Body building for 45+ woman - Pointers/Advice

[singleandfabulous]

I'd like to get into bodybuilding/training but I'm unsure where to start or look for advice. I've looked at some bodybuilding/fitness websites but can't make head nor tail of them and they all seem to be aimed at the 20+ crowd.

I did a bit when I was in my teens but I'm sure things have moved on from then and at my age I'm finding it really hard doing the 30 day shred several times a week let alone anything more serious. The 30 day shred has got me fit but I'm not seeing the tone I used to have when I was young (as if!) and wondered if body building/serious training was the answer.

I'm mid forties and fit otherwise. I'd like to lose about 10lbs but I'm not overweight by all the online calculators.

What really bothers me is my mid-section. It's so fat! I seem to store all my fat there like a tyre. I have none on my legs or bum or arms. I also can't seem to tone my glutes to any serious degree despite doing squats every day and leg clams.

So what I'm looking for really is a book or DVD or website to show me what to eat and how to train AS A WOMAN AT MY AGE.

I could sign up to a gym but in all honesty, I've tried a lot over the years and the advice hasn't been very good and often hasn't resulted in anything near what I've achieved with the 30 day shred.

I'm just hoping it's not too late to get a high round bum and toned abs before I hit 50! Failing that, I'll have to look into liposuction.

[Thefitfatty]

Have you looked at bodybuilding.com? They have a forum for 35+ but generally you will need access to a good range of Dumbbells, barbells and kettle bells so a gym is ideal.
Food wise, lean protein and veg 😕

[singleandfabulous]

Yes, I've had a look at quite a few websites and even bought 'MensHealth' and 'WomensHealth' but there doesn't seem to be any specific advice, it's all very general.

I was hoping to find a resource which said, well, for your height, weight, age and goals you need to do these exercises, x amount of times per week for x amount of time or until exhausted. With regards to food, again, I was hoping for a tailor made answer, so for your height, age, weight, goals, eat x amount of this, x amount of that x times per day etc.

I don't know, it's all very ... general. I don't want to spend another year just blindly doing something vague in the hopes that it'll work.

I've just spent a fortune on pilates classes for three months which promissed killer abs and bum. The abs and pelvic floor have improved a lot but the bum is sadly still lacking Kardashian proportions.

I've tried finding a personal trainer near me too but it's a very deprived area so there doesn't seem to be any within a 30 mile radius from me (either that or they're just not bothering to answer me).

[Thefitfatty]

I live in the Middle East so I don't have access to decent personal trainers either, but from what I can gather... it's pretty straight forward. 5 day split, 6 different lifts 3x10, switch it up every so often and make sure it's heavy. Diet wise, protein + veg +healthy fats. Listen to your body and take a week off every couple of months to recover. :/

[user1471539124]

You need to get weightlifting heavy for legs and glutes lying leg curl, hip thrusts, barbell squats, lunges, Bulgarian split squats. Deadlifts. Roman deadlift to name a few. Don't stop when it hurts because you won't change if you stay Ina comfortable zone. Go heavy and train harder.
Food also plays a part I'm same of of age as you it's just a number I compete and know women in their 50s that do to. Get lifting heavy and results will follow.

[swooosh]

Move on from squats! Romanian deadlifts, hamstring curls/leg extensions, hip thrusts, good mornings all work well for me.

[ShutTheFuckUpBarbara]

I would suggest a book: The New Rules of Lifting for Women.
There are complete training plans and nutrition guidelines, and I found it very informative. It demystifies the whole process and doesn't just tell you what to do but also why you should do it

[rookiemere]

I'd recommend this book <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Life-Women-Physical-Transformation-ebook/dp/B009KB3BU6/ref=pd_sim_351_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWV5027NXA80ZHGXVXA5&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">//www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Life-Women-Physical-Transformation-ebook/dp/B009KB3BU6/ref=pd_sim_351_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWV5027NXA80ZHGXVXA5&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 as a good guide, although I certainly don't follow the nutrition guide religiously.

One thing that has helped my shape enormously is giving up sugar. It was related to fear of getting diabetes, but basically I just no longer eat cakes, chocolate, muesli bars - anything that has a lot of added sugar. I'm not hardcore so I still have a bit of fruit, and I eat wholegrain bread and rice etc, but I've noticed that the definition in my mid section has come back. Sadly as I've replaced the calories with nuts and cheese I haven't lost too much weight , but then I'm not significantly overweight anyway.

Might be worth trying some classes - people mock Body Pump because you can't lift too heavy because of the number of reps, but it will give you a good basis for a lot of the moves, and will build up a bit of strength to allow you to move on to the gym. Or you might find that if you get decent results, you can stick with Body Pump.

[Socksey]

I'm the same sort of age as you... also female... seriously, there is not such thing as training like a woman.
Any beginners programme will get you going.
Make sure it focusses on the big lifts... deadlifts, squats, bench press, rows etc... and not so much on the fluff... you should be aiming to lift a decent amount of weight (without injuring yourself) so if totally unfit, build up to it... 10kg is not heavy unless you are doing shoulder raises...
You should see progression in the amount of weight you are lifting, especially in the first few months to a year and this will tail off...
You will not get big and bulky... most women that insist they are have a good level of fat on top of their muscles or are using anabolic steroids of some sort...
To give you an idea, I am 45, 5'2" and 65kg.... I am training for maintenance at present and could lift substantially more than I do but I have other stuff going on...
Deadlift - 130kg
Squat - 120kg
Barbell row - 70kg
Bench Press - 70kg
Dumbell shoulder press 22.5kg
Have lifted more in the past and will again in the future... this is reasonable for not particularly heavy... go for it and have fun...