Weight training for women

Seriously, just do it.

An estimated 1.5 million fractures occur annually in the US in women over 50 years old. (1)

Resistance exercise helps protect our bones far more than calcium tablets or buckets of yogurt. As women age, our bodies stop secreting estrogen, which can lead to low bone mass and increased susceptibility to fractures, mostly of the hip, spine, and wrist.

Weight bearing exercise not only helps our bones, but also our balance, coordination, posture, and strength. It keeps you independent as you age, and that’s important to me. But there’s a right way to do it — and it’s taken me a fair amount of injury to figure it out. I’m not very good at being a beginner, and I have the heating pad to prove it.

However, age brings wisdom, or you just get sick of doing the same stupid thing over and over again, and you change your approach. You need consistency and patience. When you finally realize you’re in it for the long haul, you can just relax and enjoy the progress, no matter how slow the pace.

I had a bum hip for years and eventually the pain stopped me from doing much more than slow walking. My muscles wasted to the point that my butt just turned itself off. I could only do shallow squats, and getting out of a chair was painful. I was 50. That was not okay.

Reluctantly, but now grateful, I had hip restoration surgery in Jan 2020. One of the best parts about the surgery was the mandatory physical therapy. It reminded me that I actually like strength training.

Gentlest place to start

In addition to the PT exercises, I bounced on my mini-trampoline. This is also known as rebounding.

Rebounding is gentle on the joints and helps improve balance and coordination. The effects of gravity when bouncing help to renew and strengthen bones, as they are placed under pressure every time your feet touch the mat. It is a simple, pleasurable, and gentle way to start boosting your bone health.

If balance is an issue, explore Bellicon — this is the rebounder I have, and I bought it almost twenty years ago - that’s quality!

When ordering, you can configure your trampoline to suit your needs, and the company offers endless combinations. If your balance troubles you, get a rebounder with a stability bar so you feel comfortable and safe. If I ever replace the one I have, I’ll get the bar so I can jump higher and harder.

Obviously, I didn’t bounce on it while on crutches… that would be silly. I waited until I was given the okay by my physiotherapist, and did nice and easy bouncing. As I became stronger, I added in arm movements, and then, I did more.

Move on to bodyweight

Bodyweight exercise was my next step. There are many, many, many phenomenal coaches online that can guide you. I do want to give you my favorite book though - it’s called Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy by Bret Contreras.

The pictures identify which muscles are activated by different movements, and I find this useful as I can visualize the muscle while working it. The book also offers levels of difficulty, so when something gets easy, you move on to the next level. Finally, the author helps you figure out a workout plan to keep building on your strength.

Another great book is You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren and Joshua Clark. Lauren trained people in the Special Ops community. The book is straightforward and challenging. He also shows you how to keep progressing when certain moves become too easy.

Add bands

I have Arena Strength bands that are covered in fabric, which is perfect for me because I’m allergic to latex. They come in a pack of 3 bands that have different levels of stretchiness/strengths, and there’s an extra strong one (which I have yet to bust out). This form of resistance training is fantastic if you workout at home, don’t have space for a weight rack, travel a lot, or are recovering from an injury or surgery.

Arena also has an app with workouts you can follow, or you can get the Arena Strength Cards and make up your own routines. I used the app after my surgery and still use the bands for targeted work like clamshells for the gluteus medius muscle. It’s the muscle that forms the outside of your butt and side of your hip. It’s critical for hip stabilization, balance, and power. The band adds extra resistance and makes me work harder, ensuring other larger muscles don’t take over the movement.

Get to the gym

I’m on a mission to get very, very strong. I’m curious to see what that will feel like. I know I won’t look like Schwarzenegger no matter how hard I go at it so I’m not scared about that. It’s hard to put on this kind of muscle and usually, drugs are involved.

I’d just love to feel like a total badass with greying hair - that’s all.

Just start - no matter where you are

It’s never too late to get strong. And if you want to gallop off into the sunset with grace and finesse, you’re going to need some muscle to do it.

(1) Layne JE, Nelson ME. The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density: a review. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999 Jan;31(1):25–30. doi: 10.1097/00005768–199901000–00006. PMID: 9927006.