Superior Self/ Heavy Lifting

Lifting heavy can be a little scary if one hasn't done it before. The only way to build bone density after age 40 is to lift weights or sprint from time to time. Fast walking or alternating speeds up a hill will give us the intense workout with weight bearing exercises our body needs.Your own body becomes the weight. If you have been lifting light weight or lifting body weight regularly through yoga and Pilates, you can add heavier lifting 1-2 times a week. This means warming up with light weights and then lifting to your max heaviness for 3 reps. It should feel like you cannot do a fourth one. Try for three sets total moving up a little in the heaviness of the weights. Definitely get a spotter for safety. 

I suggest folks do this about 2-3 times a week if they already are exercisers. If this is a new adventure and this is the only sort of workout one is doing, begin with 2-3 times a week and move up to every other day. I encourage alternating chest, shoulders, and triceps on one day and then biceps, upper, mid, and lower back the next. Inner and outer hips can be alternated as well. Alternate buttocks and abdominals as well.

It takes about a day or two to recover from each body part heavy session. Feeling sore the next day is normal. It means the muscles are releasing the lactic acids slowly and repairing the tiny muscle tears that actually what builds the muscles. 

I hope this helps your wellness journey.
Sincerely,
KJ Landis 
-Author and Creator of the Superior Self series 
-Life and Wellness Coach 
-Personal Trainer and Workshop Facilitator
Visit me at www.superiorselfwithkjlandis.com