How did weight training improve your life?

[1newname]

I run on and off but need a kick up the arse with weight training.

Please motivate me by sharing all the amazing ways weight training has changed your life!

Like a runner up above I do a 15 -30 minute Caroline Girvan ( YouTube ) weights workout after each run. I also do military fitness Bootcamp once a week. I used to do CrossFit but found that hard to balance with running.
my body is now is amazing shape, I have a small six pack forming , everything is strong and my running times are faster

Definitely, but technique is so important. Get that wrong and you risk injury. Invest in a few PT sessions to get that part sorted.

Good luck

If you've never lifted weights before you can even start with just body weight and you will see a difference. After you will need to start progressive overload for which weights are more important. I started off with 5kg dumbells for overhead presses etc. and 7,5/10kg dumbells for legs, 20kg for hip thrusts. If you have a barbell you can lift heavier than with dumbells for squats, deadlifts and bench presses.

I started doing kettlebell workouts a year ago at home with a 4kg bell. Never been interested in exercise before and now I look forward to my 3 workouts a week.
Juice & toya, self, fitness blender all have great beginner YouTube kettlebell workouts.
I now use a 8kg bell and do the advanced workouts, I’m down 2 stone but feel fit and toned and strong.

I have always been sporty, but started lifting in my mid-30s (about seven years ago), as I have a familial history of osteoporosis and wanted to look after my bone density.

I feel great: I'm of a reasonably slim and athletic build anyway, but lifting has redefined my shape - I have a more apparent waist and toned shoulders / arms / upper back. My posture is better. I love the endorphin rush from picking up things that weigh more than I do!

However, I would recommend that complete beginners sign up for a couple of sessions with a PT who specialises in weight-training to walk you through technique, as that's the key to progress and avoiding injury.

It is brilliant but pay for someone to teach you the correct way of doing it or you will get injured.

Discovering weights was like something went 'click' in my brain - I hate high intensity cardio, and I have back issues so it doesn't really work for me anyway.
Agree with signing up to a PT for a couple of sessions to learn about form, you can also look up correct form on Instagram, YouTube etc - what I will say is watch more than one video and try and find someone who's the same build. Then workout in front of the mirror, and go SLOW and focus on form. Plus stretching, warm up/warm down is vital!

Benefits for me:

• I can lose inches, rather than weight, although it does help with weight if that's your goal - tbh weights is the only exercise where I've suddenly gone 'wait - this skirt fitted me a month ago??'
• It's a really great push to stay hydrated and eat (mostly) well as lifting when dehydrated and full of junk food SUCKS.
• You get lots of little 'wins' that aren't what you see in the scales or mirror, like realising you could go up a kg on your weights, realising your flexibility AND strength has improved when you are doing housework
• To a point made upthread about feeling empowered, it does make you feel POWERFUL. Women are targeted with messaging from a very early age that to look good you need to look a certain way. Weights has helped me FEEL good in a way that it reduces that noise of societal conditioning right down in my head. It's so cheesy but I do feel more at home in my own body.
• It's a slow burn rather than a mad cardio blur, so you don't get the 'oh I can't be BOTHERED' feeling as much *in my experience at least

I use lifting as my time to clear my head, I can’t think about anything else at the time - apart from the banging tunes to motivate me!
My arms and legs have great definition, I’ve changed shape, I can eat more!
The feeling of lifting more than most of the guys in the gym is great, I’m not going to lie!
Have a PT session and get them to teach you compound lifts and you’ll be grand

Hi. I’ve started the Grow with Jo dumb bell workout on YouTube. Done it for under two weeks. Weight the same but I’m back in my jeans and look like I’ve lost half a stone. Absolutely buzzing. Forget the scales. This is the answer for me. I do 4-5 half an hour slots a week. Eating more protein too. Life changing. Quick results!

I’ve just seen that I last posted on this thread in October when I’d just started - inspired by MN threads.

Since then I’ve got a fabulous personal trainer, I’m doing free weights 3 times a week, my muscle mass is up & my fat is down. Taking up weights has to be one of the best things a woman can do for herself!

I started getting serious with weight lifting when this thread first started - following programmes (from Mind Pump) and tracking my progressive overload. In February I stopped all cardio other than walking (used to spin/run/dance) and hit my protein targets every day; the changes since Feb have been significant! Best thing is that I’m eating more than I’ve ever done in my life, and I’m sleeping so well.

That’s great you’ve lost so much weight so quickly.

I love Grow with Jo - such fun and energising videos! And I enjoy dumbbell workouts in general, it’s the only weights I do now I’ve quit the gym. But sadly I think I injured my leg either doing a dumbbell workout, one of grow with jo or similar YouTube workouts.

It happened over a few days so I’m not sure what exercise exactly triggered it - could just be a combination.

It means now I’m limited to walking for short distances for exercise. When it’s healed I’ll go easy on the GWJ workouts and stick to long walks, and no weights . So yeah I think I’ll retire my dumbbells for a while now unfortunately.

When it was going well however I think it helped to get my hourglass figure back that had turned into more of a potato shape lol

thankfully I’m naturally quite muscular with high muscle/bone density though, so when I lose weight through cardio the muscle definition shows.

I lost a stone in a year without changing my diet at all. (And my diet is not restrained. I eat very healthy meals but then eat crisps and drink wine on top of them)

Prior to weight training I climbed a mountain with teen Dc and arrived at the summit an hour after them. One year later, after doing weight training, we climbed a different mountain and arrived at the summit together.

I love the strength and energy it gives me. My posture has massively improved.

After some time away from weight training due to illness I started back at Pilates. Their 'advanced' moves made me laugh - they were the things you do as a cool down in bootcamp. The teacher was a bit surprised how strong my core was from weight training.

@Lilacdew the change in posture is amazing isnt it?

its not something I thought about before but I had noticed it in myself more recently, im not walking around hunched back anymore.

As somone said- weight lifting mainly for women of a certain age, its SO beneficial for you especially in the long run.

Since starting this thread I've developed a mild prolapse. Really gutted as I've really got into strength training and don't know what to do...

That sounds shit, @1newname.

Can you get advice from a physio?

Great muscle tone all over, can run longer, can play my sport at a higher level. Fewer aches and pains, have visible abs after children and at age 45. Move through the world more confidently. I was in shape before, but heavy lifting has taken everything to a higher level.

@EmpressaurusOfCats I saw a women's health physio last week and she was quite positive, said it was very mild and taught me how to do my pelvic floor exercises but I just feel a bit broken by it.

I haven't lost any weight because I'm greedy. But I feel so much fitter, more flexible, strong. I'm 60, and I've been doing it about 18 months. Free weights.

Building strength, mobility has improved, I no longer give a f**k what people think of me when I’m in the gym ie a mental health benefit too. This is because I know I am stronger and fitter than I was. For me its about bone strength and overall health benfits. I’m still overweight, grey and perimenopausal but I consider I’m making an investment in future me. When I started with my PT I struggled to walk up the stairs to the gym, now i can single leg squat to a 16inch box with an extra 10kg kettlebell. So hopefully I’ll reduce my chances of needing a nursing home but evem if I end up there then I can get out of a chair even after an amputation!

9cm off my waist in a year. Massive reduction in back pain. Clearer skin for some reason. Better posture and no longer have insomnia.

This! Same for me age 58. Weight lifting has changed my shape like running never did. And I eat more than before

Being strong is just such a kick. Hefting heavy stuff. Lifting stuff you didn't used to be able to manage. Seeing the muscles visible all over my back and arms and shoulders. I have killer abs.

Of course