45yo female beginner wants to lose weight and get stronger

[_epoh_]

@mika2020 If you have the means to see a nutritionist, might not be a bad idea, especially if there's some health issues you're seeing in mom/other close relatives. also, if you get a regular ol' blood panel done with your doc, you'll have a better sense of your cholesterol, thyroid, etc. and therefore be able to say hey, I need to bring my LDL down through diet, etc. If you were disciplined enough to do keto, or do run marathons (!) you're going to do great as soon as you get some insight into your health numbers and see what a pro says.

People have already mentioned Sohee, who I'm not familiar with, but Meg Squats is probably another good resource. She has a program that is for total weightlifting beginners to get you from air squat to barbell squat, if you're interested in something like that. I haven't done those programs myself and can't comment on the cost, etc., but I'd generally trust her for lifting advice. For cardio frequency, if you really dig cardio and you aren't having issues recovering once you add in some lifting (by the way, you may be pleasantly surprised at your leg strength when you get started), do it as much as you want! If you're coming from a running background, I would really look into things to do for your upper body since you don't have to hit a bench press to run really far. Back work--especially your lats!--will be a good focus, and may help you feel more "balanced" in terms of muscle tone/size, etc.

Also, as others have mentioned, try to let go of "weight I should be." If you're running a marathon or two a year, you're doing incredible things for your body. That is a feat to be celebrated, regardless of the number on the scale. Body composition might be a better focus for you. I'm the same height and weight, by the way, and by BMI, maybe I'm edging on the high end of normal, but unless my doctor or your doctor says you need to drop a few, I think you're already on the right track. Good luck!!

 

[eshaun92]

@mika2020 Hi. Are you me? I’m 42 and 5’3”, but my mom is sick, I’m a runner, and a peloton user.

I love the peloton strength classes. Adrian and Jess Sims are the best. I’ve recently added chest and back to my arms, shoulders and abs routine. I’m naturally strong on my lower body and don’t do any lower body training (heavy cycling and running and genetics take care of that for me).

 

[mika2020]

@eshaun92 Hi there.
I did a Jess 60 min bootcamp today and I was TOAST. I ran a half yesterday so my legs were not thrilled at the weighted lunges so I skipped the weight, but I can see how incorporating more strength work will only be better for my fitness.
I’ll check out Adrian classes for this week.

Conversations about aging and mortality have uncovered that I have so much to learn. Why don’t they teach us this in health class??
BTW, see you on the LB #serafina

 

[yommie]

@mika2020 I'm the same age as you, and also a keen runner. Running always kept me in good shape and a healthy weight until I hit 40. Then all of a sudden it didn't, weight would creep on if I wasn't careful with my eating.

I ended up reducing my running and adding more gym sessions to my training not entirely by choice but because I tore my meniscus and my knee was never the same. But I was still doing a lot of other cardio at the gym as that's kind of what I knew and what I enjoyed. However, I knew deep down I had to mix up my training to get better results. Once I started adding a lot more weights to my training, I really started to see some major changes in my body. Doing this in conjunction with calorie counting (My Fitness Pal is great) and eating really clean shed so much fat off my body. Honestly I didn't worry too much about the macros, I stayed in my daily calorie allowance but definitely made sure to cut out any food high in sugar.

On top of that, my running got fast. Like really fast. I only run twice a week now but I easily run faster than I did 10 years ago.

Stalk my profile if you want to see more of the training stuff I did, and how I look now.

 

[mika2020]

@yommie Let the stalking begin! Thank you so much. Faster would be awesome...I have my dad’s marathon PR to hit so I’m inspired. Thank you!

 

[yommie]

@mika2020 Just to give you an idea, I now run a 7.55 min/mile pace, a year ago it was more like 8.55 I totally put this it’s down to dropping body fat and strengthening my glutes and hammies big time. Good luck with hitting that PR

 

[zandeziou]

@mika2020 Since you have peloton, look into Andy’s total strength program! Andy programmed out all the classes and there are warmup and stretching classes to go along with it. He recommends that you do cardio on your off days and I would say take at least one rest day. Peloton also has plenty of stretching & yoga classes for recovery.

I just finished the first week of the program and took the strength test. I’m trying to get into a consistent workout program, so I’m only focusing on the strength classes right now. I take yoga classes on the off days. I’ve enjoyed it so far, and I’m interested to see how much I progress at the end of week 4.

For nutrition, I started keeping a food journal and tracking calories. It’s basically my analog version of my fitness pal.

 

[matchfox]

@mika2020 I would recommend getting a female personal trainer for a month to guide you the first month or so and teach you how to eat and count your calories. They can set up a routines for you and then you fly on your own.

 

[howardmup]

@mika2020 Mike Matthew's website and podcasts muscleforlife has some really good information about everything from macro splits to training routines. I read his TLS book for women, and it was useful but you can probably get all the information from his site.

In general it would be best to start with a simple routine and definitely make it a point to get your technique right because that can seriously fuck up your body if not done right. In that regard, the book Deadlift Dynamite by Andy Bolton (world powerlifting record holder) was phenomenal to learn all the big lifts and simple progressions to get form correct.

 

[dawn16]

@mika2020 Look into Renaissance Periodization. I have their app and I find it very easy to use. I’m never hungry, and I’ve been used their programs to gain strength, lose weight, and stay at maintenance (I’m also in my early 40s).

 

[dawn16]

@mika2020 I've found some success using an app called Fitbod, which creates strength workouts based on what equipment you have. I don't like to have to think too much about creating a program, so opening the app, maybe substituting an exercise or two is about the limit of how much I want to think about it. There are options for increasing overall strength, bodybuilding, and I believe there are options for PPL and bro-splits. I have a chronic illness and need to increase strength so I can do more for myself, and the program the app generated has worked well for me.

You can choose the frequency of your strength days and how long you want to work out for, but my understanding is that 3-4 days is ideal because it gives your muscles time to recover, which is when they actually get stronger. I can't really speak to how long you should plan on your lifting sessions being, but I do believe it's important to track your progress- sets, weight, and reps- because if you get discouraged over the visual results you can look at your numbers and see improvement.

 

[dawn16]

@mika2020 OOoo I want a pelaton, maybe one day. I take walks for now

 

[ebnagel]

@mika2020 A good place to start for you as you have all the peloton stuff is to join the group 'peloton hardcore on the floor' on facebook. This group posts a comprehensive workout calendar every single month with suggested strength workouts for that day. Well worth a look before you spend anymore money!

 

[amydcohen]

@ebnagel Second this suggestion! I started the calendar a couple months ago and feel so much stronger, and seeing a nice improvement in running as well. I love that group, they are one of the few fun and positive places to be on FB.

 

[dawn16]

@mika2020 I am also a female working on losing weight and getting stronger, so far I have lost 15 pounds and wanting to lose another 5-10 pounds. I have focused on decreasing my calorie intake (it has been about 2 months since I started, because I wanted to take it slow and not do a crash and burn diet) but in the past 2 weeks I have started with strength training two or three times a week just to build up some strength because I really don't have much. I don't do much cardio to be honest because I don't enjoy it very much, but losing weight is just a matter of calorie deficit and you can lose weight by not working out at all which I did for the first month and a half.

My plan is to lose enough weight to get to a healthy body fat percentage, and then increase my calorie intake to maintain my weight while also increasing the amount of strength training I do. I'm not sure if this is in any way useful, and I am just a beginner, but generally I have read that this approach is pretty useful. I've found this handbook on the science of building muscles to be really useful (it also has a suggested plan for how to get stronger in 90 days).

Good luck!

 

[mika2020]

@dawn16 Thank you so much! Congratulations on your progress. That takes discipline to stay the course.
I will check out that resource too.
The resources in the FAQs were also awesome. I’ve been in a Reddit wormhole today!

 

[nu_dreamz]

@mika2020 Like you, I'm more into cardio than weights but over the years, I've added weights to my routine and now that I'm 50, I'm grateful. I started my weight journey with heavy lifting with some gym buddies for guidance but got out of the habit after awhile. So when it was clear I needed more strength, I used New Rules of Lifting for Women, and just made my own workout based on that, put it on my phone followed it. I found the key was really just consistently pushing myself to lift heavy. Now that we're in lockdown, I'm lucky enough to have a squat rack at home, though frankly I don't have to use it all the time. I do resistance training 3-4 times a week, sometimes with the barbell but often with dumbbells, using HIRT routines from various sources (when I find a workout I like, I put it into my Seconds Pro app on my phone/watch). If you're a cardio-type person, HIRT is like the best of both worlds.

 

[mlenadc]

@mika2020 If you're comfortable counting calories, this will be the most effective strategy for losing fat. You don't need to track ratios or percentages at all. Like, at all. It's enough to track protein only (or just eat high-protein overall), and track only total calories. Total calories makes weight gain or weight loss happen. Period. Macros could be 40/30/30 or 30/40/30 or 40/25/35 and it's all the same with regards to fat loss. Get enough protein, hit your daily calorie target; that's enough. Do not obsess about macro distribution in the least. It's a wasted effort.

Dumbbells alone might not be enough resistance for strength & muscle building. Running a barbell lifting program will be the fasted route to physique changes. Plenty of people make an improvement with body weight alone. Check out the Recommended Routine at /r/bodyweightfitness if you're interested in that. But if you have gym/barbell access, I strongly encourage you run a beginner program that focuses on major compounds (bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press), such as GSLP. It can be found online for free.

Definitely keep up with cardio, but don't overdo it. You could lift full-body resistance training 3 days per week, and add 30-60 minutes of cardio 3x per week on in-between days, and that would be plenty. It's enough to build muscle, get your heart rate up, burn fat; and again, 90% of the last bit comes from your dietary calorie deficit. You don't need to run Keto or Intermittent Fasting or any of that, just stick to steady consistent slight calorie deficit, while building strength and endurance.

Good Luck!

 

[d%C3%A4ni%C3%ABl1]

@mlenadc I couldn’t agree more! I would also say that if you can afford to hire a nutritionist, do it! I worked with one once and I learned more from her than I learned from Dr. Google and it stuck. I still slip every once in a while but for the most part I follow what she taught me. For working out, I run 3x a week, some kind of strength training 3x a week, then yoga on one day. If I’m not feeling it on one of the other days I’ll switch it up to yoga. I’m also in my 40s btw.

 

[mlenadc]

@d%C3%A4ni%C3%ABl1 Nutritionists don't always have a significant amount of training, if any. You can get an online certificate for "nutritionist" with little effort. Registered dietitians on the other hand need to be certified, and are far more knowledgeable about diet & nutrition. Always opt for the dietitian.