Preparing for your first workout!

Strength Workouts

The meat, so to speak, of your workout is focused on strength, with additional exercises targeting balance-mobility-agility. Each week contains two strength workouts, the first of which should be completed early in the week. The second a few days afterward, allowing for adequate recovery between strength session. Evidence shows that adequate recovery is at least 48 hours. We find three days in between strength sessions work best for our bodies.

Each Strength workout is composed of:

• 5 minutes of warm up (self-directed)

• 6 exercises - grouped into 3 pairs.

  • The first movement in an exercise pair is a strength movement or isometric exercise designed to challenge specific muscles or groups of muscles.

    • Strength movements are repeated 8-10 times, in what’s called a “set.” You will perform a total of 2-3 sets of each strength exercise.

    • Isometric (exercise in which activated muscles hold the body in an unmoving position, e.g., a plank) exercises will be presented with a time goal rather than a specified number of repetitions.

    • We want at least 60 seconds recovery between each set.

  • The second movement in an exercise pair is generally a balance-mobility-agility movement done during your 60-ish second recovery from the strength exercise. The movement is designed to complement the strength exercise.

Strength exercises require recovery time between sets in order to be effective. The idea of presenting exercises in pairs is to sneak in complimentary balance-mobility-agility movements as your major muscles get a break from their intensive work. We aim to use your time wisely while doubling the fun!

Materials

Many of the major exercises require weight for resistance which is needed in order to gain strength and increase bone density. A pair of adjustable dumbbells is a great place to start. Adjustable dumbbells scaling up to 20 lbs each can be purchased for about $50 at your local sporting good store or online. While we may show exercises using weights, rocks, soup cans, canvas totes containing rocks can be used in place of weights.

Similarly, some exercises require the use of resistance bands. While we highly recommend purchasing a set of bands, we offer alternative exercises for those without bands and/or the exercises may be completed without resistance.

Determining Starting Weight

In general, if you are new to strength training, or restarting strength training after a break longer than a couple of weeks, we recommend starting every exercise with no weight.

If you are familiar with an exercise and confident with your form, warm up in the first few repetitions by focusing on range of motion, form and muscle engagement. It's better to dial in your form than to execute a movement with improper form. Work up gradually to your target weight.

Target Weight

Target weight is the weight you can lift for the specified number of repetitions and complete each set with good form.

• For those new to strength training, aim to work within 60 percent of your maximum capacity. What does 60% feel like? At the end of a set of lifts, you feel you could perform another 3-4 repetitions within the same set with good form. You'll want to maintain this 60% goal for the first 4-6 weeks as your body adjusts to the positive stress of strength training.

• If you are a recent or current strength training participant, we recommend working at 70- 80% of maximum capacity. Research shows that maturing women are able to make gains in both muscle strength and bone health by working within the 60 - 80% capacity range at least 2 days per week.

• As you gain strength, add weights in small increments (2-5 lbs depending on the exercise). After decades of strength training, we've noticed for our bodies that there is a maximum weight that can be lifted at 80% of maximum. So we consistently lift that amount (with seasonal variations due to vacations, change of sport, etc.), knowing that we are still maintaining muscle strength, mass and building strong bones.

Have Fun!

Just as with other life activities, you may wish to invite a friend to complete the strength workout with you. Or, use the workout time as a de-stressor and time alone. We want these exercises to be challenging AND fun AND mentally restorative.

Lastly, we want to leave you with this thought - there is no one correct way to complete any fitness program. We strive to give you the knowledge and tools you need to make exercise a lasting habit resulting in better overall health and quality of life. We hope our program makes integrating exercise into your life fun, interactive, and convenient.

Reference: Islam J, Dixon CR, O'Rourke M, Räisänen AM. Characteristics of Resistance Training Programs Targeting Improvements in Health Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women: A Scoping Review. J Strength Cond Res. 2025 May 16;39(7):815-822. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005147. PMID: 40440557.