Is it time to ditch your 5 and 10 pound weights and trade them in for heavy ones? Holly Rilinger says yes. And after training with her for 3 months and increasing my bone density, so do I.
I love lifting and will definitely take a look at that scale so I can track my progress at home. Did you invest in heavier weights? What is your gym setup like at home now?
I did! I have a 17.5 pound kettle bell for squats, but I already need to get a heavier one. I deadlift 20 pounds in each hand or 15 when my back is feeling a bit weak. I chest press 20 pounds in each hand, but am thinking of going higher soon. My gym set up is a bench at the foot of my bed with all the weights spread on it from lowest to highest and a tiny space between that bed and the wall just deep enough for two yoga mats with no space between them where my partner and I do Holly's routines 3x a week.
Thanks for the InBody discount code! The scale for home use is on sale on the company website and the code works along with it, so I got it for a great price. I'd been looking for a body comp scale that was legit.
I’m curious for the specifics of your kettlebell and dumbbell weights since I am on a similar journey. I, too, don’t belong to a gym and have been accruing a motley collection of weights, up to 30-lb kettlebell and 20-lb dumbbell set (also a lot lighter ones.) I’ve read that increasing weight is more advantageous for muscle hypertrophy than increasing reps, so I guess I need to keep buying heavier ones, although it’s getting crowded in my space and I wonder if this keeps going on or eventually levels off!
In September I started with a trainer and dead lifted 60lbs. Last week I reached my personal record and dead lifted 100lbs. I felt invincible. Keep going and if you can, access to a gym that has the higher weights is a good investment.
Joining a fancy gym was my post menopausal gift to myself. Hiring a trainer, however, was a desperate move because of a shitty blood test result. Now I don’t care if my blood test comes back 100% better. I love the attention and care my trainer gives me. It’s worth every penny. Getting the excellent health results is the icing on the cake. What I realize now is I love everything else that comes with it. The way my body moves, looks, feels, the endorphins, and how much steadier I am on my feet.
THANK YOU and congratulations on your improved bone health! I reached out to a trainer in my neighborhood a few months ago with a vague plea for midlife wellness support and got no response... I just signed up for the January bootcamp and look forward to improving my strength, which I have actually felt slipping away.
Oooh, Deb! This is fascinating. Thanks to my sister, I've been part of a virtual circuit training class once a week (sometimes less, depending on the week) since the pandemic. But I really need to do more, and am definitely going to check this out.
Deb- I hired a trainer and started lifting heavy last September. The results have been amazing. My motivation was a blood test that said I was pre pre-diabetic. Had to get those triglycerides down. Lifting heavy 3x a week and 1 intense cardio class has been life changing. And my trainer is a 20 year old man. Who would’ve thought? He is on top of ALL the data (what little there is).
The benefits have been huge. The biggest thing I notice, besides a higher a butt, is I glide when I walk now. Everything is stronger. Increasing bone density is icing on the cake. I’m so happy that you’re doing it too!
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis a year ago. At 63 years old and 10 years post menopausal, HRT isn’t an option and I did not want to take the horrid bisphosphonate drugs my endocrinologist was pushing! So I started a strength training program at home and increased my bone density within a year (6% in my spine and now in osteopenia range) I did not lift very heavy though (10 pounds was the max). Heavier weights probably explains your success in just 3 months.
I also added collagen powder containing Fortibone to my daily coffee.
Cheers to us for taking charge and making a positive difference!! 💪🏻
Hi Jody. I am not sure exactly which exercises most benefitted my spine but can detail the program I followed for the last year:
- [ ] Daily yoga, mostly vinyasa style but also focusing on the 12 poses shown to help bones by Dr. Loren Fishman (good YouTube video for this: https://youtu.be/FE_W6jMsnPY?si=uz5U4LVxnZ8wJhUh )
- [ ] 30 minute weight-bearing, resistance, and balance/posture exercises 3x per week using getwellen.com program
- [ ] Daily 1-2 mile walks with my dog
- [ ] Daily supplements including collagen/fortibone, Vitamin D3/K2 and magnesium
That’s all! I am retired so I have lots of free time but honestly these workouts are not time consuming or costly and I really enjoy following them at my convenience in the comfort of home.
Hi, Marge, I wanted to say (as I sit here drinking coffee with collagen in it!) I broke my femoral neck in an accident while traveling alone in France in 2019. I was 5 years post menopausal and didn’t realize I had osteoporosis. I’d also had a complete hysterectomy a few years before because of giant (cantaloupe, it’s always a fruit) fibroids. I did two years of Forteo and now do a LOT of strength and resistance training (weights 3x week, but also daily movement practice, which I also teach.) I, too, thought HRT was not a possibility for me but I went to see a GYN who specializes in hormones and started an estrogen patch and progesterone under her guidance and am feeling great and also finding it easier to build muscle. My regular GYN knows little about HRT—that’s why I went to a specialist. Of course, everyone’s situation is different but I’m trying to get the word out about HRT to age-peers, as well as to younger women. When I was menopausal HRT was actively discouraged and I’d thought I’d missed that opportunity.
Thank you Karen. I feel my regular GYN also knows little and gave me the standard ‘yeah sorry your generation was screwed by bad info and now it is too late’. I fortunately do not have any bad menopausal symptoms now other than bone density and am pleased I could raise it through exercise and supplements.
All of them, truly. Sometimes I do one class several times until I’ve mastered it, then move on to the next one. But they are all good. I usually choose the full body workouts.
Ok so— I hate lifting weights and tend to build bulky muscle, but my bff who is an OT swears by it. As an ex dancer/ yoga practitioner and teacher I hate feeling bound up… but I need help. My doc won’t do a bone density scan til I’m 60. I swim twice a week, hike and practice yoga often. At 59, I am only as of October officially in menopause. I just started HRT in December (should have started earlier) and have bad hip, calf pain and now some heinous heel issue… am hoping HRT will help. I use 2lb. weights occasionally and sort of hate that… ugh what to do, not sure I can add more into my routine, but you are inspiring. Either way, glad it is working for you and grateful you are paying attention to these issues. Happy New Year
Great timing on this article. I’m 52 and did strength training for 2 years during the pandemic. I feel out of practice and this is the needed boost to pick up those heavier weights again. Happy new year!
I'm 62 and have lifted heavy weights since my teens (I was a competitive swimmer in college). 40+ women often use the excuse, "I travel, I can't pack heavy weights, I don't have room, I can't afford a gym, blah, blah". Guess what? I bet your body is heavy. 90% of the time-- all I use is my body weight for heavy lifting. I do push ups, pull ups, one-legged squats, planks, reverse lunges. And then I have a really strong band (that I can fit in a fanny pack) and use that for resistance for lots for other exercises (you tube it). Also, I realize 5 minutes is better than no minutes. So while I aim for 30 minutes 3x a week, sometimes, I do 5 minutes 3x a week. And I will do one legged squats while waiting for an elevator (or in the elevator if not crowded). Listen to your fave podcast/music while doing it and at then end you will wonder why you were ever so resistant to doing it.
This is great news. You recently began using a mini trampoline. Why do you believe your bone improvement is due to weight lifting and not jumping on the trampoline or a combination of the two?
Whatever it is, I hope your bones continue to improve.
It helps if you have a good trainer. Individual is best to start but a class, if well taught, can get you lifting with other women who are serious. After lifting for 20 years with a gifted trainer (once a week individual and once a week in a class) I now, for the past 5 years, lift on Zoom with three other women. We all keep each other honest and willing to lift. It's not always easy to do it alone.
Holly is an amazing trainer, but I can’t afford one-on-one training. So this class, where she’s looking at everyone’s form, has been a godsend for me. And yes, the group effect is also motivating.
Wow Deb, your bone gain is truly inspiring. In 20 years as an ob/gyn, I rarely saw anyone improve their bone density by that much. I've been saying for ages that strength training is mandatory for all women to age with healthy bones and a healthy brain. I am curious if you have considered taking creatine? The data is solid for supporting muscle health, and very promising for both brain and bone health.
I don’t take creatine. I’ve considered it, and if you have a study you’d like to share on its benefits I’d love to read it, but I’m on the fence about taking it as an older person after reading this article by @Dr. Jen Gunter https://vajenda.substack.com/p/what-supplements-does-an-evidence.
I definitely agree with Jen that menopause influencers are sometimes overly enthusiastic about supplements, but when I sat down and read the data on creatine, I was really impressed. This is the first of a 2-part article I wrote, and the key studies are linked. Again, so thrilled about your bone gains. What a way to start the new year! https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/p/is-creatine-good-for-brain-health
I love lifting and will definitely take a look at that scale so I can track my progress at home. Did you invest in heavier weights? What is your gym setup like at home now?
I did! I have a 17.5 pound kettle bell for squats, but I already need to get a heavier one. I deadlift 20 pounds in each hand or 15 when my back is feeling a bit weak. I chest press 20 pounds in each hand, but am thinking of going higher soon. My gym set up is a bench at the foot of my bed with all the weights spread on it from lowest to highest and a tiny space between that bed and the wall just deep enough for two yoga mats with no space between them where my partner and I do Holly's routines 3x a week.
Just saw this, a partial answer to my question above. I’m also chest-pressing with two 20 lb weights, but it’s feeling like I need heavier ones.
Thanks for the InBody discount code! The scale for home use is on sale on the company website and the code works along with it, so I got it for a great price. I'd been looking for a body comp scale that was legit.
Thanks for sharing, excited to give this a try! Keep building up your bones.
I’m curious for the specifics of your kettlebell and dumbbell weights since I am on a similar journey. I, too, don’t belong to a gym and have been accruing a motley collection of weights, up to 30-lb kettlebell and 20-lb dumbbell set (also a lot lighter ones.) I’ve read that increasing weight is more advantageous for muscle hypertrophy than increasing reps, so I guess I need to keep buying heavier ones, although it’s getting crowded in my space and I wonder if this keeps going on or eventually levels off!
In September I started with a trainer and dead lifted 60lbs. Last week I reached my personal record and dead lifted 100lbs. I felt invincible. Keep going and if you can, access to a gym that has the higher weights is a good investment.
Wow!!!!
What do you use for the deadlift—is is a barbell, or a gigantic kettlebell?
Two 20 lb dumbbells, one in each hand.
There are two ways I lift that heavy:
My trainer loads a trap bar with plates.
And a leg press machine.
That is next level! Sounds great. I will eventually sign up for gym lessons.
Joining a fancy gym was my post menopausal gift to myself. Hiring a trainer, however, was a desperate move because of a shitty blood test result. Now I don’t care if my blood test comes back 100% better. I love the attention and care my trainer gives me. It’s worth every penny. Getting the excellent health results is the icing on the cake. What I realize now is I love everything else that comes with it. The way my body moves, looks, feels, the endorphins, and how much steadier I am on my feet.
So great, Shannon!
I need to get new kettle bells. The one I have now is only 17.5 lbs.
My UPS driver hates me. I need to find a bricks-and-mortar kettlebell emporium.
THANK YOU and congratulations on your improved bone health! I reached out to a trainer in my neighborhood a few months ago with a vague plea for midlife wellness support and got no response... I just signed up for the January bootcamp and look forward to improving my strength, which I have actually felt slipping away.
Nice!!! So glad. Holly is amazing.
Oooh, Deb! This is fascinating. Thanks to my sister, I've been part of a virtual circuit training class once a week (sometimes less, depending on the week) since the pandemic. But I really need to do more, and am definitely going to check this out.
So glad.
Deb- I hired a trainer and started lifting heavy last September. The results have been amazing. My motivation was a blood test that said I was pre pre-diabetic. Had to get those triglycerides down. Lifting heavy 3x a week and 1 intense cardio class has been life changing. And my trainer is a 20 year old man. Who would’ve thought? He is on top of ALL the data (what little there is).
The benefits have been huge. The biggest thing I notice, besides a higher a butt, is I glide when I walk now. Everything is stronger. Increasing bone density is icing on the cake. I’m so happy that you’re doing it too!
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis a year ago. At 63 years old and 10 years post menopausal, HRT isn’t an option and I did not want to take the horrid bisphosphonate drugs my endocrinologist was pushing! So I started a strength training program at home and increased my bone density within a year (6% in my spine and now in osteopenia range) I did not lift very heavy though (10 pounds was the max). Heavier weights probably explains your success in just 3 months.
I also added collagen powder containing Fortibone to my daily coffee.
Cheers to us for taking charge and making a positive difference!! 💪🏻
Wow! Yes!
Wow! This is tremendous, especially as spinal improvement can be harder than hip. I started Fortibone this Spring.
Please can you share further the exercises that you think may have increased your spine density?
Hi Jody. I am not sure exactly which exercises most benefitted my spine but can detail the program I followed for the last year:
- [ ] Daily yoga, mostly vinyasa style but also focusing on the 12 poses shown to help bones by Dr. Loren Fishman (good YouTube video for this: https://youtu.be/FE_W6jMsnPY?si=uz5U4LVxnZ8wJhUh )
- [ ] 30 minute strength training 3x per week using videos by https://carolinescircuits.com/
- [ ] 30 minute weight-bearing, resistance, and balance/posture exercises 3x per week using getwellen.com program
- [ ] Daily 1-2 mile walks with my dog
- [ ] Daily supplements including collagen/fortibone, Vitamin D3/K2 and magnesium
That’s all! I am retired so I have lots of free time but honestly these workouts are not time consuming or costly and I really enjoy following them at my convenience in the comfort of home.
Hope that’s helpful.
Thank you
Hi, Marge, I wanted to say (as I sit here drinking coffee with collagen in it!) I broke my femoral neck in an accident while traveling alone in France in 2019. I was 5 years post menopausal and didn’t realize I had osteoporosis. I’d also had a complete hysterectomy a few years before because of giant (cantaloupe, it’s always a fruit) fibroids. I did two years of Forteo and now do a LOT of strength and resistance training (weights 3x week, but also daily movement practice, which I also teach.) I, too, thought HRT was not a possibility for me but I went to see a GYN who specializes in hormones and started an estrogen patch and progesterone under her guidance and am feeling great and also finding it easier to build muscle. My regular GYN knows little about HRT—that’s why I went to a specialist. Of course, everyone’s situation is different but I’m trying to get the word out about HRT to age-peers, as well as to younger women. When I was menopausal HRT was actively discouraged and I’d thought I’d missed that opportunity.
Thank you Karen. I feel my regular GYN also knows little and gave me the standard ‘yeah sorry your generation was screwed by bad info and now it is too late’. I fortunately do not have any bad menopausal symptoms now other than bone density and am pleased I could raise it through exercise and supplements.
Thanks for more great info! I checked out the classes - do you have favorites?
All of them, truly. Sometimes I do one class several times until I’ve mastered it, then move on to the next one. But they are all good. I usually choose the full body workouts.
Ok so— I hate lifting weights and tend to build bulky muscle, but my bff who is an OT swears by it. As an ex dancer/ yoga practitioner and teacher I hate feeling bound up… but I need help. My doc won’t do a bone density scan til I’m 60. I swim twice a week, hike and practice yoga often. At 59, I am only as of October officially in menopause. I just started HRT in December (should have started earlier) and have bad hip, calf pain and now some heinous heel issue… am hoping HRT will help. I use 2lb. weights occasionally and sort of hate that… ugh what to do, not sure I can add more into my routine, but you are inspiring. Either way, glad it is working for you and grateful you are paying attention to these issues. Happy New Year
Great timing on this article. I’m 52 and did strength training for 2 years during the pandemic. I feel out of practice and this is the needed boost to pick up those heavier weights again. Happy new year!
I'm 62 and have lifted heavy weights since my teens (I was a competitive swimmer in college). 40+ women often use the excuse, "I travel, I can't pack heavy weights, I don't have room, I can't afford a gym, blah, blah". Guess what? I bet your body is heavy. 90% of the time-- all I use is my body weight for heavy lifting. I do push ups, pull ups, one-legged squats, planks, reverse lunges. And then I have a really strong band (that I can fit in a fanny pack) and use that for resistance for lots for other exercises (you tube it). Also, I realize 5 minutes is better than no minutes. So while I aim for 30 minutes 3x a week, sometimes, I do 5 minutes 3x a week. And I will do one legged squats while waiting for an elevator (or in the elevator if not crowded). Listen to your fave podcast/music while doing it and at then end you will wonder why you were ever so resistant to doing it.
This is great news. You recently began using a mini trampoline. Why do you believe your bone improvement is due to weight lifting and not jumping on the trampoline or a combination of the two?
Whatever it is, I hope your bones continue to improve.
I’m totally inconsistent on the trampoline because there’s not enough room in my apartment for it.
Yup. I have been weight-lifting for 25+ years (I am 75) and it is critical to maintaining strength. These are the most important things:
1. FORM - lift correctly. Proper form is more important than heavy weights.
2. SLOW - don't snatch. Be in control. And while the lift is important, so it the lowering.
3. After 1 & 2, THEN move on to heavier weights. Lift right at the edge of what you think you can't do.
It helps if you have a good trainer. Individual is best to start but a class, if well taught, can get you lifting with other women who are serious. After lifting for 20 years with a gifted trainer (once a week individual and once a week in a class) I now, for the past 5 years, lift on Zoom with three other women. We all keep each other honest and willing to lift. It's not always easy to do it alone.
Holly is an amazing trainer, but I can’t afford one-on-one training. So this class, where she’s looking at everyone’s form, has been a godsend for me. And yes, the group effect is also motivating.
Wow Deb, your bone gain is truly inspiring. In 20 years as an ob/gyn, I rarely saw anyone improve their bone density by that much. I've been saying for ages that strength training is mandatory for all women to age with healthy bones and a healthy brain. I am curious if you have considered taking creatine? The data is solid for supporting muscle health, and very promising for both brain and bone health.
I don’t take creatine. I’ve considered it, and if you have a study you’d like to share on its benefits I’d love to read it, but I’m on the fence about taking it as an older person after reading this article by @Dr. Jen Gunter https://vajenda.substack.com/p/what-supplements-does-an-evidence.
I definitely agree with Jen that menopause influencers are sometimes overly enthusiastic about supplements, but when I sat down and read the data on creatine, I was really impressed. This is the first of a 2-part article I wrote, and the key studies are linked. Again, so thrilled about your bone gains. What a way to start the new year! https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/p/is-creatine-good-for-brain-health