Thanks for all the ideas! I do think that I’ll probably want to work with a trainer at some point (I’m doing PT for a non-strength training injury related right now so I know how much easier it is to get injured as you get older) but it doesn’t really fit into my budget right now. I’ll see what I can do with just the dumbbells and plan to hold off on anything with a barbell until I can work with a trainer. I’ll also check out the Menopocalypse book - hadn’t heard of that one.

I do all my squats and deadlifts with barbells and kettle bells. You don’t really need a bar for that…. At least not while you’re getting started. Up to 50 lbs with bar bells for those exercises is NBD, especially the dead lifts

tonal tonal tonal! I've had mine for 3 years and love it so much!

You can absolutely start lifting heavy weights at 45. It's not bulk, it's muscle, and it's a good thing.

I think you can get very far with two adjustable dumbbells. You need to choose exercises where less weight works your muscles more. For instance, a deep goblet squat rather than a barbell squat. One-legged deadlifts instead of two. Lifting more reps at a slower tempo. This means that you can't just do any program that expects you to have heavy weights, but you can get plenty strong and build muscle. A trainer might help. In her book Menopocalypse, Amanda Thebe provides a routine that uses up to a 30 lb pair of dumbells (I believe that's each bell, so 60 total). I also love all the information on Nia Shank's website. She has some dumbbell workout plans as well as advice on how to make an exercise harder without more weight.

I'm in my mid-40s and have made some amazing changes to my body in the last year without lifting more than 50lbs at a time. Eventually I will want to join a gym to lift heavier, but I think you can get off to a good start and make plenty of progress for a while before that's necessary.

Anonymous wrote:Starting to lift heavy weights at age 45 doesn't seem wise. Too much risk of injury & no need for bulk during middle age and beyond.

Have you considered adding or increasing aerobic exercise in addition to lifting moderate amounts of weight ?

WRONG!!! My sister started lifting heavy and doing Crossfit at age 60, and loved it so much that she started competing in Powerlifting (Deadlift, Squat, Chest Press). Now at 65, she holds the record in her age group. She did begin by working with a trainer since she had NO prior experience with strength training. The advice to work with a trainer (for proper form) is spot on for lifting heavy. She also lost about 45lbs and went from a size 12 to size 6 and looks 15 years younger. GO FOR IT OP!!

Starting to lift heavy weights at age 45 doesn't seem wise. Too much risk of injury & no need for bulk during middle age and beyond.

Have you considered adding or increasing aerobic exercise in addition to lifting moderate amounts of weight ?

Anonymous wrote:I'm a 45 yo woman and plan to start lifting heavier weights after reading about the benefits of doing that. I have Lou Schuler's book "Strong", which has a detailed weight lifting routine to follow. I don't have much equipment yet - my heaviest dumbbells go up to 15 lbs, and I borrowed some 20 lb dumbbells from a friend. I'm planning to buy a set of adjustable dumbbells once Black Friday sales start so I'll have more weight options, and will be buying a bench. I think that will be enough to start, but I'll eventually need some sort of barbell for squats and deadlifts.

Not having lifted heavy weights before, would something like the Bowflex adjustable barbell, which can have up to 120 lbs of weight, be enough weight? I'd rather not do a traditional barbell and weight plates because of how much room it would take to store.

Also, are there any good streaming options for lifting heavier weights? The programs that I've done in the past do more moderate weights and high reps, so they don't work for this.

I’ve done Strong and you’ll really need to go to a gym unless you want to spend a lot of $$ for all the equipment. Not only will you need barbells, you’ll need the machine with the pullies and TRX bands, plus places to put them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard good things about Carolyn Girvan online.

That said, it sounds like you are new to lifting. Lifting heavy takes time to work up to. In your 40s you're also much more prone to injury (ask me how I know), so it should be slow slow progress. If you're new to lifting, I would suggest you see a trainer for a while. It's SO easy to blow out your back.

I definitely agree with getting a trainer before lifting heavy. You can easily pull your back with poor form. You can also easily injure your shoulders ig you are not holding dumbbells correctly doing behind press (elbows should never be straight out but rather in at a 45 degree angle).

I am 46 and have been strength training for about a year with a trainer and can’t recommend this, as others have said, enough. A few weeks ago I tried an online strength workout and even with the knowledge of working with a trainer and proper form I caught myself going too fast to follow workout and form started to suffer. A trainer will give you the confidence of proper form which is so important at our age. Injuries happen so easily!

Sam Sweeney app. Absolutely love it for lifting.

Barbells are of limited utility without a squat rack and a chest press rack. You could deadlift a 120-lb barbell, but you can't squat with it (or even a barbell of 80 lbs) without a rack, because it's too heavy to lift over your head. It's hard to lift heavy at home unless you have at least a squat rack, or a Tonal.

Anonymous wrote:I've heard good things about Carolyn Girvan online.

That said, it sounds like you are new to lifting. Lifting heavy takes time to work up to. In your 40s you're also much more prone to injury (ask me how I know), so it should be slow slow progress. If you're new to lifting, I would suggest you see a trainer for a while. It's SO easy to blow out your back.

I definitely agree with getting a trainer before lifting heavy. You can easily pull your back with poor form. You can also easily injure your shoulders ig you are not holding dumbbells correctly doing behind press (elbows should never be straight out but rather in at a 45 degree angle).

I've heard good things about Carolyn Girvan online.

That said, it sounds like you are new to lifting. Lifting heavy takes time to work up to. In your 40s you're also much more prone to injury (ask me how I know), so it should be slow slow progress. If you're new to lifting, I would suggest you see a trainer for a while. It's SO easy to blow out your back.

Bowflex adjustable dumbbells are great and should be plenty of weigh for you. jus the careful not to ever drop them as they will break if dropped. Power blocks are another option for adjustable dumbbells.

A limit of 120 lbs on an adjustable barbell will be limiting. 120 is no much weight when it comes to deadlifts. It also looks like you need to remove the weights/adjust it in the holder on the floor. If you can't put it onto a high rack it will be difficult to do a back squat.

I love my Lululemon mirror but Tonal may be a good option too.

I'm a 45 yo woman and plan to start lifting heavier weights after reading about the benefits of doing that. I have Lou Schuler's book "Strong", which has a detailed weight lifting routine to follow. I don't have much equipment yet - my heaviest dumbbells go up to 15 lbs, and I borrowed some 20 lb dumbbells from a friend. I'm planning to buy a set of adjustable dumbbells once Black Friday sales start so I'll have more weight options, and will be buying a bench. I think that will be enough to start, but I'll eventually need some sort of barbell for squats and deadlifts.

Not having lifted heavy weights before, would something like the Bowflex adjustable barbell, which can have up to 120 lbs of weight, be enough weight? I'd rather not do a traditional barbell and weight plates because of how much room it would take to store.

Also, are there any good streaming options for lifting heavier weights? The programs that I've done in the past do more moderate weights and high reps, so they don't work for this.