Anonymous wrote:I think that this obsession with lifting "heavy" and mainlining protein among us perimenopausal women is a fad. I think if you are lifting at all and eating a reasonable amount of protein, you will do the job. As long as you get tired before doing like 30 or 40 reps, it's heavy enough. And increase the weight, do different exercises. Lift however you want to lift, eat reasonably. Stop letting IG influencers (because those capital D Doctors really are influencers) with their orthorexia and books to sell tell you how to live. Use common sense, look at the data, examine how it works for your life and body.

30 or 40 reps?!! Was that a typo!

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the poster above that there is something faddish about the current high protein heavy weight mantra. (Along with claims related to cortisol and belly fat from too much cardio.)

I truly believe different bodies need different things. Someday I won't be able to run distances but until then, that with basic strenght training (mostly with body weight) is what my body/mind asks for.

Same as some people thrive vegetarian and others high protein low carb ... you need to figure out what works for you not what the current trend is.

Agree. Not all bodies need the same thing and it's a fad whenever everyone is saying that everyone should do the same things.

I do not find I need to really load up my protein in order to see good results in terms of strength and endurance. It's important I consume protein after strength workouts for recovery but I don't fixate on it at every meal -- I eat pretty normally but schedule a protein-rich meal on weight lifting days and that's good enough for me.

Regarding lifting heavy I think it's really person-dependent. I can really push myself to increase weigth with upper body workouts but I have knee and lower back issues so I have to be thoughtful about how I approach lower body work. I back off a bit on weight sometimes and focus on form and reps. Does this maximize my strength potential? No but it keeps me healthy and prevents injury. I also balance weight lifting with barre and yoga which my PTs told me are great ways to maintain alignment and core strength for someone with my joint issues. And they were right -- doing barre once a week and yoga once a week has kept me out of my ortho's office for 5 years now without meds or surgery. Since my time is finite this cuts back on how much I lift and I think it's the right call for me. But I'm sure there are people with different bodies who might look for a different balance.

I agree with the poster above that there is something faddish about the current high protein heavy weight mantra. (Along with claims related to cortisol and belly fat from too much cardio.)

I truly believe different bodies need different things. Someday I won't be able to run distances but until then, that with basic strenght training (mostly with body weight) is what my body/mind asks for.

Same as some people thrive vegetarian and others high protein low carb ... you need to figure out what works for you not what the current trend is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your burn boot camp is more HIIT than true heavy lifting, drop that class and start doing weights in your own or an app. You are fit enough to squat (2) 25 pound dumbbells for 3 sets. That’s just a start. If your class isn’t doing that, you’re in the wrong class.

I have never that heavy, 25 strains my wrist joints too much.

Single leg squat with 30lb (15 each side) or iso for 20 sec one each side is just effective for strength gain.

You're not as serious about this as you think you are. Nothing wrong with that--it's not a morality exam. But no, squatting with 15 lb on each side is not "just effective for strength gain," unless you are very deconditioned to start with.

Lift more weight for the results you are describing wanting.

I think that this obsession with lifting "heavy" and mainlining protein among us perimenopausal women is a fad. I think if you are lifting at all and eating a reasonable amount of protein, you will do the job. As long as you get tired before doing like 30 or 40 reps, it's heavy enough. And increase the weight, do different exercises. Lift however you want to lift, eat reasonably. Stop letting IG influencers (because those capital D Doctors really are influencers) with their orthorexia and books to sell tell you how to live. Use common sense, look at the data, examine how it works for your life and body.

Read books by Dr Stacy Simms - lift heavy, protein, sprints, plyometrics.

I use Fitbod app

Anonymous wrote:OP, I started lifting for strength when I was 49. My goal was to squat and bench my body weight in one year. No trainer. I started benching at 65 lbs and added 5 lbs every two weeks (lifting 3x/wk). Took well over a year. Squat was similar. Now dead lift was my lift! Love it and I exceeded my goal. At 4 months, I could feel the muscles in my biceps and chest. Waist was.slightly smaller, but felt firm. Clothes fit better. When I started I ate about 2k calories a day and weight stayed steady. Only other exercise was walking the dog.
You should feel muscle, just a nice firmness at 4 months.
I am not bulky. I look athletic. and I am stronger now than when I was in my 20s.

Body weight bench is impressive for a female but if you can do that, you should be more ambitious on your squat and deadlift. 1.5xbw for squat and 2xbw for deadlift are good targets for women, unless they are very over weight. Unless you are dealing with an injury or another limitation on your lower body, these should very reachable goals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your burn boot camp is more HIIT than true heavy lifting, drop that class and start doing weights in your own or an app. You are fit enough to squat (2) 25 pound dumbbells for 3 sets. That’s just a start. If your class isn’t doing that, you’re in the wrong class.

I have never that heavy, 25 strains my wrist joints too much.

Single leg squat with 30lb (15 each side) or iso for 20 sec one each side is just effective for strength gain.

You're supposed to hold the dumbbells with your wrists straight, i.e. holding your hands up. Once you do it properly with 15 lbs, 20 lbs, etc., you won't have the problem with 30 lbs. You can also squat with the bar, which won't have the wrist limitations as the dumbbells.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t the dexa scan evaluating your bone density vs muscle or body fat?

No, it does both.

New poster. My dexa results only show me bone density results. How do you get muscle/fat results???

I went to place that tested composition and other things. That’s how I started my search. And that’s what I signed up for. Did you ask for a body composition scan? And if they said no, I’d ask if the place has can recommend another location that does it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t the dexa scan evaluating your bone density vs muscle or body fat?

No, it does both.

New poster. My dexa results only show me bone density results. How do you get muscle/fat results???

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, look into watching some YouTube videos with Mike Israetel, Ph. D. in Sport Physiology.

I love learning about the mechanics of lifting and progression. He’s got great content to help you work on form to see gains.

Here’s one of his videos

Hey OP, look into watching some YouTube videos with Mike Israetel, Ph. D. in Sport Physiology.

I love learning about the mechanics of lifting and progression. He’s got great content to help you work on form to see gains.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your burn boot camp is more HIIT than true heavy lifting, drop that class and start doing weights in your own or an app. You are fit enough to squat (2) 25 pound dumbbells for 3 sets. That’s just a start. If your class isn’t doing that, you’re in the wrong class.

I have never that heavy, 25 strains my wrist joints too much.

Single leg squat with 30lb (15 each side) or iso for 20 sec one each side is just effective for strength gain.

Then you need to build up strength in your wrists … if you refuse to lift a weight heavier than 15 lbs, no you will not make gains!

That's not true. Depends on the training/exact move.

A lot of gymnast trains with body weight and can become super strong.

It’s going to be much harder. And if PP cannot handle a dumbell over 15lbs then they likely cannot handle body weight exercises that place weight on the wrists either.

A lot of body weight can be modified so that you don’t rely on your wrist. For example, elevated Bulgaria split squat with a kettle bell is great at building at
Strength without use of wrist.

Super slow Single arm row on trx also doesn’t apply pressure to wrist. But bend over rowing with a 50lb bar does!

OP, I started lifting for strength when I was 49. My goal was to squat and bench my body weight in one year. No trainer. I started benching at 65 lbs and added 5 lbs every two weeks (lifting 3x/wk). Took well over a year. Squat was similar. Now dead lift was my lift! Love it and I exceeded my goal. At 4 months, I could feel the muscles in my biceps and chest. Waist was.slightly smaller, but felt firm. Clothes fit better. When I started I ate about 2k calories a day and weight stayed steady. Only other exercise was walking the dog.
You should feel muscle, just a nice firmness at 4 months.
I am not bulky. I look athletic. and I am stronger now than when I was in my 20s.