Early menopause - weight lifting advice

[Teacherteachernotapreacher]

Hiya
total newbie, never done weight lifting of any kind and totally out of my depth!
am 42 and in early menopause and want to start heavy lifting to help with bone strength and also weight loss. Am a keen runner and training for second marathon. I run 4 times a week and cover about 40km. Not sure how I should be fitting weights around this and how much I should do. Ideally it’ll also help with running and make me look awesome as a bonus. I’ve gained half a stone this last 6 mths despite no changes to my diet (I’m only 5ft 2 so very noticeable too)
happy to join a gym but then what do I do?! Local one doesn’t have a PT

Following 👍

I love lifting but can't recommend getting a PT highly enough, at least until you are confident in what you are doing.

Are you sure there isn't a fairly local gym with a PT, or an independent PT? Quite often the more lifting-oriented gyms will be in units on an industrial estate so not somewhere you'd necessarily be aware of from walking by, and the ones near us hardly bother advertising. (This info will not help if you are very rural but you haven't said.)

Start with a PT to get your posture right so you don’t injure yourself.

Find one that knows how to teach you reps to failure rather than pumping away for set after set not really making an impact.

It’s a fairly small community gym/pool so the people that run it aren’t all proper gym people, they all multi task. I’ll ask them when I go - I’m going for a proper look on Weds. are PTs pricey? I’m just not sure how to fit in weights with running but really really need to!

I'm in the South East and £40 per session is the lowest I'd expect to find round here.

As for the running, properly constructed strength training should help that, too, so look on it as an investment in the running if you need to dial back a bit for a short while at some point.

I’ve found a gym that does power lifting and Olympic weightlifting where they help you to make sure you’re lifting correctly.
is that what I need? It sounds pretty intense. Will I not end up some massive muscle person?

I was just coming in to say to do just that. 2 sessions a week to start you off would be good place to work from.
You also need to be mindful of your nutrition and make sure you are eating enough to fuel all of your training. Esp protein. And dont fear the carbs either. They provide the energy needed. Protein is the building blocks. It will help you build the foundations. Good luck and enjoy!

And no. You wont end up massive.

You need shitloads of gear and years of eating and training like a bber to get to that.
It will give you curves in the right places and the more lean muscle you have the more cals you will burn. Win/win😁👍

Hairgician - thanks, that makes me feel better! It’s two set classes a week so might be the best way forward. I’m reading about the menopause and diet at the mo and think I’ve definitely tended towards undereating and not fuelling properly, esp after long runs. I’m scared of eating more though as I’m already overweight. I eat well and don’t starve myself by a long shot but do 16:8 every day and watch my carb intake especially

Sounds perfect. Hope you give it a go and enjoy it.

It sounds great - go for it!

There really isn't any point in heavy lifting without knowing how to do it properly - you won't progress and may injure yourself. It has to be quite intense but properly planned and executed to get the benefits.

You may not find 16:8 works with it, as your body does need fuel to aid recovery after strength sessions, and as you build muscle you will need more calories. Everyone is different though and it is just a case of finding what works for you. Also, don't worry too much about the scales when you start lifting - you do retain water sometimes - go more by how you look and the fit of your clothes.

It is very hard for women to bulk up with massive muscles. I'm mid-50s, been strength training for several years and am a bit lighter than I was when I started but a smaller size and clothes fit well - I eat lots 😀.

Update (as I like seeing them on other posts)
went to weight lifting class and bloody loved it! Loads of other women there and having done only two, feel amazing and more in charge of life a bit for having done it. Any peri menopausal women feeling a bit shit - go do it!

Great update OP! I’ve recently started CrossFit which also does Olympic lifting classes and strength classes alongside the regular CrossFit and I get a real buzz from lifting weights. It’s over 50% women at my place which is great as CrossFit has a reputation for being a bit blokey. Started taking DD11 to the kids’ class too and she loves it.

Excellent, OP! Thanks for the update.

I’m just not sure how to fit in weights with running but really really need to!

Don't know if others have said this, but - if I were you, I'd drop 1 running session, and substitute a weightlifting session instead. If you include some stretching & mobility in that session, you should actually see an improvement in your running.

You'll have stronger glutes (my physiotherapist told me that runners often have underpowered glutes, believe it or not!) and better strength & endurance.

Glad to hear you loved your 1st session. I'm evangelical about lifting for women.

Thank you OP, I've been thinking about this too and having read these really helpful comments feel more confident in starting!

I started with a PT in March to supplement my running. I'm post menopause since I was 41.

I run 6 days a week, 45-50 miles and do 1 weight sessions a week with him.

It was tough at first as my legs took a while to get used to doing both, but they soon got used to it.

I do my weights PM on a hard running day. So intervals / tempo run in the morning first.

I've just started doing kettlebells at home twice a week too. Ideally I'd do PT 3 times a week but £££ and also time!

Great to see your update and glad you are enjoying it! You wont regret it!

16:8 might not suit your training though. You will have monitor and see how you progress and what results you get.

Pay very close attention to stretching/mobility work. Esp glutes/hip flexors etc.

Following this too for advice !

Thank god I found this thread.

Peri menopausal- overweight ( addressing diet after struggling with IF and low carb).
Currently focusing on prioritising protein and veggies / good fats, and high quality carbs ( ie lentils / wholegrains / sweet potato)

Marathon training ( only just building that up - will be second marathon last one was 2018).

Have bought a bench, mat and dumbbells to use at home. No idea what to do !!

Also following along!

Sorry just seen these replies. have been twice a week to barbell class and loving it. Not seeing any physical changes yet and am still fatter than I was. But love it and feel good for doing it. Has impacted my running a bit but hoping once my muscles get more used to it that’ll stop. Have also been trying to eat more protein in my diet and I think I just feel better for the element of control I have now.
i would definitely recommend getting to a class or two to learn about weights - it’s so complex and interesting to learn as well. I’m also really paranoid about injury as hate not exercising!

Exactly this.

I'm a bodybuilder and would love to be able to pack the muscle on from the comfort of my armchair or the odd gym sesh. But the training and eating regime are brutal.

Lift away. You won't end up massive or muscly unless you're really trying to. And if you are, you'll know about it .... 😊

Be very very careful with weights, I had a couple of PT sessions first and then was confident to donit alone and I still got injured very badly with probable permanent damage to my body. Wish I’d never tried weights.

Truth is if you’re forties and want to lose weight, its all about food. Go zero sugar, skip breakfast, have tiny lunch and normal dinner and no snacks. The weight will come off that way even if your only exercise is walking.

If you haven't already OP, do some reading up on body recomposition.

In short, eat more calories but enough to be in a deficit. Google body recomposition calorie calculator.
Cut down on how much you're running. I do weights 3x a week and walk 2/3x a week. You need a decent rest to allow your muscles to repair and build.

Don't weigh yourself and accept that the scales won't do what you want. But you will look and feel better.

That might help you lose weight, but you will lose muscle as well as fat. The last thing you want to do in your 40s is lose muscle. What you really want is to lose FAT.

Again, look up body recomposition. How to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.