program for 50+ novice (4-6 months in) lifter

[johnnyleon]

Hi all and happy 2024. It's going to be a great year. I made some pretty significant strides in 2023 regarding my health and happiness and am continuing to focus on them. I've embraced the gym after years (decades) of avoidance, lifting weights again at the tender age of 50+. Guess what? I effing love it! I've always enjoyed lifting but previously made it about lifting + cardio = weightloss. No more. Now it's about muscle growth and strength and I feel joy.

I started back cautiously, gently blowing the dust off my muscles, tendons and ligaments for the first 6 wks or so. Then PT sessions which I'll continue periodically to stay focused on form. Now I'm friends with dumbells again and working in barbells as I gain confidence. I think the last actual program I worked was BFL (is that even still a thing?), then some stints with trainers. I'm finishing up MegSquats free Before the Barbell program on Instagram which was great for my level; full body, 3x per week.

I want to id my next program, easily get stuck in paralysis-by-analysis (ie, read but don't DO) and would be grateful for guidance. I need some structure (get stuck if trying to choose all my own exercises, I'm looking at you GZCLP or 5*5) but comfortable substituting one or another. I'd like to workout 3-4x per week, sometimes on successive days so prob not full body program. Beginner within first 4-6 months of lifting again but don't want to baby myself, want to push (sensibly).

I treated myself to the Hevy app over Black Friday so don't need/want/can't afford something that comes only with a pricey app.

The programs that stand-out to me are the Pak's programs, Sohee Lee, SBTD, Caroline Girvan (prob too intense for now) but I have some cost constraints. I'm outside the US and at such a novice stage that I'm not sure I'd get enough value to pay USD$20 a month. (that may be backwards thinking).

What do you think? Grateful for any guidance. I look forward to contributing to this group (been reading for a while) even if it's just enthusiasm.

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Details:

• cis female | age 54, peri-meno | height 165cm / 5.5in
• weight 72kg / 158lbs (lost ~25lbs/11kgs in 2023) | bf% per dexa 33
  
• previous fitness experience: BFL 100 yrs ago, 3 months here and there with trainers
• current routine: MegSquats Beyond the Barbell (beginner routine)
  
• goals: muscle gain and strength
  
  • cardio - I used my antipathy for cardio as a gym blocker for years. I'm working past this (plyometrics are beginning to intrigue me - I can't believe I am typing this - thanks Lauren & Jason Pak) but heavy focus on cardio may not be ideal for me just yet

 

[kwb321]

@johnnyleon Bit late to post but I'm around your age and have tried tons of apps and places. The Paks app would be my recommendation. Followed by Sohee. Stronger by the Day, while it is a great app is intense.

What I like about the Paks app, you can substitute exercises easily. They add it as their main option. For example, their plan of the month will have 3 or 4 main lifts. Followed by accessory exercises or functional exercises (very important for us middle-agers). There will be several options under each main lift & you select the exercise you prefer. If you feel like doing a certain squat or if you are having issues with a certain body part, their app allows you and encourages you to adjust the plan. It may be the only app I've used that has that feature. Basically, you can do the lifts you want to do. If you are like me in Perimeno land, some days I don't want to do certain lifts because my ass is too tired to do them. Their app allows for that adjustment. You can also message them as well to reduce the workouts to 2-3 days a week if you prefer to only work out a few times a week. Oh, and they add multiple forms of exercise: breath work, compound lifts, stretches, functional and plyometrics.

They also seem like a great couple, who are well educated and aren't just influencers.

 

[preston1982]

@johnnyleon I almost could have written your post, except I'm doing GSLP. I'm 50f and last previous lifting experience prior was bfl several years back. Lifting heavy and doing the linear progression has been great for me. I'm 10 weeks in, and enjoying lifting heavier than I ever have before. I'll be honest, I am not familiar with the program you've been using, I've been doing GSLP so far. It's pretty straight forward and I'm definitely gaining strength, which is also my goal. I sort of slowly built up to close to my high end weight as I got used to it, and sometimes feel like I'm still doing that (mostly on the deadlift). It's exciting to be getting stronger and I wish I'd started sooner. I wish you the best and whatever you choose, it'll be great! Please let us know what that is!

 

[burningbush84]

@johnnyleon I’m 47 and have tried lots of programs. The one I’ve stuck with and really love is BFit with Breanne Freeman. You can choose 3-5 days a week. I do it 4x a week and each workout takes 45 mins-1 hr.
It’s web based but can save it to your home screen and it functions like an app.
It has a built in rest timer, a place to log weights, a gym or home version and she gives 3 exercise alternatives per exercise..::that’s super helpful when the gym is busy so I don’t have to wait around!
I was one of the first users so I only pay $10/month. Well worth it for programming!

 

[johnnyleon]

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful input! I'm going to check out a few programs over the weekend and will make a decision by Monday. (no paralysis by analysis, just pick one!) I'll let you know what I decide.

I'm pretty pleased that I'm at least passing-familiar with most of the names you've thrown out and I really like them all. Tells me I'm on the right track. :

 

[thundertongue]

@johnnyleon I've been loving Lift With Cee (free on YouTube). She's over 50 herself and offers a variety of playlists including full body (3x/30 in or 5x/20 min a week) and upper/lower body split.

 

[vaniilla]

@thundertongue This is who I settled on, too, as a 48 year old beginner, but it’s more of an at home dumbbell program and I think the OP wants one she can do at the gym. I’m currently working through her 30 minute programs twice per week and it’s a good amount for me right now.

 

[dmm]

@johnnyleon why don't you move to Meg's Stronger by the Day? You can choose how many days you want to do. i started it in november after coming back from having my baby and am really enjoying it.

i will say though...you aren't interested in GZCLP and i will always passionately advocate for it. you can just run their vanilla program to get started and add in T3s here and there! I won't say more, but that's my shameless plug for a program that got me to my 225# squat goal and just shy of 300 deadlift and 135 bench. it's an amazing program.

 

[thetruthlives]

@johnnyleon I consider myself intermediate-advanced lifter and found SBTD to be too much for me. Workouts were too long (1hr 30min to-2 hours) and there was so much volume. The Paks, Sohee, and Katie Crewe are some solid workouts with volume I feel are more sustainable.

The Paks in particularly have extremely well-rounded programming that mixes in different styles of training. They have a free guide with a week's worth of sample workouts if you want to test it out! When I did their programming I was in and out of the gym in 1-1hr 15.

 

[jadenhancock]

@thetruthlives Another vote for Jason and Lauren Pak’s RISE program.

 

[guidedbytheholyspirit]

@jadenhancock A third vote! I like its focus on all round fitness and that I can be done in an hour (less if I skip the finisher )

 

[ilovegodsword]

@thetruthlives SBTD added an express version a while back. Its basically the gym lifts, but with the last set of each dropped. Reduces time in the gym to about 30-45 mins depending on your resting times.

 

[thetruthlives]

@ilovegodsword oh that's awesome to see! glad Meg addressed it!

 

[ilovegodsword]

@thetruthlives Yeah you were NOT the only one struggling with workout times

 

[paulhood]

@johnnyleon Lots of people transition from Before the Barbell to Stronger by the Day. The app makes navigating workouts really simple and you can choose 3, 4, or 5 days per week, with the express option if time is an issue. I’m 40 and ran it for about 1.5 years. Lots of women in their 40s and 50s on the Discord to check in with as you go.

 

[ilovegodsword]

@paulhood I love SBTD. The gym version can be a bit long, but the express workouts wrap in 30-45 mins.

 

[corinthan1995]

@johnnyleon Pick one. As a novice, it doesn't really matter which one. Roll a dice if you have to to pick it. Err on the side of lighter volume versus heavier. Then go all in. Believe 100% in your ability to do it and the fact that the program is right for you.

Then sleep as much as you can. Eat good quality foods and higher protein.

That really is it. Don't overthink it. Study after study suggests that adherence and belief in the program matter far more than the actual program.

Also, try some strongman (OK, that isn't real advice. But I love it and highly recommend

 

[rrios4611]

@johnnyleon yay to you! i think lauren pak’s stuff looks great. i’ve done caroline girvan heat and iron series as ramp up to getting in shape. give it a shot i think. you can tune the weight to make it less challenging or sub similar exercises as needed. it’s designed really well.

 

[siphosethu]

@johnnyleon I also use the hevy app, it's great. I also use Boostcamp, it's free. You might want to check out 5/3/1 for beginners. I did that before starting 5/3/1 Boring But Big on the Wendler 5/3/1 app. That one is $7 just one time. Funny thing is, I add all my workouts to Hevy for tracking purposes while I use the other apps. Anyway 49F, been at this just over 1.5 years. If you want a really challenging one, the Reddit PPL is good too (also on Boostcamp).

 

[meow69]

@siphosethu FYI, Jim gets zero money from those apps. They're not his, it's other people profiting from his work.

He has a private forum that's only $5/month. It's mostly middle aged dudes who talk about their own training and getting their kids into strength training. No political talk at all. He also has a weekly podcast where he answers questions live on Friday's at 10am Eastern on YouTube. Most questions are about training as a middle aged person and how to train kids of all ages.

He's very thorough with his answers and very respectful of anyone regardless of their training experience. Very level headed I found, no hype or big promises or glitter. Just fundamentals for long term productive training.