Lifting heavy isn’t just for meatheads. If you’re a postmenopausal woman, keep on reading to find out why you should be lifting some iron as well.
There’s a common notion that older people, women in particular, shouldn’t lift heavy weights or go too intense in the weight room. Many think it isn’t safe, it’s too dangerous, or because you’ll snap your bones in half.
What if I told you that isn’t true?
Don’t believe me? Believe this study.
A 2017 study out of Australia looked at 101 women, who were all at least 58 years of age, postmenopausal, and with low or very low bone density. They went through an 8 month workout program consisting of heavy lifting and high-impact exercises twice a week for only 30 minutes a workout.
These ladies were focusing on back squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses and performing them at 80-85% of their 1 rep max for 5 reps for 5 sets. AKA they were going heavy!
For the high impact exercise, they were doing chin up jumps, where they grabbed onto a bar overhead, jumped as high as they could while pulling themselves up with their arms, and landing as hard as they were comfortable with.
One very important point from this paper is that out of the months of intense training sessions (2600 workouts total between all the women), there was only one mild injury!
The one participant experienced a mild low back strain 28 weeks into the training program, which caused her to miss her next 2 workouts (1 week), but was able to resume training the following week without any issues.
To quote the authors, "Importantly, no fractures or major adverse events were observed, suggesting HiRIT may be safe for postmenopausal women with low to very low bone mass, despite previous safety concerns."
Compared to the control group, who were doing less intense (<60% 1 rep max lifting), low-impact exercises at home, the ladies in the high intensity group were found to have:
Greater femur bone density
Greater lumbar spine bone density
Strength improvements
Functional assessment improvements
Markers that indicate a lower risk of falls
Better posture (less of a "hunchback")
And it isn't all about looks - this decreases the incidence of vertebral fracture
All at the end of the 8 month protocol!
Another thing to note is that the participants all took 1-2 months prior to the start of the trial to learn the proper form for the main lifts. During this time they started off at lower intensities and focused on correcting form.
Once the 8 month trial began, the participants didn’t just jump right into their workouts and crank out 5x5 squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses all in one go. They completed 2 warm up sets, then focused on the one main lift for that day in a group setting with an instructor present
So, some key takeaways from this study:
Lifting heavy (80+% 1RM) with the addition of higher impact exercises (think jumping), can help bone health, strength, posture, and decrease the risk of falls
Note that this paper looked at 3 “big” lifts - exercises that work various muscles and use multiple joints to perform
It doesn’t take much time per workout to achieve results
30 minute is all you need
Working out twice a week is enough
The risk of injury is low
The caveat here is that the participants were monitored and received proper training on the lifts, but the exercises and intensity itself aren’t inherently dangerous or injury-inducing.
Heavy lifting shouldn’t be something to shy away from just because you’re older, and it shouldn’t be seen as inherently dangerous. It can have massive benefits and not only improve various health markers, but also improve your quality of life!
A couple of half hour sessions isn’t a huge time commitment, but it definitely resulted in some big improvements! It’s a feasible option for women who are postmenopausal with low to very low bone mass.
Final Remarks
If you’re a woman who’s looking to manage, prevent, or improve your bone health, get in touch today! We offer a free initial consult where we discuss your goals and start developing a plan tailored to you!
Our goal at Delta Kinesiology is to help women reach their health and fitness goals regardless of age, ability, or experience level. We tailor each session using evidence-based principles and methods to help you reach your goals. Whether that be going about your day pain-free, building muscle, improving stamina, or feeling better about yourself, we are here to help.
Get in touch with us today to schedule a free consult by clicking the link below.
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References
Watson, S. L., Weeks, B. K., Weis, L. J., Harding, A. T., Horan, S. A., & Beck, B. R. (2018). High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 33(2), 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3284
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