How have you been? My week has been really busy and some kind of different. During the last couple weeks, I’ve been working a lot and I got a little exhausted. That’s why I decided to train less, so I can get my strength back and have better progress in the future. Even though I am training just three times a week, instead of the usual five times, I am content. Back in the days, missing a workout was equal to the end of the world, but today I am aware that it is just an opportunity to do something else , that I enjoy doing. So I am completely ok with it.
Good news is that I am getting better and feeling energized, so I am ready to crush some weights in the gym next week.
I hope that you are feeling great; that you are eating quality food and training smart.
Thank you for the wonderful messages and interesting questions you asked me during the past week! Everything you write me, really matters!
Hello, Ines!
I’ve been following your blog for a while and I am familiar with your theory about lifting weights. But I live in a place, where I do not have access to weights. But I am also a firm believer that women should be strong and athletic. My question is, if I use body weight movements, could I become stronger and does that mean that I should do a lot of reps?
This is a great question. Bodyweight movements could be a big challenge. Honestly some of the hardest and most demanding movements are bodyweight movements. And I am not talking about air squats or regular push-ups.
Initially those movements might feel challenging, but the stronger you become, the more you will need to use harder bodyweight progressions, like handstand push- ups, pistol squats, muscle ups, push- ups on one arm and so forth. These progressions, require not just strength, but a lot of coordination and balance, which makes them perfect for the goal to achieve a strong and athletic body.
So my answer is, yes! You can become stronger and more athletic, even if you use just bodyweight movements. Besides that when you do workouts, which include just this type of exercises, you could freely use your imagination and use different methods to combine and perform the movements.
When it comes to reps, it really depends on what you are doing. The harder is the progression, the more demanding on your body it will be and the harder it is gonna be for you to perform a lot of reps.
But still, if your goal is to become stronger, my advice is to stay away from doing a lot of reps. Instead use harder progressions. Thus, you will guarantee yourself that even if you are doing the reps in the range of 5-8, you are still training your body hard enough, in a way that you will stimulate the development of strength, not just endurance.
Ines, if one of my legs is stronger than the other one, could I train them with different weight ( i.e. the stronger leg with a heavier weight)?
Muscle imbalances are never a good thing. Sooner or later, if you do not do something about it, this would lead to pain or some kind of an injury. Training your stronger leg or arm, with a heavier weight, will just increase the imbalance. So you SHOULD NEVER DO IT! What you are supposed to do is focus on strengthening the weaker limb, so it can “catch up” with the stronger one. For that purpose, HERE you can read a post I wrote, about how to remove the muscle imbalance!
Ines, I am 42 years old. I have a huge desire to do something good about myself and to get fitter. Do you think that weight training would have some positive effects on my body? I am already old and I am not quite sure that there is a chance for me. Do you think I should try, or I better just give up on that idea?
This is a question, people often ask. SO now I will take the chance to ask you, who made you believe that after a particular age it is impossible to become fitter, to be successful at something you’ve never done before?
There isn’t an age for hard working, dedicated goal oriented people. Everything is possible! The question is in the approach you use and what you are doing.
Sure, if you’ve never been involved in physical activities, you will need to be patient in order to learn some basic movements and to give your body enough time, to get used to moving.
But with consistency and effort, everything is possible! Besides that, the statement that working out isn’t for people over 40, is the biggest lie! It’s just the opposite. You need to be working out, exactly after you turn 40, in order to stay fit and keep your body healthy.
So the most appropriate moment to start working out is now.
I train with a lot of people over 40. When they first come to me, they are a little skeptical if they will do good with lifting weights. Then a couple months later, they are surprised with their abilities and their results. What could be better than finding out that you were actually born to move, not to sit?
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And one picture from yesterday 🙂
