I was still loyal to group fitness in my late 30s, but at 37, I felt weaker than I’d like to. I wondered: For someone doing so many classes, shouldn’t I be \u2014 or at least feel \u2014 a lot stronger?<\/p>\n
I’d been lifting the same 10-pound weights for decades, never progressing to a heavier set. And when one of my five kids asked for a piggyback ride up the stairs, my husband was always the one to oblige (partially due to my pesky back condition).<\/p>\n
Eventually, I took a more critical look at my workouts, examining their frequency and the actual movements I was doing. I thought about the strong, fit people I knew my age and realized they lifted weights.<\/p>\n
So, I researched the closest gym and chose one purely based on proximity to my house, ready to try something new.<\/p>\n
I walked into the gym as a complete beginner<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
After years of group fitness classes, I focused on weightlifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alexandra Frost<\/p>\n
On my first day at the gym<\/a>, the owner convinced me that I was exactly where I should be, walking me through a slow and steady onboarding program.<\/p>\n I tried not to compare myself to the extremely fit people, who looked like they came straight out of a Navy SEALs brochure, and did my best to ignore the clank of the heavy weights hitting the ground.<\/p>\n The staff logged my baseline abilities as I bench pressed, squatted, and performed other strength-training moves.<\/p>\n Although I had done countless leg lifts, crunches, and planks, I’d rarely done traditional weightlifting. Knowledge came with time. <\/p>\n Soon, I learned about one-rep maxes (the maximum amount of weight a person can lift for a single exercise), bought proper lifting shoes<\/a> from Puma, and started studying form tips on Instagram after class.<\/p>\n The muscle soreness I felt after each gym session reaffirmed that I was working my body in ways that I hadn’t during my group fitness classes.<\/p>\n Although I had plenty of moments when I questioned whether I was in the right place, I told myself that being the least experienced person in the room was a good thing. As I’d learned in the business world, this can be the best place to learn. <\/p>\n Shortly after I started lifting regularly, I felt better in my body<\/p>\n I began taking weightlifting seriously last summer and noticed results fairly quickly.<\/p>\n I didn’t lose weight or have a dramatic visual transformation, but my body felt different; I had a structure that supported my frame rather than just a weak core that felt like it went somewhat dormant between pregnancies.<\/p>\n I considered my weight less important than my ability to pick up heavy things without feeling pain. Another benefit I didn’t expect? I left the gym each day with a weightlifting high<\/a> that lasted at least 24 hours.<\/p>\n Lifting weights changed my definition of what it means to be fit<\/p>\n My local gym draws members of all ages, from teenagers to retirees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alexandra Frost<\/p>\n The biggest surprise of joining a weightlifting gym was seeing who I was exercising next to.<\/p>\n Although some of the mega-fit athletes initially intimidated me, I came to understand that my gym was for everyone. I’ve lifted with retired women over 70<\/a>, teenagers, moms, and people fighting off medical conditions.<\/p>\n As I watched all of them lift heavier weights than I thought possible, I realized that a fit, strong body comes in many different shapes.<\/p>\n I also learned that weightlifting is about doing big, powerful moves along with exercises that work smaller muscles to fortify my joints.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n