How Women Over 40 Should Workout for Best Results & Injury Prevention | Dr. Stacy Sims w Mel Robbins (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:01) If you had to bottom line what a woman (00:00:03) should be doing in her 20s versus her (00:00:05) 30s versus her 40s versus 50s and up, (00:00:08) what would it be? So strength training (00:00:10) across the board. The type of strength (00:00:12) training you do is different. So, when (00:00:14) we're in our 20s and our early 30s, we (00:00:17) can do some of the protocol stuff that (00:00:18) that is out there for men, like you're (00:00:20) doing your 10 to 12 reps or you're going (00:00:22) to failure or you're going in, you're (00:00:26) doing a full body workout, you're going (00:00:27) to get results. As we start to get into (00:00:30) our mid30s and onward, we start to have (00:00:32) changes in our estrogen, progesterone, (00:00:35) and it doesn't quite work for us, okay? (00:00:37) because now we need to find an external (00:00:39) stress that's going to create the same (00:00:41) responses that those hormones used to (00:00:44) support. Okay. So now we want to look at (00:00:47) more of a powerbased type training. What (00:00:50) does that mean? Yeah. Like 30 and up, (00:00:52) your hormones change and now the 10 to (00:00:55) 12 reps that we've all been socialized (00:00:57) to do does not work. Which is why we all (00:01:00) start bitching about the fact that our (00:01:02) bodies are not responding to what we (00:01:04) always used to do. This makes a lot of (00:01:06) sense. after sims. So when you're doing (00:01:08) the higher reps, it's more of what we (00:01:09) call metabolic stress. So that's more (00:01:12) like muscle contraction using fuel. (00:01:14) Yeah. But it's not an impetus to build (00:01:16) lean mass or to become stronger. So this (00:01:19) is where I say the power base. So when (00:01:20) we're talking about the spectrum of (00:01:22) weights and and and the reps and sets (00:01:25) and stuff, powerbased is 0 to 6 to eight (00:01:28) reps. Oh, I love that. I can do less. (00:01:31) Yes. But it has to be heavy. Okay. Has (00:01:34) to be heavy. But okay. Yeah. So that (00:01:36) means that you go and you pick up, say (00:01:38) we pick up this 20, right? And you're (00:01:40) like, "Oh, yeah. I can do 10 overhead. (00:01:43) No problem. Maybe I could do two more." (00:01:45) Great. So we call that 10 with two reps (00:01:47) in reserve. Okay. We want you to be at a (00:01:49) six with two reps in reserve. So that (00:01:51) means I would have you put the 20 down (00:01:53) and pick up those 30s. And see, can you (00:01:55) do six really good? Wow. Not failing (00:01:59) form. And then could you eek out two (00:02:01) more? Great. That's the weight that we (00:02:03) want you to use. Gotcha. So, I'm (00:02:06) definitely lifting way too light and I (00:02:09) am lifting far too much of it. Like the (00:02:12) little tiny two-lb weights with the Put (00:02:14) those down. Put those down. Like those (00:02:16) aren't doing anything for my chicken (00:02:18) wing arms. No, no, not at all. Okay. Not (00:02:20) at all. Well, that explains it cuz I'm (00:02:22) like, why does this hurt so much and I'm (00:02:24) getting zero result here? Yeah. But my (00:02:26) daughters literally look like they're (00:02:28) cut. Yeah. Wow. Cuz they respond well to (00:02:31) metabolic stress. As our bodies get (00:02:33) older, we need more of a central nervous (00:02:35) system. Gotcha. So, the general takeaway (00:02:39) here is that when we hit that sort of (00:02:42) late 30s to 40s mark and our estrogen is (00:02:45) dropping and our bodies are changing and (00:02:47) we're not getting the same results, you (00:02:49) got to really focus on these sprint (00:02:51) trainings and (00:02:53) also doing weight training where the (00:02:55) load is heavier but the reps are are (00:02:57) shorter. Yeah. But I don't want women (00:03:01) who are listening to go, "Oh, I heard (00:03:03) Mel's podcast and I have to go lift (00:03:06) these heavy weights and do sprint (00:03:07) training." It takes time. Yeah. To learn (00:03:10) how to do things well without getting (00:03:12) injured because I mean, we get older, (00:03:14) we're more susceptible to soft tissue (00:03:16) injury, joint injuries. So, I always (00:03:18) want women to learn how to move first. (00:03:21) So, if you've never done any kind of (00:03:23) strength training, don't be put off by, (00:03:25) "Oh, I heard I have to lift heavy (00:03:26) weights. I better not do it at all." No, (00:03:28) any kind of resistance is good. Maybe (00:03:31) it's just body weight at the start. (00:03:33) Maybe you're doing a body weight circuit (00:03:34) and then maybe you're putting a backpack (00:03:36) with some stuff that's in there to make (00:03:38) it a little bit heavier. Maybe you're (00:03:40) following somebody online that's (00:03:42) teaching you how to move properly first. (00:03:44) And over the course of time, you can add (00:03:46) load because your body is learning how (00:03:48) to move and it's becoming stress (00:03:50) resilient. So, you add load to increase (00:03:53) that stress. And then over the course of (00:03:56) six to eight months, you're going to be (00:03:58) in lifting heavy weights and doing the (00:04:00) sprints without injury. So it it's not a (00:04:03) training block like we've all been (00:04:04) conditioned to what do I do every day in (00:04:06) and out, in and out so I can get X (00:04:08) results. We want to think about what am (00:04:11) I doing to improve my overall health, my (00:04:14) strength, my bones, my brain, so that (00:04:17) when I'm 80, I'm self-sufficient. When (00:04:19) I'm 90, I'm self-sufficient. It's not a (00:04:21) training block. It's a lifestyle that we (00:04:23) want in. So, it takes time to build into (00:04:25) that lifestyle. So, I have another (00:04:27) question from a listener named Aaron. Is (00:04:30) it better to use machines or free (00:04:32) weights? (00:04:34) With machines, I want people to realize (00:04:37) that it's hard for a woman to actually (00:04:40) get the machines to fit well cuz they (00:04:42) are designed for a 5'8 to (00:04:46) 6' 160 to 190 lb. So, if you are outside (00:04:51) of that norm, it's really hard to get (00:04:53) the right fit, which can predispose you (00:04:55) to injury. (00:04:57) If you are just getting started, it can (00:05:00) be a way because you're not going to put (00:05:02) a lot of load on. You're not going to (00:05:04) get as injured. Like, I'm not for me (00:05:07) personally, I'm not a huge fan of (00:05:08) something like Planet Fitness, but I do (00:05:10) appreciate the fact that they've opened (00:05:12) the doors to so many people to make (00:05:14) lifting accessible. So a woman can go in (00:05:17) and use their machine circuit and get (00:05:19) some resistance and some load to start (00:05:22) to get themsel resilient. So then they (00:05:24) can move away from those machines and (00:05:26) get into dumbbells. I like more of the (00:05:30) free weights where you have a barbell or (00:05:32) a dumbbell because you have to use more (00:05:34) of your stabilizing muscles which is how (00:05:37) we move anyway cuz you're not going to (00:05:39) go pick up a bag of groceries just with (00:05:41) your arm, right? So, if you're looking (00:05:43) at um bicep curls or tricep dips on a (00:05:46) machine, that's not functional, per se. (00:05:50) Yes, you're adding load, but I like it (00:05:52) when people are, okay, I've got to lift (00:05:54) the groceries or I've got to lift this (00:05:55) overhead, so I'm going to do a full (00:05:57) squat using my abs and I'm going to go (00:06:00) from ground to overhead. It could be (00:06:02) with a plate, could be with a dumbbell, (00:06:04) it could just be that motion at start (00:06:06) because we have to think about how we (00:06:08) move in the day.