I’m delighted to have Nate Johnson, owner of Steel Strength Training LLC and new dad, back today to discuss fitness training for women over 30. Take it away, Nate.

When it comes to training people, the same basic principles apply. No matter your age, gender, or anything else.

You must get stronger. You must train hard, but not overdo it. You must train consistently. You must eat nutrient-dense foods like veggies, etc.

However, after four years of working with women over 30 here are 10 things I’ve learned.

1. Age is no excuse.
I train more than 50 women over 30 trying to transform their body, health, and lifestyle. Based on their experience, I can assure you age is no excuse. Sure, being in your 20s has its advantages, but if you consistently strength train and improve your eating habits over time, the results are amazing.

2. You don’t have a slow metabolism.
Speaking of age as an excuse, something that gets tossed around frequently is the idea of a “slow metabolism.” This isn’t the case. If you’re struggling to lose weight, I promise you aren’t strength training, you’re eating too many calories, or both. And what’s funny is my clients never feel deprived despite consistently losing a dress size every three months. That doesn’t sound like a slow metabolism to me.

3. You won’t get bulky from lifting weights.
This myth needs to die. Women lack the testosterone needed to get bulky. Science tells us this. But so do the dozens of before and after pictures of my clients who have lost multiple dress sizes and toned up all over from lifting weights.

4. The stronger you are, the easier it is to lose fat.
Being stronger = more muscle = more calories burned each day. Want to fix that “slow metabolism?” Lift weights! My clients who have been lifting for 6+ months find fat loss to be incredibly easy.

5. You love to lift weights…heavy weights.
Strength training isn’t just super effective, it’s a ton of fun! My clients love the feeling of getting stronger. Even though most of them were intimidated by the idea of lifting weights when they started. (Note: It’s ok to feel nervous, but don’t let that nervousness stop you from trying something new.)

It shifts the focus from being negative (“I hate my body, let me burn a ton of calories”) to being positive (“how can I be better today than I was yesterday?”)

6. You recover faster between sets and can handle more volume than men.
I found this fascinating. After a regular set of squats I want at least two minutes rest before doing another set. After a really tough set of squats, I want closer to five minutes rest. Those numbers are more like one minute and 2.5 minutes for the women I train. Not only that, but they can tolerate about 50% more sets in their workouts than men. This is one of the few differences between men and women when it comes to designing their workouts.

7. You need to pay extra attention to the lowering portion of the lift.
For some reason, most women want to lower the bar very quickly. They have a tendency to only focus on the lifting portion of the movement. It’s very important that they focus on the entire movement. Control it down (don’t drop it) then press the weight up quickly.

8. You love to talk during your sets…and in between too.
Watch a group of men workout. They’ll talk between sets, but once they’re touching the bar they get really quiet. Men aren’t good at multi-tasking so we have to get laser-focused while lifting. My clients will just keep talking. Even if it’s a super tough set! I’m impressed every time.

9. You love training in a ladies only environment.
At Steel Strength Training our sessions are ladies-only. We’ve found our clients are much more comfortable in this setting. Especially considering the majority of our clients are complete beginners when it comes to strength training.

10. They make the best clients.
Women over 30 make the best clients. I absolutely love the women I work with. They’re hardworking, dedicated, and they tell all their friends about Steel Strength Training. You won’t find a better group of people to work with!

If you’re a busy woman interested in transforming your body, health, and lifestyle with less than three hours per week in the gym, check out Steel Strength Training LLC at www.steelstrengthtraining.com or give Nate Johnson a call at 205-705-9591 to schedule your free gym consultation.