Easy Ways to Become Less Resistant About Resistance (Strength) Training

Or How Not to Lose Your Ability to Do Anything and Everything

Photo Credit: Melanie R. Jordan Part of my home gym. Yes I like purple!

The following piece was inspired by my friend Diane Roth’s wonderful, humorous piece The Trouble With Resistance Training. In our exchange in the comments, I started coaching her a bit and realized if she could use some help getting going, probably my loyal readers could use it as well!

While not an outright “tomboy,” I was definitely not a “girlie girl” growing up. I had boy friends at a young age (not in the teenage sense, strictly platonic), because I thought they had the better toys like Matchbox® and Hot Wheels® cars with cool racing tracks. Now that I think about it, that’s probably where my current love of motorsports (IndyCar and F1) comes from.

So it’s no surprise that when I finally started doing regular physical activity later in life (because I was not brought up on working out), and joined my first gym, I was bored silly with the classic group fitness cardio classes of the time (think of Rose Byrne’s fitness instructor character Sheila in Apple TV’s Physical series, or the late, great Olivia Newton John’s song Physical).

I thought “I can move around and get myself sweaty at home.”

I wanted to lift weights.

I loved the empowering feeling of holding and using dumbbells and barbells and knowing that, sadly enough, at the time, it was something more typically done by males than females.

I still do.

How Much Resistance Training Do You Really Need?

I know from coaching both men and women over the years that it’s not necessarily everyone’s thing. No judgement here!

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recognizes it too, and very recently adjusted its position on what makes for an effective resistance training program to make it more accessible for the majority of people.

I was pleased to see it’s the standard answer I’ve been giving for years whenever anyone asks me what the best exercise is.

ACSM says: “the best resistance training program is the one you’ll actually do. And to train all major muscle groups at least two days per week and build up gradually over time.”

Overall, you can’t argue with the benefits for the body and mind of resistance/strength training as an overall solid part of maintaining your basic functionality as you age along with cardio, flexibility, balance and brain training.

In fact, you probably already know it’s another one of those “should do’s” that you’re either procrastinating about, or are struggling to get consistent with, so let’s make it easy to get started and more importantly, keep it going.

3 Easy, Doable Steps to Success!

Photo Credit: Melanie R. Jordan Another part of my home gym. Color makes everything better!

1. Know Your Deep Why

If you’re thinking, “I’ll do this to get my arms looking better for tank top season,” that’s a superficial why. It’s a reason why, but is it the one that it is so compelling that you would move heaven and earth to make it happen?

Maybe. It depends on how you truly feel about tank top season.

But first try digging a bit deeper. Ask yourself why is it important to look amazing for tank top season.

Is it because:

• You hope to meet someone who will think you look great in your tank top and it’ll spark a new romance? Or it will put a spark in your current romance?

• You want to see yourself dressed in your tank top defying the myth of declining with age by easily putting your suitcase into the overhead cabin for summer air travel all by yourself?

• You want to be able to get up easily off the ground to run after your grandchild while wearing a tank top?

For me, my deep why is the terrifying Ghost of Future Health from my own family I just can’t unsee. I wrote more about this in Is Getting Older Really a Reason to Slow Down?

Get the idea? Feel free to substitute whatever that compelling why truly is for you.

This is what is going to keep you going on days when you get that “I’d rather do just about anything else than do strength training today” feeling.

2. Find a Way to Make it Enjoyable

Even if the idea of doing resistance training to you is about the equivalent of visiting your dentist and this time they’re going to drill, I promise you there’s a way to make it enjoyable.

Think of what that would be for you, and experiment till you find your perfect fit. Also, keep in mind, you can use more than one way at a time.

• Maybe it’s a cute Certified Personal Trainer’s videos you can use to follow along. Here’s an easy 10-minute one for dumbbells I personally use for biceps and triceps from Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT.

• Or maybe you enjoy being outdoors on your patio, in your backyard, or at a local park or beach in nice weather.

• Being social by connecting with others at the gym, taking a group fitness class that focuses on strength training, or having a specific workout buddy who is at a similar level to you so it doesn’t feel intimidating might be just the thing. At my gym, I’m amused at the class where people are lifting weights in unison. Not my jam, but clearly it works for some.

• For me, there’s nothing like having music accompany my workout—whether I choose to use my home “gym” or go to my local fitness center.

I have a playlist for running and walking, one for hula hooping (my go-to warm up), and one for weights. Whatever your musical taste, you can create a special playlist that makes you feel pumped up.

According to Spotify, my “Weights” playlist currently is 14 hours and 33 minutes long. No, I don’t work out that length of time!

Here is a sample of songs from mine (it’s eclectic, no particular order):

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Sussudio - Phil Collins

What You Need - Inxs

Tubthumping - Chumbwaumba

Rock of Life - Rick Springfield

Halfway to the Sun - Night Ranger

Lucky Ones - Loverboy

Back in Your Face - Def Leppard

Real World - Matchbox Twenty

It’s My Life - Bon Jovi

Long Gone - Bryan Adams

Turn Up the Radio - Autograph

Photo Credit: Melanie R. Jordan “Club Melanie” in a crate.

3. Mix it Up

When you think of strength training, dumbbells may come to mind first, but you can train using many different forms of resistance—kettlebells, resistance bands, machines (at the gym), barbells, weighted balls and even your good old bodyweight.

This doesn’t mean that if you work out solely at home, you need to invest in a ton of equipment (as I said, your own body will fit the bill). But if you want to pick up some basics and “build” your home gym a little at a time, Five Below has a lot of inexpensive stuff. I also got some items from eBay and Amazon—especially during the pandemic’s peak time when gyms were closed. Even when they were open, working out in a mask didn’t appeal to me, so I kept doing my home-based “club” for a long time.

If you travel, you don’t have to worry about packing equipment with you. Your hotel likely has the basics you need, or has an arrangement with a local gym. You also may be able to change your gym membership to use facilities nationally or internationally depending on the company. Or, there’s your body’s weight :)

Today, I use my home gym or my local fitness center depending on my mood, my schedule and the weather. I enjoy having both options so there are no excuses!

My husband still teases me at times about “was the gym crowded?”

The Becoming Less Resistant About Resistance Training Takeaway

Hopefully with this piece I’ve now worn down some of your resistance to resistance training, because you now have some ideas on how to easily make it a better fit for yourself as part of your active and healthy 50+ (or 50-) lifestyle.

These ideas will work if you give them a chance. It doesn’t matter if you are dusting off that gym membership that automatically hits your credit card monthly that you don’t cancel so you can say you "belong to a gym,” or you have weights or a rainbow of resistance bands gathering dust in parts unknown around your place.

We stick with what we feel is important to accomplish and what stays interesting and fun.

With a little experimentation, you can make it happen with newfound strength, and keep your ability to do anything and everything as you get older.

Wishing you maximum health and happiness always!

P.S. How can you use these ideas to start or restart resistance training for yourself? What other things have worked for you? What music do you enjoy when working out?

Please comment. I and others would love to benefit from your shares.

If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like it to help others find it, and please share it with others who could use easy ways to overcome their resistance to resistance training for their best 50+ life.

In this piece, I scratched the surface on ways to make it easier to make strength training a regular part of your life to get you started.

Let’s go all in together and create your personal recipe for success that you can live with faster and better than you can on your own. I’m a Nationally Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer and Senior Fitness Specialist, so you’re in good hands :)

Now’s the time to take the next step and become a Paid Subscriber to my YBLME Thrivers Community. You can join in and rewrite your personal health story and live an empowered, positive life so you can do anything and everything you want whether you’re in your 50’s, 60’s or beyond with my expert support. And if you’re “50-” it never hurts to get a head start on this.

I share the exact strategies to thrive and age in a way that uniquely fits you that have led to success for the thousands of clients I’ve helped easily live their best lives for more than a decade.

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FYI: I also post some inspirational, humorous and fun quick notes most days for more ways to help you easily thrive after 50.

Please speak with your healthcare professional about your specific needs before implementing any suggestions in this publication. Melanie Jordan and Your Healthy Life Made Easy LLC are not liable for any loss or injury associated with information published in this post as it is provided solely for your education and entertainment.

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