Menopause & Lifting Heavy-Max 8 Reps

[snowlover]

I read and still have Dr. Stacy Sims' book called Next Level. I have found it helpful in my athletic journey coupled with menopause. I don't take books like these as "absolute must follow the rules" but as a reference book with ideas that I may benefit from or never considered and may try, if that makes sense. It's kind of like the Cathlete wisdom on these forums.
All that being said, I'm about to turn 55 and years ago my sister told me after you turn 50 you can't lift and carry heavy weight. Well, maybe she can't, but I still do it right along with Cathe and her crew. Also, this summer I'm going to do an event, called a ruck, in which I carry a heavy backpack over 10k of trails. No fitness guru, nor relative, nor casual acquaintance can say you shouldn't do it or couldn't do it. Menopause and age be damned, all we all can do is continue to challenge ourselves, not limit ourselves.

 

[Lannette]

I’m short on time but I wanted to stop in and apologize. I very much meant what I said about appreciating and learning from your view points. I also realized that I’m a bit envious of you and your abilities to lift heavy.

I’m currently trying to figure out a way that I can gear up to do the original STS. My neck and shoulders are my Achilles heel and they impact my ability to spend significant time with a heavily loaded barbell (35#s is it for now) or even weighted vest on my shoulders. I’m experimenting with using balance and other methods to increase intensity with lighter weights.

Ironically push-ups, the exercise I most feared is going really well.

So once again thank you for sharing and sorry for being less than gracious.

THANK YOU!

I shared my appreciation for reading and trying to understand your viewpoints in your various threads. I shared that I realized that there was a bit of envy mixed in with that appreciation.

Well, envy is a funny thing. It can knock you on your butt if you let it or it can be a motivator. I decided to make it a motivator.

The very day I typed that post I re-examined my plans. I determined what possibly was holding me back, what could overcome those issues and drafted some changes.

Things are headed toward my goal again. Probably not as quickly as I’d like but definitely on course. The excellent examples you all set are still a motivator - so Thank you!

 

[FitSaxe]

Menopause and age be damned, all we all can do is continue to challenge ourselves, not limit ourselves.

I shall say Amen to this above. Oh I shall respond to anyone trying to make me feel guilty by quoting "I should not fight aging too much". Instead I should switch off completely/ease off my active lifestyle and accept aging process as a fatality.
@snowlover, let's not listen to those whispers!

 

[Lannette]

I’m coming back to share that I examined my plan and changed it. I spent the last 2 months working toward my reformulated goals. I would have been happy with 10 full body push-ups but yesterday I actually did two sets of 25. I also worked my way back to using a 17” Firm box for balancing step ups 16 each side, 2 sets and striding lunges and balancing dips.

I’m in my first week of an STS Prep rotation. I’m still not putting a barbell across my shoulders but using alternate methods to build my LB strength. I just need to do weekly Egoscue or other alignment work to make sure I stay aligned.

So thanks for providing that little touch of Envy that I used to motivate myself. Hope you are all reaching the goals you are setting.

 

[FitSaxe]

So thanks for providing that little touch of Envy that I used to motivate myself. Hope you are all reaching the goals you are setting.

Many women, like me, do not need that "little touch of envy/jealousy" to motivate themselves. What they do instead, is to fully focus on their needs (intellectual, physical, physiological and mental) to better themselves.
This type of women do not need to compete against other women in any aspect of their life!

Enjoy your SETS of push

 

[Braille]

I have heard the 8 rep max recommendation that was mentioned in the original question. I did not, however, delve deeper into it, because I've heard sooooo many "experts" over the years, and the recommendations keep changing, and it goes against what I have found works for me. I'm in menopause, and have worked out my entire life, with the exception of about a 2 year span of time. I have been back at it for 10 weeks, and already my body tries to get stagnant in its its progress if I don't change (confuse) it. My body has always been that way, but peri-menopause... it became more evident. Menopause... yeah, my body gets "stuck" as far as how I measure progress (visible muscle definition and strength) even sooner than it used to, if I don't keep it guessing. Everybody's body is different, though, so you can try something for awhile and then discontinue if it doesn't work for you. I am a caregiver for my adult son (disabled), and when I lose strength... I notice it, because I can't safely do the things (risk injuring him or myself) for him that are required. It's what motivated me to get back into working out, and it's what keeps me changing things up (high reps/lower weight, heavy weights - sometimes 8 reps, sometimes 10 or 12, sometimes pyramids, sometimes total body, other times push/pull, lower/upper body split, or a 3 to 4 day split. For me to make a substantial change to my mindset regarding what experts say, I have a guideline: at least 3 different expert sources with at least 3 different studies (with at least 1 being long term and specific to women). I'm kind of lazy in that I won't even bother to check into anything else. lol What I've learned from Cathe (and found works for me) has served me well, so it takes a LOT of evidence to get me to change my mindset and my routine. That said... there have been times when I was getting ready to do just that (enough evidence existed), and then Cathe started including it in her articles and videos. lol I think she's always at least 2 steps ahead of me. lol