As women, we experience a slew of super fun emotional, physical, and mental pivots as we transition into perimenopause and beyond. Hormonal shifts, combined with the natural aging process, create significant changes in muscle mass, metabolism, recovery, and body composition. That’s why the workouts and wellness practices that previously worked for you may start to produce lesser results or leave you feeling more taxed as you get older. Lucky us.
Thankfully, the research has finally started to evolve to recognize (1) that “women are not small men” (bless you, Dr. Stacy Sims) and (2) the same recommendations that are given to men, and even younger women, are not effective for the more mature female.
Enter the onslaught of fit-fluencers encouraging you to lift heavy. If you feel like your feeds are being bombarded with the benefits of upping your weights, there’s good reason. But even though you might be totally sold, it can be tough to know where to even start and how to increase your weight safely. We’ve got you, girl. Here’s our quick list of exercises to start incorporating your heavies on.
Generally speaking, lower body moves are a great place to start. These muscle groups are larger and can withstand a heavier load.
Squats: suitcase or goblet work great!
Farmer’s carry
Deadlifts
Calf raises: load up the weights for extra resistance and get that blood pumping through the body!
For the upper body, start with:
Hammer curls
Chest presses
Supported single arm row
Upright row (if you’re feeling spicy!)
Certain muscle groups will take longer to build up to. A great example of this is your shoulders. Going overhead with your weights can be challenging for women because we don’t have the same upper body composition as men. Start with some upright rows, and then build up to exercises that move the weights overhead (overhead presses, Arnold presses, and the like). Don’t forget that alternating arms is a great place to start for some of these.
As you increase your load, the number of reps will decrease. Aim for 6-8 reps where the last couple are an actual struggle. You should be in a spot where you might be able to do 1-3 reps more—max—if you had to push to failure. Once you complete a set, add a full recovery (60-90 seconds) to ensure you’re ready for the next round.
If you’re all in on going heavy but would rather not go it alone (I mean, why would you?!), we invite you to join us as we launch Body Strong, FIT4MOM’s newest format that’s specifically designed for women entering perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Body Strong focuses on progressive overload with sprint intervals and balance work, giving you more of what your body needs during this phase of life.
Join us for a FREE preview during our fall open house on Thursday, September 10 (virtual) or Tuesday, September 15. Go ahead and grab your free week of classes HERE and try out some of our other class formats, including Body Boost and Virtual Restorative Yoga.