the right track and just need to establish a regular strength training schedule. I know that's easier said than done when you have kids, but you will feel so much better when you do. And what a great example to set for your kids, no matter their age!

[Anonymous]

Depends on the exercise program and your tendency to build muscle. It can take from a few weeks to a few months, but it's generally on the faster end if you're a beginner.

For standing and sitting, I like strength training (pushups, planks, bridges, clamshells) much more than weights.

[Anonymous]

Do cardio and eat much less. Weight training seems like another self-defeating diet strategy. It's like, "I want to lose weight, but I was it to be easy and to eat as much as I eat now."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do cardio and eat much less. Weight training seems like another self-defeating diet strategy. It's like, "I want to lose weight, but I was it to be easy and to eat as much as I eat now."

Ignore this person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do cardio and eat much less. Weight training seems like another self-defeating diet strategy. It's like, "I want to lose weight, but I was it to be easy and to eat as much as I eat now."

F off with your negativity. You're either a troll or an unpleasant person. OP literally said "My goal right now is just to get stronger" so I'm not sure why you're saying that weight training is a "self-defeating diet strategy."

Strength training is particularly important for overall well-being, especially for women over 40 since we lose so much muscle as we age. It's a good thing to do regardless of weight.

[Anonymous]

Don't count days or weeks. One day you'll pick up the same thing you have been picking up for a long time and it'll feel lighter. You;ll go up the stairs you have always gone up and your legs will be a little less tired. Physical actions will keep getting incrementally easier the longer you work at this.

[Anonymous]

Maybe a month of consistent lifting? The soreness will improve but it’s a good sign you are pushing yourself. Hopefully the trainer is giving you good challenges with heavy weights. There will be a moment when you’re just standing there and realize how strong and stable you feel! It’s awesome

[Anonymous]

Make sure you up your protein by a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do cardio and eat much less. Weight training seems like another self-defeating diet strategy. It's like, "I want to lose weight, but I was it to be easy and to eat as much as I eat now."

F off with your negativity. You're either a troll or an unpleasant person. OP literally said "My goal right now is just to get stronger" so I'm not sure why you're saying that weight training is a "self-defeating diet strategy."

Strength training is particularly important for overall well-being, especially for women over 40 since we lose so much muscle as we age. It's a good thing to do regardless of weight.

Bla, bla, bla, I am way over 50 and full of muscles form cardio! Strength training is crap that some youtubers are trying to sell you, and you bought it, because you are that kind of person that insults rather than debates. It is 100 % self-defeating diet strategy; she will gain weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do cardio and eat much less. Weight training seems like another self-defeating diet strategy. It's like, "I want to lose weight, but I was it to be easy and to eat as much as I eat now."

F off with your negativity. You're either a troll or an unpleasant person. OP literally said "My goal right now is just to get stronger" so I'm not sure why you're saying that weight training is a "self-defeating diet strategy."

Strength training is particularly important for overall well-being, especially for women over 40 since we lose so much muscle as we age. It's a good thing to do regardless of weight.

Bla, bla, bla, I am way over 50 and full of muscles form cardio! Strength training is crap that some youtubers are trying to sell you, and you bought it, because you are that kind of person that insults rather than debates. It is 100 % self-defeating diet strategy; she will gain weight.

Strength training isn't crap. It's an important part of staying healthy, and is particularly important for endurance athletes. OP should do both cardio and strength training.