{"id":4408,"date":"2025-05-29T07:03:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T07:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/?p=4408"},"modified":"2025-05-29T07:04:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T07:04:28","slug":"starting-weight-training-in-midlife-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/retirement\/starting-weight-training-in-midlife-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting weight training in midlife: What you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"4408\" class=\"elementor elementor-4408\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-315cade elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"315cade\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8f23c3d\" data-id=\"8f23c3d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bee23f1 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bee23f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 20-08-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>You\u2019re never too old to start strength training \u2013 and midlife might be the perfect time. Resistance training is now considered one of the most important things people can do to maintain strength, improve body composition, and protect against the natural muscle loss that comes with ageing. It also supports heart health, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, and boosts mental wellbeing.<\/p><p>\u201cStrength training can feel overwhelming with all the opinions out there,\u201d says George Morris, exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning coach at St Mary\u2019s University in Twickenham, England. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t need to be complicated.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>What weights should beginners use?<\/strong><\/p><p>You don\u2019t need a gym membership to get started. A few basic dumbbells \u2013 or even just your body weight \u2013 is enough. Exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups can be just as effective.<\/p><p>As a general guide:<\/p><ul><li>Women starting out may begin with 3-5kg dumbbells<\/li><li>Men might opt for 4-6kg dumbbells<\/li><\/ul><p>That said, everyone is different. A set of various weights is a good long-term investment.<\/p><p>\u201cInstead of focusing on the number on the weight, go by feel,\u201d George advises. \u201cIf you\u2019re doing 12 reps, you should feel like you could only manage two more. If you think you could do 14 or more, it\u2019s time to go heavier.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>Avoiding injury: Start smart<\/strong><\/p><p>Progressing too quickly or using incorrect technique can lead to injury or excessive soreness.<\/p><p>\u201cIf your body isn\u2019t conditioned for weight training, overdoing it can put your muscles, joints, and bones at risk,\u201d George warns. \u201cYou\u2019re also more likely to get hit with delayed onset muscle soreness \u2013 the kind that leaves you hobbling for days.\u201d<\/p><p>Start slow, use good form, and listen to your body.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cfe5b3b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cfe5b3b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-58056c7\" data-id=\"58056c7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-826b702 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"826b702\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 20-08-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1-1024x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4411\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1-1024x752.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1-768x564.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1-600x441.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1-585x430.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture9-1.jpg 1377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9cadb15 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9cadb15\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-057ae64\" data-id=\"057ae64\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-214f08e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"214f08e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>When to increase your weights<\/strong><\/p><p>To keep seeing results, you\u2019ll need to challenge your muscles over time. That means gradually increasing the weight \u2013 by about 10% every 2-3 weeks when starting out.<\/p><p>But don\u2019t fall into the trap of \u201cego lifting\u201d \u2013 prioritising heavy weights over proper technique. It\u2019s a common mistake and can be especially risky for beginners.<\/p><p>\u201cStrength training needs to be progressive,\u201d George says. \u201cBut only increase weight when you can comfortably do several sets of an exercise with your current load.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>How often should you lift?<\/strong><\/p><p>The Australian physical activity guidelines recommend strength training at least twice a week for all adults, including pregnant women. This should be part of your regular exercise routine, alongside aerobic activities like walking, cycling, or swimming.<\/p><p><strong>Focus on the essentials<\/strong><\/p><p>Compound movements \u2013 exercises that use multiple muscle groups \u2013 give you the best return for your effort. Examples include:<\/p><ul><li><strong>Squats<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Lunges<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Pull-ups<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Bent-over rows<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Thrusters<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p>These exercises not only build strength but also burn more energy and engage your core and balance.<\/p><p><strong>Need help getting started?<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/livelighter.com.au\/\"><strong>LiveLighter<\/strong><\/a> offers a guide to strength training for beginners<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gethealthynsw.com.au\/\"><strong>Get Healthy<\/strong><\/a> provides a free telephone-based coaching service<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ausactive.org.au\/\"><strong>AUSactive<\/strong><\/a> can help you find a qualified exercise professional near you<\/li><\/ul><p>The bottom line: You don\u2019t need to be a fitness fanatic to benefit from strength training. Start small, build gradually, and prioritise form over weight. With consistency, you\u2019ll see big gains in strength, confidence and long-term health.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re never too old to start strength training \u2013 and midlife might be the perfect time. Resistance training is now considered one of the most important things people can do to maintain strength, improve body composition, and protect against the natural muscle loss that comes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4408"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4414,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4408\/revisions\/4414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}