Overcoming 5 Most Common Strength Training Mistakes for Women Over 40

In this episode, I'll discuss why you shouldn't let the fear of bulking up keep you from lifting weights, the importance of progressive overload, and how essential proper nutrition and recovery are to your success. We'll also dive into how addressing mobility issues in your hips, knees, and ankles can prevent injuries and enhance your overall fitness. Whether you’re starting your strength training journey or looking to refine your routine, I'll share insights and encouragement to help you build a stronger, healthier body with a comprehensive training program. Learn how a personal coach or accountability partner can transform your training experience, ensuring consistency and success in your fitness goals.

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Transcript

1:08

All right and welcome to fit me to a fitness podcast. Today's episode, I'm talking about strength training for women over 30 and 40, and talking about five biggest mistakes, and this is not even headline, is over 40. But this is actually pretty relevant if you even if you are a little bit younger, like, say, 30s or or something so. But as what I have seen many like older women, they are even more doing these mistakes, but these are actually very common for women in general, like as I have worked in the past eight years, I would say that 80% of my clients are women, and you learn to see some pattern. What is the what mistakes people or women are repeating, what kind of fears they have and how to actually then improve. So let's get into episode. So first of all, mistake number one, that is easy and that is that you are avoiding strength training. Do fear of bulking up. So this is very, very common. And I recently talked like that with with my working colleague, and she said she's in her mid 50s, and she said that, no, she can't, she don't want to use weights because she don't do muscular Of course, she have a background that she used to gain relatively fast muscle mass, and now she's kind of avoiding it, doing like only low weights, higher repetitions, or not even going closure. And this is, this is actually the biggest mistakes, what you can do so so you will not get too muscular, and especially if you, if you are not, if you are older, and if you don't, because there are So many people who are actually trying to get more muscular, but they are not able to. So you need to have so many different things. So if you think that it's a couple times per week, you are going to look like a bodybuilder. Trust me, you can stop right away when you see that bodybuilder looking from the mural. So there is no actual risk. So the reality is that women, you have lower levels of hormones and that cause muscle hypertrophy in a way that it doesn't cause that in the same way that men are experiencing. And strength training actually helps in toning the body and increasing the metabolism, improving bone density, density, and that is a crucial thing, especially when we are aging, as a risk of osteoporosis is increasing. So I know if you have my my grandma, grandma as as this, I 85 years old at the moment, still alive, luckily, but osteoporosis is so bad at the moment that she can barely move. So this is something like what you don't really, really think when you are younger, but there is always at risk or at later and some point of your life. So this is often people you know, you don't think that it's this until it's, it's kind of too late. And now for my friend, unfortunately, she will have a very hard time like because it's, it's that cycle is going, going often. Unfortunately, I saw it with my dad, like that. You start to step by step. You know, you are not starting to move. Then you are basically just sitting or laying. You're not moving at all. Lose your muscle mass relatively quickly, and then, you know, you can't even move. So it's all about staying active and and trying to move, doing that strength training at some point of your life. It's it helps so much to AIDS later, of course, we are losing, I would say it's on after you're when you are turning 3035, in that age eight range, eight range, losing five, three to 7% it's of your muscle mass per decade. So if you think it like it's on average, 5% of your current body mass, or muscle mass, what you're losing per decade, and that some say that that's if you are 40 now, you never shrink train, you don't have probably a lot muscle mass. You're starting to lose it 5% by end of 55%, by end of 60. So it's going very, very quickly and and that decreases your metabolism. You are probably going to it's a lot easier to gain some weight when you don't have a less muscle mass. But I will talk about a little bit later. But says Don't avoid strength training because you think that it's going to make you party. So then mistake number two is, is basically under underestimating the importance of progressive overload. So this was something what we talked a lot with, also women's ice hockey national team. They are athletes. They are women. But this is something what I, or I kind of try to tell to my group coaching clients, also all the time, like was, it's a very different like of men. In this situation, men are using too much weight, so they are kind of, their form is not that good as they usually you as it should be, because they pick two heavyweights. And for women, it's totally opposite. So when you are kind of, you are feeling already that now this feels heavy, and most of the women, when it feels heavy, it's enough that they don't want to use heavier weights. But what is actually progressive overload? And this was something, what even athletes, Olympic athletes, are struggling so, so what is a progressive overload? So it's it's something that you have to trying to add more weight. And this is a good example, is that you don't need to do it every single week, but doing it's always adding something more, like adding weight, adding repetitions and and this is a good I guess, if you are beginner, you are probably able to do it every single week for the first couple weeks, couple months. But then at some point, when you have been doing it, strength training more often, then you probably want to think it like a weekly and coin like maybe you are able to add one kilo, two kilos for to your first then you might need to reduce it here, or you reduce your petitions. So there is always something, but just aiming to increase the weight. And very common mistake is also when people are when you work out from home, you use the same dump for every single muscle. So think it, if you think it logically, your leg, your bigger muscles, like your back, your glutes or your leg muscles, they are, they are lot stronger than your smaller like shoulder muscle. So if you try to repeat and do all exercises with your one kilo, two kilo, three kilo dumbles, it's not going to have that same effect. Obviously your smaller muscles, like shoulders, they might have a good workout, but for your legs, you don't give even close to that something what is called progressive overlord. So you don't there is not going to be enough that you are not going to get that more toned or more stronger body, because you are kind of trained. So the keys here is to change every single exercise you think, every single exercise that what, what you would be doing more so because that progressive overload is essential for continuing to build strength and muscle. And it's the same thing. It means actually, if you are thinking that I don't want to pick muscle. I just want to get more tone body. Term is exactly the same. If you are getting stronger, you are getting more toned body, and, and so those are, those are just simple things, what you should be thinking all the time, and, and that is something, what many, many, many women, like even athletes, professional athletes that you need to push yourself, you need to learn to push yourself. And one way to actually know and think how what it feels, how it is to push yourself is to learn is a skill to go for one time to failure, because there are so many people who have never done it, like I was watching with personal athletes, when they were pushing themselves, but were still some of them that they were stopping, when they were when I was sure that they are still going to get, like, a three, four, more repetitions, but they said, no, no, no, I can't do it anymore. And just repetition before was that easy that I'm sure they are going to get enough for repetitions, but probably goes to the thing is that it started to feel heavy though. Then then they stopped pushing themselves and and if you want to get results, you want to push yourself harder. So mistake number three is then neglecting nutrition and is specific protein intake. So this is to be become stronger you need also nutrition part and and not adjusting your diet to support increased activity levels, particularly not consuming enough protein. So we had a we had a we have amazing athlete in our women's Actually, don't know if it's a hockey thing, but she's actually doing a party building, and her goal is to build muscle. So if your goal is I tell you what she's doing. She's waiting like 65 kilos, 64 kilos at the moment, and she's eating 4000 calories. She's training at the team like two hours every single day. I would say that it's at least two hours, two, three hours every single day, for five, six days a week, so, and even 4000 calories, a lot of lot of protein. So, and her goal is to build muscle mass. So if you are scared, and CEC have been successful. So if your goal is to you are scared of building muscle mass, think that you it would be. It's not necessary, but if you are going to do it, you need to eat in a calorie surplus. To eat a lot of calories, you need to do a lot of training and with the progressive overload. And even then, it takes the a lot of time, lot of effort. But even your goal is to just to build, get somewhere, get more tone body, and starting that strength during the protein intake, especially protein intake, because it's, it's a kind of well for building muscle mass. And what you should be aiming for at least 1.5 grams per kilo body weight, ideally, it's a bit higher. You could aim for two grams per per kilo body weight, protein, and getting that every single day. Doesn't matter if you work out or not. You should get that amount of protein every single day. So protein and obviously total amount of dairy so but if you are new in a strength training, basically amount of calories doesn't matter. Of course, you are getting all the time something new that strength training is a new kind of signal, what you are sending to your body. And you are your body is going to respond, regardless how you are going to go into it. So you are going to be able to build muscle, lose fat at the same time for the especially for the first three to six months and also later, it is still it's though, it's not probably the most optimal way to do it, but it's still possible it's just getting a lot, lot slower when you are not going to get those kind of new beginnings In the beginning or after beginning anymore. So just make sure that you are also eating enough and also carbohydrates. So carbohydrates is the other thing. What is important, especially if it when it comes to your workout quality, how much energy you have to push yourself. So if you haven't been eating any carbohydrates, you probably won't have enough energy to push yourself in a workout to aim for that progressive of those in these other proteins and carbohydrates, they are very, very important for your strength trainings, and for carbohydrates, for example, It depends like you could be aiming for it something just before your workout, like banana or something what is easily digestible and that is a very good source of carbohydrates just before your workout, or obviously, then if you are eating earlier, earlier than all kind of carbohydrate sources. But basically, the best options are always for carbohydrates are those kind of one ingredient carbon foods, like, if you think carbohydrates, banana, potato, rice, so there's only one ingredient, and it's not a mix of anything else. So those are just examples, but, but make sure that also that your eating and nutrition is supporting your strength, course. So then Mistake number four is kind of skipping that recovery and mobility training. So this is something, something, What? What? Often people don't understand, and especially athletes, they struggle to make sure that they get enough quality recovery, and what is the best way to recover faster? Is your sleep, quality sleep. So it's not always more. It's not better. You don't need to work out more hours if you actually you could be getting so much better results. Your recovery is optimized. You are sleeping enough, sleeping seven, eight hours every single night. And hydration, obviously, and what other thing is kind of that mobility trainings, strength training alone, if you are just doing strength training, especially older wicket, you need to do some kind of mobility, flexibility training. And even there's both are important, stretching is also important. But that was kind of more like in 80s. It was all about stretching. And now what I never heard about mobility training, actually, when I was my 20s or 30s, and now it's all about mobility. So what is the difference between mobility? Mobility is kind of those, all those joints, like your ankle, your knees, your hips, which are causing often, then that, for example, you are getting lower back pain is cause of your lack of mobit in your hips. For your knee pain, it's often coming from ankles. So your ankles don't have that enough, enough range of motion, and then that is your knees are hurting. So those are often, often some points what you need to be addressing. And if you have never done mobility workout, you don't know where to start. If you have some kind of pains all the time. It says that do some mobility testing. And this is something, what I what I I did, I created for my all my coaching clients, for my membership coaching for my one on one coaching clients for my women's national hockey team. So you have a my mobility guide where you are actually you are testing yourself with the exercises your whole body seven points, and you get pass, you get fail. And then if you fail, you or even pass, but especially if you fail in something, then you have exercises, what you can implement into your warm ups, into your cooldowns, or even during the workout, if you have a longer rest time, like what you should be having, if you have a two degree minute rest time and you don't want to just do something, you just don't want to sit and wait and watch your phone do one minute mobility exercises, as those are those you can always do. They are not demanding for your body. And mobility training is something that you don't need to do it a long time after one one session. Good session is one to 10 minutes. And what is more important is that you do it consistently. So it's not about that you need to do it long, but just consistently. And that is like mobility exercise is doing them. That is the key. Do not feel pain. Do not have have a kind of you are or that you are able to have move with the with the higher range of motion, using inner weights, not getting hurt. Life stage changer and this, I wish I would know myself earlier. And so many of my clients also really think that we still know I'd do it earlier, because so many people doing just stretching and kind of skipping that mobility workout. So then mystic number five is kind of ignoring somebody parts. So often, women are thinking like that. They are that, you know, they want to lose that from their belly or from they want to just get your bigger legs or or they have a problem with their legs and they want to train their legs and, or they have some body part, what is kind of, what they see themselves as a problem, and then that's causing them to train only that zone or or pick more than necessarily, for that zone. So, so don't solely focus on those problem zones, you have to, obviously, you can do one, two more sit exercise, but it doesn't, it doesn't mean, like, if with a good, proper strength training program you are using, you train your full body, like, how you divide it, it's totally it's up to you. Depending on program, I tend to program my programs, they are often full party workouts, especially for people who can work out that they have a day break in between side like, for example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I then do think that full body workout is the best split to do some if you can't work out, if you have to work, let's say Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, then I probably would go up or lower so or different muscles that you don't train same muscle two times a day, but, but what I often see is that women, they do a lot of core work. If they are, if they think that core is some that they would need to lose, for example, Billy battag, than they are doing training, or if they think that they need to get more toned legs, then they skip all upper body exercises. And that is one of the biggest so crucial is that kind of balance bit in your body, and so that your training, it's counted like it's it's a strength training. It's not it's not too difficult, but having a program that you know exactly what exercises to do, in which order you should do them, and how many sets, how many repetitions? Because it's it's really combination, like there is no right or wrong way, but just in general, at some point you need to to if you want your goal is to optimize your results and get there by working smarter, not necessarily harder. At some point you need to lift heavy weights to repetition. So that means that using kind of phases to improving your maximum strength, and that is that you usually do within reference one to five. I would not recommend someone to doing one repetitions or not even maybe two, but let's say to three to five, three to six, that is kind of repetition rates what I would recommend to you so that you are not able to do more than five repetitions with the weight you are using. So that is something until you need a long rest time. Then at some point you need to have a have a references, what is kind of hypertrophic, focusing on building muscle, building strength is six to 12. So exercises you are using, they are from six to 12. That is, for most people, that is kind of that comfort zone, what they like to do. And then there is kind of that endurance zone, or endurance where you are using those lighter weights and doing more repetition. So that is like 12 plus 12 to 20 repetitions, or somebody's doing more than that, but, but those are all what you need to be doing at some point then. But it depends, like, how you prefer to split your program. I tend to do my programs that I focused one thing at a time, especially if it's not like an athlete who is, who is doing, who kind of make maintenance program to maintain everything. But if you have a like, if you are normal people, you have a three four months goal, then I focus one thing at the time, doing three four weeks phases, focusing just improving maximum strength. And it's next month. It's a little bit different exercises, doing more repetitions. And then month after that, it's doing endurance. So just changing things around. So this, what I have found that is for your body is best way to get faster results, because you It's plus that it's not getting boring. So this, this, this is the way how I have trained myself now past couple of years, I enjoy it the most. My clients have told the best feedback. Obviously, this is not for like that. It's for everyone. Is the only way or the right way, but often it's something, what I recommend, at least, to try it, and if at some point, if you are in a point that this is so hard than just getting some support, getting some things that you know what to do. You know that you are doing things right. Because even if you are, if you are not having like in my coaching, there is obviously the best way is to get some trainer who is checking your form in the beginning. Once you choose sessions, all exercises, and then when everything is if everything is good, like in my coaching, I do have, obviously, I work all over the world. I don't have a chance to stay with them at the gym first time. But then people, they are sending me for their form videos. I can look their form give some tips in that way. So there is always possibility to check your form when you work with the coach, even it's on online pace. Obviously the best way is always to have a in person coach. But if you can't have it, online coaching options are always possible. So and then having that program so having somebody who is holding you accountable that you are getting work done, especially those days when you don't feel like doing it. So this is accountability part, asking questions, it's it's a game changer, and especially if you have history of that you are not independently, doing your workouts. You tend to skip. You tend to then having somebody who is holding you accountable. And this, it doesn't matter. We are all different, somebody in choice, one on one, support they have. You have access directly to your posts or then like a group based where, where we are, like my membership coach, we are coaching. We are in a Facebook group. We are there, supporting each other, sending videos, or not videos, but just messages. Posting wins, sometimes struggles, asking advices. So this kind of support, it's all about. We are all driving from different kind of supports, but some kind of support system you need to have, or you will most likely not be consistent. So that was kind of five most common mistakes. What I have seen if I forgot something, I will add it. But thank you so much for listening if you're interested, for coaching options, one on one, coaching membership, coaching links to my this so and hopes you inside so thank you for listening and talk to you soon. You