46 Why Women Over 35 Should Lift Heavy: The Truth About Strength, Injury Prevention & Longevity

Why Women Over 35 Should Lift Heavy: The Truth About Strength, Injury Prevention & Longevity

In this episode of MilesFromHerView, host Kat—a fitness expert, ultra-runner, and mom—explores why strength training is essential for women, especially mothers. She busts the myth that lifting heavy makes women bulky and highlights the benefits of boosting metabolism, strengthening bones, and supporting long-term health.

Kat also tackles common concerns like pelvic floor health, proper lifting techniques, and the power of progressive overload. You’ll walk away with actionable tips, including:
 ✔️ Mastering foundational movements for strength and injury prevention
 ✔️ Pairing breath control with movement for better core stability
 ✔️ Avoiding common strength training mistakes that hold you back

💡 Want to learn more about how strength training impacts metabolism? Check out our Muscles and Metabolism episode!

👉 Ready to get stronger and feel your best? Let’s chat! Book a free consultation call and get a customized plan tailored to your goals. Book HERE

00:00 Reflecting on Childhood Activity
00:37 Introduction to the Podcast
01:25 Spring Forward and Renewed Energy
02:05 Importance of Strength Training for Women
03:35 Muscle Mass and Aging
04:32 Benefits of Lifting Heavy Weights
08:25 Understanding Proper Weight Lifting Techniques
13:01 Pelvic Floor and Core Strength
19:53 Starting Your Strength Training Journey
22:56 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
25:31 Encouragement and Final Thoughts
28:25 Connecting with KatFit Strength

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Transcript

Kat: 0:00

I want you to think back. Think back to when you were little and you were out in the yard, or maybe it was gym class or recess. You would think nothing to climb trees. Sprint across that field and climb those monkey bars. Skipping one or two bars at a time. You would climb up that pole, climb up that wall, and it just was a way of life. But somewhere along the way, we were told to slow down, take it easy, and stick to the lightweights. I. Here's the truth. If we want to keep moving, keep feeling strong, and keep showing up for the life we love, we need to lift heavy. Welcome to MilesFromHerView, the podcast powered by KatFit Strength, where busy women like you find practical solutions to fuel your fitness journey with authenticity and resilience. I'm Kat, your host, a mom of two active boys, a business owner, and an ultra marathon runner and a strength trainer in her forties with nearly two decades of experience. I'm here to help you cut through the noise of fads, hacks, and quick fixes. This is a space where we celebrate womanhood and motherhood. All while building strength and resilience and reconnecting with you from a place of self-compassion and worthiness. Whether you're lacing up your running shoes to go out for a run, driving your kids to practice or squeezing in a moment for yourself, I'm right here in the trenches with you. Let's dive in. Welcome back to Miles from our review. I'm Kat, your host, and I am so excited that. We have sprung forward. Not too excited about losing that hour of sleep. Lemme tell you, it did hit, it took me about until Tuesday of this week to really get into the groove, but I am loving the sunlight after 6:00 PM more, you know, the sun setting closer to 7 30, it has brought me a renewed sense of, of energy and I am looking for forward to warmer weather longer days, and honestly, I'm, I'm also looking forward to summer. So today we are going to be talking about strength training, if you've been listening to the podcast before, I talk a lot about strength training. I talk a lot about cardio and mobility, but today we're gonna be focusing on strength training and why it is essential, what strength training is, and overcoming some of those fears. I want to focus on it from the lens of womanhood and motherhood. Things we're going to go over is, if you've ever worried that lifting weights is gonna make you feel bulky or bulk up also. If you're sticking to like the five pound dumbbells and you've told, been told that's all that's best for you, we're gonna kind of debunk that. And I'll admit it, I'm in my forties, I'm getting older. I'm definitely not getting younger, that some individuals have been told that as you get older that lifting heavy isn't safe. But we're gonna go into a lot of that. We're gonna go into why women need to lift heavy, and it's not just for a aesthetics, but overall health and how to get started safely. I know this is a big fear and lifting heavy can be intimidated, but we're really going to tackle. How we can do this safely, and especially if there's core or pelvic floor concerns. The other thing is it is the things we're gonna be tackling are science backed with benefits that make it non-negotiable. If you wanna stay strong. Active for decades to come. So grab your coffee, throw on your walking shoes and let's get into it. Couple episodes ago, I covered Muscle and Metabolism that link there. So I'm gonna give a little bit of a refresher right here. You don't have to pause this and jump back to that. It is. Linked in the show notes if you wanna go and listen to that. But as a quick overview, when we get into our thirties and forties, we naturally start to lose muscle mass in our thirties. It starts to decrease three to 8% every decade. As we get into our forties and we approach that perimenopause to menopause stage in our lives, the muscle mass starts to. Increase in in the loss. And that is mainly because of estrogen is starting to decrease. It's a natural process of perimenopause to menopause. The term you know of muscle mass loss is called sarcopenia. If you've ever heard that term to thrown around it is the same thing as muscle mass loss is sarcopenia. What? Strength training does and lifting heavy weights. So the emphasis is on the heavy weights, and we will decode what it means to lift heavy. So you might think in your head, oh, heavy weights, that overly muscled, bodybuilder, grunting, and just lifting every single weight plate in the gym. That is not what it means. Why lifting heavy helps is it preserves and builds lean muscle. Okay? Muscle is lean tissue in the body. It helps speed up our metabolism. Maintain our metabolism. It. Increases that resting metabolic rate. So when you're sitting in your office chair or in the car, if you're in your mommy taxi era, it is going to utilize more energy that caloric burn when you're active. It will also utilize more. Energy. It also helps balance the blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of insulin resistance. This is also key for women because as we get into the perimenopause menopause season of life, ushering goes down and. We can become insulin resistance. However, if you have good, lean mass, good muscle retention, that is strong, you are going to have a good, I'm gonna say armor against that. Insulin resistance you're going to have have a good balanced blood sugar levels. So I know a lot of people love doing cardio to stay lean, but lifting weights is actually what shapes and sculpts your body while keeping your metabolism firing. The other huge, huge aspect with strength training is stronger bones and fewer injuries. We tend to think about fractures and brittle bones, not until way later in life we think, I don't have to worry about that until I'm in my seventies or eighties. Well, that's not the case. That starts now. So the reality is, after 35 bone loss speeds up, and by the time we hit menopause, we're at a much higher risk for osteoporosis. So a lot of things shift in our thirties. And I wanna just stop right there and say, don't worry. It's not all doom and gloom. So if you are listening to this and you're like, I have never strength trained in my life. Oh great. And I am 40, what am I going to do now? I've set myself up for failure. You have not. Okay. So even though I'm throwing out. The decades and the time and these words, there is ability and time for you to maintain your current muscle mass and build, increase that bone density. So please do not think, there's no hope for me.'cause that is not the case. So let's dive into. How lifting heavy correlates to bone density. So when you pick up a heavy dumbbell barbell kettlebell, it puts stress on the bones in a good way. So it triggers bone building cells to make them stronger. So we put a heavier stress, a heavier load on the body. The muscles start to activate to be able to lift and sustain that load on the body, and it triggers bone building cells. Studies show resistance training significantly improves bone mineral density, reducing the risk of fractures and injuries As we age, and this is huge, they start to come into play in our forties and fifties, and we want to be active and independent for as long as possible. Lifting heavy is where it's at. Strength training is where it's at. Okay. Let's get into what counts as heavy. I've said it numerous times on this podcast, lift heavy, lift heavy. You may see it on social media, and I love that it's getting more mainstream, but oftentimes the context around lifting heavy seems. Odd. It's like, well, what does that mean? Am I lifting heavy enough? And that that image that kind of comes to my head, I definitely know, is this overly muscled individual with this barbell on their back with all the weight plates in the whole gym and the barbell bending. And they are just grunting and they are overly just overly muscled. But that isn't, you know, yes, that surely is lifting heavy. But that isn't what it means for you. A good test for this is if you can perform an exercise with external resistance, that means a barbell, a dumbbell, a kettlebell, whatever external resistance you are putting on the body, or a pulley machine, et cetera. Doing 15 plus reps without feeling challenged, that weight is way too light. So you want to be choosing a weight that feels moderately to very challenging by the last two to three reps. When I program for clients and how I utilize this for myself is something called RPE. That is rate of perceived exertion. We want to ensure we are exerting our body at the correct challenge. So oftentimes I will want a client to be lifting at a seven or an eight. That means by the last two to three reps in that set, it is going to be challenging. It might mean that they. Don't complete the set of all the reps. That is a hundred percent fine because with my clients, we work in set ranges and rep ranges so that we are making sure we are lifting in that heavy category. And this is with their strength training programmed because it is a progressive strength training plan, meaning we're building strength over time. When you are going into the gym and you are exploring, is this a heavy weight for a bicep curl, a squat, et cetera, it's okay if you're like, well, the first set, I didn't quite feel it. Okay, well go up and weight or maybe the opposite, which would be amazing. Too often I find, and I do this myself, we choose a weight that is on the lighter side, one that feels comfortable, that we know we can handle. But I want you to embrace that idea of, I really picked up a heavy weight here. I need to drop down. That is not a weakness. As I tell my clients, we can go up or down in any weight. It is totally fine. There is no metric out there that states if you have to go down in a weight you have failed. That is not strength training. So you can pick up a weight. I'm gonna just say pick up 25 pounds to do shoulder press. The first set, you finish and you're like, I don't know if I can do a second set. You go into the second set and let's say there's eight to 10 reps and you finish eight reps. Okay, awesome. It was challenging by the last couple reps, but you could still complete it. Then you go into the third set after the recovery and you complete six. Fantastic. That means you are lifting heavy there. If you pick up a weight that is picking random weights here, so 10 pounds and the first set, you're like, whew, that was easy. The second set, you pound out the third set doesn't feel that challenging. Maybe you're like, oh, I feel like I did something, but not much. We want to increase that weight. Another way to do that is when you do each set, and I would say on the last set we want to think about if we needed to, we could do. Two more reps. That's called reps in reserve. RIR is what you might see it coded as in a training plan. So if our RPE rate of perceived exertion is around seven to eight, then we should be able to have. Two reps in reserve, so two RRIR, so seven eight of RPE, two of RIR. The way I tell my clients is if you needed to or if you miscounted, you still had that ability to get the extra rep in with solid form. Let's transition into pelvic floor and core. A lot of women that I work with are moms and I really wanna press upon that. Having a child does not break your body. Yes, it can alter your body. Yes, there are things that can come along with having a child like dias recti prolapse or weak or tight pelvic floors. That does not mean you cannot strength train or lift heavy. What we wanna focus on is that we are teaching proper technique that is incorporating the core, the breath, and the pelvic floor, we want to make sure that we're having good coordination in what's called the core column. So from the diaphragm, which is underneath the ribs at the base of the ribs, all the way down to the pelvic floor. So think about the bottom of the pelvis. To make sure that it is all working together. When strength training is done properly, it actually helps improve pelvic floor function. The key is breathing and core engagement. We're not gripping with our abs, so think about when a cue I. I used to use when I first started out and I'm like, I no longer use is thinking about drawing in that belly button. So that can encourage upper ab gripping meaning your think about like the top of your abdominal near your diaphragm grips down and it actually. Points your rib cage down towards your pelvis. The reason why this isn't good is because it breaks up that kinetic chain in that core column from the diaphragm down to the pelvic floor, and puts more pressure on that pelvic floor causing a potential leaking or could cause. Or if you are someone who has prolapse, could encourage more pressure on that prolapse. So. We wanna make sure, again, like a good cue I use is breastbone in line with pubic bone. So if your breastbone is in line with pubic bone, that core column is able to function and get that kinetic chain that it needs when you are lifting heavy. Another cue is like bracing. So we thinking like. When you pick up something heavy from the floor, whether it be a child or dumbbell or groceries, our instinct is to bear down and push and put all that force on the pelvic floor. That's oftentimes when leaking can happen. Research shows that heavy lifting teaches coordination between the core breath and pelvic floor. So again, this is where technique, this is where when I program for clients, I'm looking at the core, the biomechanics of the core, how they're shifting, how the hips are moving so that I can tweak the different exercises. So you're think. Squats, deadlifts any sort of pushes, carries, pulls that we are being in tune with that core column with our breath. With our pelvic floor so that even if you don't have Diasis, recti, prolapse, weak or tight pelvic floor, that we are moving connected through that pelvic floor just because it didn't happen after I. Having kids or maybe you never had a child, doesn't mean it can't happen. And I don't want to instill fear here. This is, this is the truth. Men can also have issues with their pelvic floor. Obviously their anatomy is different than our anatomy, but if they are not lifting with proper form, they too can have issues as well. So it's not isolated to only a female issue, or a. Mom issue. It is a human issue because both male and female do have pelvic floors and with improper core breath and pelvic floor techniques, while putting on a load to the body can cause these issues, doesn't mean it will happen imminently. Could happen later. Again, that's not a reason not to lift tavi. It is a reason to. Work with a professional like myself who understands the core and the connection from the core breath and pelvic floor so that you are decreasing aches and pains in that lower back. Helping if you do have a weak or tight pelvic floor prolapse or diasis recti. It is something that I, I, like I said, I do. Watch with my clients. I do also ask questions and I refer out to pelvic floor therapists and work with the pelvic floor therapists in which my clients are seeing so that they have a better quality of care. Because having these issues can be a limiting factor in getting back to the things that you love and moving your body where you feel sidelined because. Running or walking too fast, could cause or trigger leaking for you I really want you to take away that pregnancy does not break your body, but it can expose some instabilities and they can still be present even if your kids are in grade school or college. So it's not just an isolated condition to the first year or 24 months postpartum. It can come out later. This does not mean. At all that you cannot find success if you do have diasis, recti, prolapse, weak, tighter, weak pelvic floor that goes undiagnosed, and you're like, my kids are in grade score or college, did I erode my body? Absolutely not. And to be quite honest, it can almost be easier. To help. Correct, because you are further postpartum. If you are in that newly postpartum area and you are considering having another child and you aren't sure if you have prolapse or diasis recite or tight, a weak pelvic floor, or you might be experiencing some leaking or you know, pelvic pain, I would highly recommend go see a pelvic floor or a physical therapist if you don't. Know of one messages show I can connect to with a great one. If you are in that newly postpartum time period and you are experiencing these things and I know I just said it does get easier when your kids get older to correct them does not mean that there's no hope for you. The reason why these pelvic floor symptoms get easier when your kids are older is you are more rested. And your hormones, for lack of better terms, are a little bit more balanced. You are out of that drastic hormonal change the first 24 months of being postpartum. Let's get into how to start lifting. Mastering the basics. We wanna start with functional foundational movement patterns. When a client comes in, for me, I really look at let's master the basics of movements, squats. We do squats every day, getting up and down off of a chair. Deadlifts. Deadlifts are a hinging exercise, and they are so vital for not just everyday life, but also for our kinetic chain in strengthening our body. One of my favorite ones is pharma. Carrie ies Carry, Dumble Carry, however you wanna label it, but carrying a weight across a surface is really great load on the body. Progressive overload is amazing. The reason be behind progressive overload and why you might see it talked about on social media, why I talk about it, why I incorporate it in my training with my clients is it gradually increases weights, reps, or intensity over time. We're talking about lifting heavy, and I have mentioned we wanna keep increasing that tension or that external resistance on that muscle. Going back to that overly muscled individual with a big barbell with all the weight plates on it does not mean that is the end game for you we gradually increase weight reps or intensity over time, so. I don't want you to think is if your starting point is five pounds, that in a year you're gonna be lifting 500 pounds. The way we progressively overload the body is tweaking weight reps and intensity. So there's many different ways to target that so that it's not preventing you from lifting heavier, but it also works on. Making sure that we're getting maximum muscle recruitment in each muscle, that the load on the body is appropriate stressing the body in the ways we want. And that's why there's other factors than just increasing the weight. There's the rep's intensity over time that help with that pairing movement with breath control, inhaling to prepare and exhaling on the exertion. This helps with that core column with the way the body moves. So for an example here is with squats. We wanna inhale at the top and exhale as you stand up. So we're inhaling. When we're in that starting position and we exhale as you start to stand up. So I like to tell clients is when we are returning to that starting position, that standing position that we wanna think about, we're exhaling and our muscles are starting to contract to push our body up to that return, that start position with that lifts. We're gonna inhale as we send our hips. Back and we're gonna exhale as we come back up to that starting position, keeping our breast bone in line with our pubic bone. So essentially those ribs are stacked over those hips, we're contracting those glutes, glutes to return our upper body to that starting position. So common mistakes that tend to happen is using weights. That are just too light and we're never ever progressing from them. So we get a weight in our hand and it just feels comfortable. It's like, I know I can do this. I'm here. This feels good, and you don't move up. We want to be able to move up with the weight. I acknowledge that it can be embarrassing to go on and pick up a weight and I really can't finish this set. I've only done three reps and being in a public gym, it feels like all eyes are on us. Honestly, who cares? Put the weight down. Grab another one. Like I encourage my clients, we, it can always go up or down. You are in control. There is no shame or guilt. We are focused on meeting ourselves where we're at, and bringing ourselves up to that next level. Another common mistake I see is over gripping that core or that pelvic floor, and it causes that unnecessary tension, which if you don't have pelvic floor. Symptoms of leaking but the main thing is really focusing on the breath, exhaling on that exertion. Thinking about lifting everything up from pelvic floor. Inhaling, when you are not exerting the body. So we wanna reduce that load on that pelvic floor when we are in that exertion phase. Think about contracting the lower abdominals in the pelvic bowl. So think about deep down at the lower part of the abdomen when we are exhaling, we're exhaling contracting up from that pelvic floor. Another big common mistake that I see is skipping rest and recovery. This is a huge no-no. There's a reason why rest is programmed into your sets and reps. The reason behind that is it allows the body to absorb that resistance that was placed upon it so that the muscle gets that benefit from those rep reps and sets. Recovery is. The time outside the gym. So sometimes I see people wanting just to stack lifting days upon each other without giving, you know, at least a day in between. So strength isn't built in that single rep. What it is built is in the repair process, okay? So it's not just built in that workout, it's built in that repair process. So focusing on getting great quality sleep. Getting that nutrient-dense foods, the animal-based or plant-based protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables are all going to help aid in muscle retention and building more muscle. That was a lot. I threw a lot at you today, but I really, really want you to take this away. You are not fragile, you are not delicate. We are so strong and no matter where you are in the decades of life, you have the ability to continue to build and maintain strength. So. Lifting heavy reminds us that every time we step under a barbell, pick up a kettlebell or carry our kids without strain, that we are epically strong. It's not just about looking fit, it's about staying independent, powerful, and really resilient for life. If you are new to strength training. Think about starting two to two to three full body strength sessions per week. Focus on those fundamentals, progressively increase that weight. Really keep an open mind in that first week when you are starting out. Play around with the weights. It's okay if you don't finish a set. It's a hundred percent okay. I actually like it when my clients say, oh, I picked up too heavy of a weight. Amazing. I love that you didn't finish that set because you stepped outside of that comfort zone. You challenged yourself, which is huge. Progressively increase the weight. You want to be able to increase that weight in two to five pound increment. Every three to four weeks. Again, don't be afraid to lift heavier than you think you can. That is how we grow, is doing things, stepping outside that box so there's no guilt or shame. If you pick up a weight that is too heavy and you need to adjust for the next set, absolutely not. That is actually a victory. If you're like, this all sounds amazing, but I am totally overwhelmed. I have no idea how to even start. I kind of get it. You gave me some good action tips, but I just, I'm overwhelmed and I really wanna strength train. Okay, cool. This is what I do. This is what my clients. They get strength training that meets them exactly where they're at while reducing the aches and pains. My clients are in the thick of demanding careers raising children, yet they can still find ways to get their workouts in because it's designed for their lives. It is designed to be effective and efficient so that it fits seamlessly into their lives. And it is always incredible. I know they love it. I see the messages that they see. Those once limiting aches and pains fade away and they're doing the things that they loved in their twenties or things they never thought was possible, like running races, skiing, lifting their kids with ease, and just having more energy for life. Hop on a consultation call. I would love to connect with you and see if we'd be a great fit so if you love this episode, make sure you subscribe, share it with a friend who needs to hear this. And if you're lifting heavy this week, Tag me on Instagram at KatFit strength. I'd love to cheer you on. Until next time, keep lifting, keep moving, keep showing up for yourself. Thank you for tuning in to MilesFromHerView, powered by KatFit Strength. If this podcast inspires you, don't keep it for yourself. Hit follow or subscribe to stay updated on the new episodes, and leave us a review to help more women and moms discover this space. Your feedback fuels this podcast and I'd love to hear what's working for you or what topics you want to dive into Next. You can connect with me on Instagram at KatFit or share this episode. With a friend who is ready to embrace her strength. Remember, fitness isn't about perfection. It's about showing up for yourself and finding strength in every step of your journey. Until next time, keep moving forward one mile at a time.