Hello,
As there is a lot of advocacy for strength training in women, especially around and after menopause, and a lot of women are not familiar with weight training, I wonder what are the minimum loads they need to build up to to perserve the health benefits of weights over time?
Some context: I am a recreational weightlifter myself, 35 years old. I have been training for almost 10 years at a low level. Most of my peers could not do any of the exercises or loads that I am doing. The problem is, they would also not want to - heavy load strength training is not interesting for everyone. It is even getting tiresome for me. So I am looking to learn more about what research says when it comes to minimum doses for this population.
What I currently know from research: frequency of 2 sessions per week is enough (but it will depend on volume and load, hence the question).
Thank you!
It all depends on training status or experience; however, 2/3 sessions a week around 30 minutes, with body weight & low loads of Resistance Training would likely go a long way!
Hi Joe! Thanks for contributing. As mentioned, the frequency I already found out about, but I am interested in the loads and what would low load mean?
Also, how soon would body weight be too little load?
Two different cases:
- intermediate lifter currently lifting 2x a week up to 90% 1RM in squats, deadlifts etc. - moving on to body weight would be too little to maintain the health benefits, don't you agree?
- total beginner: starting with 2 body weight sessions a week... how would you tell when it is time to move to weights?
Hi Hana. Low load would likely be in the 30-50% of the RM range. The amount of time for body weight likely all depends. Probs after a few weeks of training(1-3 wks). The Training status definitely plays a role. The lifter with experience would likely need higher loads and more exercises. Hope that helps!
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