What if you just don't like strength training??

[SilkieChick]

I’m 47, fairly fit, eat well and aware of how important they say strength training is at this age and stage of life, so I’m making an effort to introduce this to my usual weekly exercise of walking/gardening/yoga.

Tried out Caroline Girvin’s work out for the first time two days ago and my lower body is still aching. I’m going to try and persist and try some of the other workouts, upper body core et cetera, but this is not my usual kind of exercise and I don’t love it. I’ve never been a gym bunny, I don’t love boring, repetitive lifts and I really don’t like that my body is aching so much that I’m not enjoying other forms of exercise/hobbies as much - like gardening which I do regularly and I need my muscles to work so I can bend/lift etc!

So my questions are:

Will it get better?
If so - when??
Are there other forms of exercise I could do (or I’m already doing) which have the same benefits?

Surely if I’m walking pretty much every day with additional sessions of yoga and some physical gardening on top of that that’s enough to keep me fit and healthy both physically and mentally?

I firmly believe you should enjoy exercise and find a form that is that works for you because it makes you feel better, and then you’ll want to keep doing it. I know it’s still very early days but I definitely don’t feel better after doing a strength workout - I feel worse, and older!

I really enjoy walking, yoga, gardening, even running (when I've got my mojo back) and so I’m also not prepared to give up one of these for a super intense workout which makes me feel old and creaky every time at the end of it.

Convince me that this is important and I need to persist, or reassure me that I'm already doing enough to survive midlife/menopause!

Lifting weights is the best way to increase muscle mass, joint strength and help maintain bone density in a safe and controlled manner. Sports have a higher degree of injury and are not as effective and efficient in giving you a well rounded whole body exercise.

I know, that's why I'm trying it out. I keep reading about how important it is for women of my age. However [throws tantrum] it's BORING and it HURTS! Therefore, I don't enjoy it and won't feel motivated to keep it up.

I'm looking for reassurance that it somehow magically gets better OR there's Another Way - another form of exercise which will provide similar benefits.

I suspect the answer is: there's not. Suck it up, grit your teeth and get on with it - or risk your joints/bones crumbling into dust 😩

Join a strenght and conditioning class, it is much more fun.

But i love the ache, it means i have worked hard

I may be wrong but I heard boxing/boxercise was supposed to be good for bone density due to the impact? I tried it out a few weeks ago and then injured my wrist (I am hypermobile) so I haven't been again but it was a fun session.

I don't know, I find all exercise for the sake of it boring, but I do it because I need to, to stay healthy. I like gardening and walking, the yoga, weights and resistance training is a chore. The initial pain goes away once your body adjusts.

Maybe try doing it as part of a class? I'm not sure it has to be weightlifting per se (though I'm sure someone will come along and correct me), but bodyweight exercises that you do in HIIT classes etc might be sufficient?

Have you considered climbing? Good for strength and flexibility. It’s also a good whole body exercise. Our local climbing wall has a woman’s only group.

Have you tried body pump classes? Less intense than Caroline, better music and if you are motivated by group exercise it's available at many/most gyms. Otherwise it's available on Les Mills at home (pay for it monthly) and there's a whole range of other classes on there too, as well as a couple of different strength ones.

You just have to suck it up and tell yourself all the fantastic things it’s doing for your body, keeping you strong, fit and healthy.

I have muscle and joint disease and I know had it not been for the years of lifting weights (and other activities too), I would be in a much worse state. I’m also on long term steroids but know that lifting weights as well as other weight bearing exercise helps mitigate some of the problems these cause.

I think you just have to suck it up and make it part of your routine; like washing your hair. It may not fill you with great joy but it needs to be done!

I don't love weights (I'm a runner who does weights cos I have to) but I've grown to like it because of the real benefits it's bringing in terms of reducing injuries and making me stronger.
Oh and the physical changes are nice too - I have defined muscles where before I just had skinny arms.

You'll get lots of people saying to try body pump or boxercise whatever, and they're good for cardio, but it's not the same as lifting heavy weights and doesn't deliver the same benefits.

Appreciate all the suggestions so far, though I'm afraid nothing's quite hitting the mark yet as an alternative. I can barely imagine being motivated enough to press play on the next YouTube training video, so getting changed and leaving the house for an hour or more for a class I don't want to go to is never going to fly. If I'm not going to love it, this work needs to be easy, quick, accessible.

A bit of reading of some other threads reveals I may have started on a slightly too ambitious Caroline Girvan workout - this is somewhat reassuring but now I have no idea where to find something that is the right level.

@FeelinTwentySixPointTwo your post has given me some small encouragement too - the fact you've grown to like how it makes you feel and look... I realise I'm like some kind of weird midlife toddler person - I want instant gratification and/or to be rewarded at some point for doing the thing!

I find it boring too, one of CG's iron series was just 30 minutes of different variations of Romanian deadlifts and oh god, I could not stand it!

I now belong to an outdoor physical training group. We do various bootcamp style sessions, with weights but also bodyweight exercises, they do cardio/running sessions, yoga etc as part of the timetable. It may not yield the best results if all you want is building muscle mass but for overall fitness, building a bit of strength, and social interaction they suit me perfectly. Life's way too short to do workouts you hate.

I love strength training but I don't like Caroline Girvan. She's just too much for me. Try something like Bodyfit with Amy. She does lower weights, simple workouts and 10 minute kettlebell routines. Start with a 10 minute workout a few times a week and build up.
Or try bodyweight workouts. I like Leo Moves on You Tube as his focus is on agility and balance with strength almost as a by-product.

I've been going to a weights class 3 times a week for about a year now...bit longer actually. I'm not completely consistent - just had 5 weeks off because of flu and Christmas...

Anyway I'm 56 so doing it because I'd got lazy - what I like about it is it makes it so much easier to do the things I do like doing! Gardening, walking, just general life.

I'm not a natural gym person but I just go and do the classes. I also do Pilates which is weight bearing with lots of planks etc which I prefer - it's quite a tough class.

So it might just be you have to just do it...and appreciate the benefits.

To be honest I preferred an outdoor weights and fitness class I used to do ...but they moved venue and I couldn't get there anymore.

Thanks for the tip @SereneCapybara I'll check out Bodyfit with Amy, sounds a bit more manageable.

@BigDahliaFan good to know that it pays off in other areas of life, the same kinds of things I love to do too! (I love your username btw - I am also a big fan of dahlias 😁)

Caroline Girvan is sometimes quite aerobic.

What about body weight workouts using resistance bands? And doing things like full push ups (not from your knees) and pull ups. Also step ups, and as you get stronger/faster, wear a back pack with some tins of tomatoes or whatever, in it. Add weight progressively.

Or try MegSquats "Before the Barbell" - it's a free programme that you follow via Instagram. She really knows her stuff, and she writes programmes specifically for women.

The principles behind weightlifting that is actually what is recommended for women to ward of osteoporosis is weight-bearing and resistance. And as you get stronger, you progressively overload your body so it responds to that stressor by growing more muscle, which protects your joints.

I love strength training and weights but I hate Caroline Girvan's routines, so boring, and overwork single muscles IMO. I use Nike Training Club workouts - so much variety that I never get bored.

@SilkieChick CG is pretty hard core for a newbie to weights.
i have been following her for three years and my body is so different and so am strong.
i suggest you look at other trainers. There are well known ones on YouTube who are not as intense. It is the intensity that gets you results though.
i often don’t want to train but I do -5 days a week because it is a non negotiable for me- like brushing my teeth.
i want to be able to function when I am older . I am 57 and have no intention of having a slow and miserable decline into decrepitude if I can help it.

I find body pump even more boring than lifting weights on my own in the gym, the tracks just go on and on and on and on doing the same couple of exercises for minutes at a time! At least in the gym I can listen to my own music too.
Something more like a circuits / bootcamp class might suit you more as they tend to vary every time and you might work to time rather than reps then move onto the next exercise.

Try Henley fitness on insta if you want some fun inspiration.

It does hurt as your muscles aren’t used to lifting weight. It will get easier - but if you up the weight then it will hurt again.

you will quickly start to see gains if you go regularly and will genuinely feel and look stronger. Keep at it, once you notice the gains it becomes a bit addictive as you don’t want to undo all that hard work.

I find it boring too. I do things I enjoy. I like swimming, walking and occasionally go to the gym and do some rowing.

I hate it too. Body pump almost tips me over in to madness as the music is always dreadful (and I've done it on and off for 20 years now). Circuit classes with a mixture of cardio and weights are fun. See also outdoor army bootcamp workouts, I'm easily distracted by a cute dog or bird which takes my mind off the session.

Carrying heavy shopping is an option. I walk most places and happily lug it along in ikea bags.

I had a personal trainer before I started CG but stopped that for money reasons.
Honestly CG is so much better snd the results have been incredible
But I'm very consistent - I have been doing it since Sept and only stopped for two days over Christmas.
I do five work outs a week:
I prefer iron to epic

PS I turn the music right down and listen to a podcast

I loathe weights (another runner who only does them because I have to). In the end I got a PT for four weeks to get me started and give me a 30 minute dumbell routine. I do it in front of the TV or with a film on my ipad if I'm in the gym to distract me.

It might be possible to find a yogaish bodyweight work out at least to get you started.