How heavy should a woman over 50 lift weights?

Maggie Topham is clear that heavy means something different for every woman, and form comes first. If you're new to lifting in your 50s, she says to take your time: try lighter weights, learn how each movement should look and feel, and then learn what pushing your body really feels like. Some women have been athletic their whole life. Others haven't, and lifting lighter while you learn isn't weakness. It's how you make sure the right muscles are doing the work.

The point underneath both is progression. Nikkiey says the biggest mistake she sees in women going through menopause is finding a comfortable weight and staying there forever. If you're pressing the same 10-pound dumbbells you used six months ago, your body has already adapted. Comfortable maintains, while progressive challenge builds. If you don't have heavier weights at home, she suggests slowing down: three seconds down, a one-second pause, three seconds up. That makes the same dumbbell work much harder.

Form is your limit. On a dumbbell hinge, Nikkiey says that if your back rounds, stop, because the weight is too heavy or you're moving too fast. And this kind of training won't make you bulky. Maggie says it's hard enough for women to see muscle definition, and lifting heavy simply means giving your body enough stimulus to build muscle.