Workouts for REALLY weak woman?

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dianad373

New member
Hi everyone.

Let’s just say that I’m weak, and I mean very weak. Running for more than a minute makes me lose my breath and I get tired after doing any exercise for more than 30 seconds and even then I am struggling. How do I start working out when I struggle in every workout I do?

I don’t know if you need this but: I’m 5’7 and 135 lbs.

Thank you

EDIT: You guys have been so helpful! I just want to add a couple of things for anyone new seeing this.
  1. I do not have asthma or anemia. I don’t have chronic fatigue. I’m just weak.
  2. Thank you for the recommendations. I think my problem was that I started too advanced. I tried to do some Femnique (YouTube) workouts and (don’t get mad) Ballet Beautiful. I should have started small.
 
@dianad373 When I started working out after having my baby, I was really REALLY weak. I had a very rough pregnancy and my muscles were totally toast after. I built up my strength by doing really short work out videos. Like 7-10 minutes every day. Bodyfit by Amy has really gentle short workouts (some are post-natal focused but if you're looking to build up to longer workouts, it's not a bad place to start). I also walked everywhere to get my endurance up to speed. Good luck, you've got this! Everyone starts somewhere. When I first started, I used chickpea cans instead of weights and you know what? It worked. I got stronger eventually and that's all that matters.
 
@dianad373 c25k for the win. run for a minute, walk for a minute..... move up. repeat a hard day if you need to until you raise your stamina

I started my journey with straight up walking until I got bored with that & then I realized that I just needed to up the level.
 
@dianad373 There are some excellent suggestions here for workouts, but I just wanted to say don't forget to be patient with yourself and listen to your body. Know that every little bit of progress is leading to you building a stronger you! And most importantly, celebrate your small victories like being able to do a couple more push-ups or holding your plank for 10 more seconds. I always find that noticing progress in my body is my best motivation.
 
@dianad373 I haven't read through the comments so please forgive any redundant advice, but I think many of Denise Austin's and Kathy Kaehler's workouts are great for people who feel weak and need to build a foundation. There are loads of Denise's workouts in particular on Youtube!

Also, remember that you can modify many workouts. Start with no weight or very light weight. Find workouts that have someone performing modified movements. Begin with shorter (under 15 or 20 minutes) workouts.

Edit: Look for for keywords like "beginner," "basic," and "low-impact" to indicate that a workout is probably more appropriate for you. (Although low-impact workouts can still pack a punch, I won't lie.)

For running, I really do like Couch to 5K. You can repeat weeks as many times as needed. I've completed the program a few times over the years and ended up being able to run 45+ consecutive minutes after doing it. I could barely run for 30 seconds in the beginning.

And don't worry about perfection, but also figure out when you can realistically start to push yourself harder or move to the next level, maybe in a few weeks or months. It's important to change it up and challenge yourself to get stronger and improve.
 
@dianad373 I started off doing strength exercises with yoga! They're usually pretty straightforward and easily modified. Then when you feel more confident you can do more difficult work.
 
@dianad373 When I first got into yoga my instructors showed me “modified positions” that I could do when the tricky ones the rest of the class were doing were too much for me. I was not good at yoga at all when I started. I have terrible balance and I’m not naturally flexible. But a good yoga instructor can work with you where you currently are and the cool people in the class won’t judge. Also it’s a ton of fun. You can wear Free People, and there’s probably a hot vegan guy/girl in your class.
 
@dianad373 So... I'm no fitness maven and one of my biggest pet peeves is that whenever I try to start something new even the "beginner" workouts are so hard that 10 minutes in I get close to tears for it being so hard and feeling like such a loser failure. I want to make a new fitness routine like what Richard Simmons used to do with super basic exercises... but anyway, back to your question. I recently found a yoga place near me that has 30 minute beginner workouts that have been fantastic... I think thats pretty rare, but if there's a studio near you cgeck out if they have something like that. I also got into weight lifting a while ago (have since fallen out of it sadly) and used routines from bodybuilding.com and I started the routines with ZERO weight and in some cases (like squats and lunges) only did 1/3 or 1/2 the reps laid out in the routine. I then only added weight or reps if the muscle group wasn't insanely sore. And since you specifically mention running... I've never been able to run my whole life. I was a very slender youth so there was no problem in terms of overall weight/fitness (back in the day) I just couldn't run at all. Just recently now that I'm middle aged I started having foot problems and went to the podiatrist and found that I have messed up feet that make it so I can't really run and would never have been able to. It's like I'm working a lot harder to try to run than someone with anatomically "correct" feet because my muscles are trying to compensate for the problem. So might be worth looking into with a doctor if theres something like that going on. I'm starting to work out again and feel the same way about the weakness... I did a stretching/rolling routine and have been sore for 2 days just from holding myself in the stretching positions. It does get better, just have to keep the mindset of slow and steady and not push too hard.
 
@dianad373 i'm the same way, although i think it'd be closer to 10 seconds of running that would do me in lol. last year i started the starting strength program under the coaching of someone experienced in getting beginners off the ground. i think i was still a challenge....i believe i started squatting a lighter bar and i felt like i was going to pass out the first several times i deadlifted, but i eventually got to a point where it was doable. relatively speaking, my numbers were still unimpressive towards the end of that year (when i had to stop) but eating more and doing those weightlifting exercises incrementing most sessions by a tiny amount of weight did make me feel a lot less weak in general.

now after being out of the gym for almost a year i have to start from square one -.- lol
 
@dianad373 Are you trying to lose weight? Your TDEE as a sedentary person is roughly 1710 calories, so you may be undereating by as much as 500 calories a day if not. Boosting your calories with healthy foods should help your workout performance and overall strength.
 
@dianad373 Of course this is a personal decision so feel free to disregard, but at your weight, height, and age, I think it's wiser to bump up your caloric intake (ideally focusing on protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables) to at least 1500 since your BMR is 1400-and-something calories. Make up the rest of your caloric deficit and boost your metabolism with some of the exercise suggestions here to meet your strength and weight loss goals instead of relying mostly on restriction.
 
@dianad373 Ok, this is probably why you're struggling. If you're serious about wanting to get fit then you need to eat more.

1200 calories is suitable for tiny or elderly, sedentary women trying to lose weight. At 5'7 you're pretty tall, you're young, you don't need to lose weight and if you want to increase your fitness then you need to fuel that.

For some reference, I'm 5'6, looking pretty toned at 132lbs, and maintain my weight eating over 2,000 calories a day. I eat lots of big, hearty meals; porridge with seeds and fruit, big salads, baked potatoes, home made stews & soups, stir frys etc. Lots of lentils and beans, chicken, fish and high-protein dairy and as many different fruit and veg as I can. I still eat desserts and treats in moderation and eat what I want at social situations.

I used to be like you - super weak, couldn't run more than 30 seconds without getting out of breath, couldn't do a push up, couldn't really a proper bodyweight squat. Now I'm pretty all-round fit. I'm pretty strong at the main barbell lifts, I can do pull ups and push ups, I go climbing and cycling with my friends for fun. This summer I did a 10 mile trail race and a 26 mile hike and loved both of them. It's taken a few years to get here, but actually focusing on my diet has made the biggest difference to my endurance, strength and physique.

As women we are told we need to eat barely anything and a lot of people end up with the misconception that because eating less = eating healthy, you need to eat less to get fit. You would be shocked to see how much truly fit women really eat. I know some very athletic, slim girls who eat upwards of 2,800 a day...
 
@dianad373 You are stronger than you think :) stop referring to yourself as weak- when you are struggling, instead of thinking... "I'm so weak" try thinking "I'm getting stronger." A lot of exercise/fitness gains start with your mindset. Don't give up, you can do this!
 
@dianad373 You might be interested in checking out the works of Katy Bowman. Basically she is a biomechanist who talks about how you use your body shapes your body. So start using it! So you're weak now but if you start walking, moving more, maybe do some yoga, squat instead of bending over to pick up something, take the stairs and build up those leg muscles, etc. you can become stronger. Point is, you may be weak now but you can definitely become stronger! =D
 
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