Form

                                                                Photo from:   Bioninja.

I wanted to slap him and say "what the heck are you doing?"  The guy on the cable machine was doing speed repetitions in the mid-range zone.  Not only was he doing nearly nothing for his muscles, he was stressing out his joints for nothing.  As you get older you lose muscle mass which means that your joints take a great deal more abuse.  This is why lifting weights is so important.  The more muscle that you have around your joints; the less wear and tear on them.  So that brings us to form and lifting weights.  Form is one of the most important things when lifting weights.  If you are going to go to the trouble of getting to the gym and working out; then you may as well get something out of it, right?

There is a huge difference between pumping out mid-range reps at lightening speed and performing a full range slow motion one.  Paying close attention to your form and going from point A to B, your muscles have to work hard.  When you slow it down and pay attention to form, you typically need to drop the amount of weight that you are using.  Oh, you'll get there again but you need to build those muscles before you raise your weights. 

Range of motion is probably one of the biggest mistakes that I see in the gym.  The other day there was a woman trying to work out her triceps (the biggest problem spot for us women.)  She was moving the weight no more than an inch in each direction.  At that range, it was going to take her forever to see any progress.  Using the full range of motion along with good form with achieve the greatest success as far as building those muscles that you are working on.  Obviously people can do what they want when they are at the gym; but why not get something out of it? 

Joints are a big concern the older you get.  Building muscle around your joints helps to minimize problems down the road.   If you have no muscles around your joints then the joint only has itself to fall back on.  This is never good.  When you start with good form and light weights you build your muscles the right way.  By slowing it down, you can pay close attention to your form and building those muscles slowly and without or injury to your joints. 

Hyper-extending, next blog.   

It just doesn't

I don't want to get bulky.

                                        Honestly, if I hear the phrase "I don't want to get bulky,"
                                               one more time with regards to lifting weights.....

First, it's really great when someone says it to you; knowing full well that you lift weights.  Well, thank you very much for confirming that you most definitely DO NOT want to look the way that I do.  Nope, it's not a compliment.     But the great thing about LIFTING AFTER 50 is that you don't give a s&*t.  I am bulky because I need to lose weight, fact.

Second, lifting doesn't make you bulky, fat does.  I know that you think you will look like The Incredible Hulk if you lift weights but you won't.  The woman who do look like men; well, they actually try to look like that by taking anabolic steroids.  Woman are naturally different than men, we cannot get big like men do unless we take these horrible drugs.  Of course some woman can get bigger muscles than others; just due to having great genes but typically we just get strong and fit.

Thirdly, the bulky look that everyone is referring to?  Well, that's fat.  The fat that covers the muscles which make you look bulkier.  Of course if you don't lose any weight and grow a bit of nice lean muscle then you will look bulky.  That is where the weight loss comes in; which is where I am at now.  I know there is muscle in there somewhere; and I am determined to find it.  Muscle helps you to lose weight as it boosts your metabolism.  

Myths about women weight lifting.  

As we age we lose muscle mass, fact.  Sad but true and if you have little of it; then you are in trouble as you age. The only way to fight the natural occurrence of losing it; is to gain it.  I cannot tell you the difference in how I feel now compared to before I got back into lifting.  Sure in the beginning you might be sore but lift through it and you come out feeling and being strong.

Honestly ladies, do you really think that you will look like Arnold Schwarzenegger if you hit the weight section in the gym?  Not going to happen, I promise you.  What will happen, is that you will be taking control of how you look.  By lifting weights you can actually sculpt your body to look the way that you want it to.   Getting strong is a good thing.  Being a physically strong woman is great not bulky.

Lifting after 50

It sure is different; lifting after 50, that is.  I've been lifting weights since I was 16 years old; it is an exercise regime that I have always loved.  I like the feel of being strong and I love to challenge myself.  After a several year break from lifting; I got back at it before I turned 50.  It was tough and although I dove in head first; my body rebelled.  My joints hurt a lot; I wondered how long it would take to really get back at it.  It's been several years now since I decided to start lifting again and boy have I learned a lot about lifting after 50.  It is very different.

One of the biggest things that I had to conquer was my hard headedness.  I tried to lift what I use to lift; picking up where I'd left off.  The only thing is that my body wasn't with me; things were a little different.  I once could punish my muscles and just expect my joints to bear the brunt; that was not happening any longer.  My joints buckled under the heavy weights and I suffered several injuries. When you injure a joint during weight lifting it is usually a long lasting injury.  Of course because while you are injuring yourself; you are holding a heavy weight, which makes matters worse.  So after months of having to cut back I realized that I had to approach this lifting with more thought. 

Form took on a whole new meaning.  Slow and steady wins the race; no flinging weights around willy nilly.  I was still lifting heavy; but not heavier than my muscles could handle.  I had to build them up before I started to challenge them.  Joints are some of the first things to go if you don't have enough muscle to support them.  So I worked on a very slow and meticulous progression to the heavier stuff.  I added new exercises to my regime and divided my body into two work outs.  This allowed me to focus more on each body part.

Another big difference when lifting at or after 50 is the rest period.  The time between workout days is essential.  I worked out every single day for months before realizing that I was sore all the time..  Not hugely sore like I'd worked out too hard; but my body ached.  I wasn't giving myself the time needed between workouts to repair.  So now I take at least a day or two to allow my body to repair itself.  Especially now that I am really upping my weights. 

Adding more weights must be done slowly.  I always test the waters before I start pumping out a new and heavier weight.  I do a few very slow trial reps to see that nothing is going to break and then proceed.  I am much wiser about lifting now.  At 20 years old you can make mistakes lifting and your body will forgive you.  Not when you are lifting after 50; a mistake can throw you off the bench for months. 

The fact is that we lose muscle mass as we age.  A great way to stop the process is to build it.  You just have to be smart about it; and some people learn faster than others not to be hardheaded.  :)