@skwigg, I've been reading your posts about Lift with Cee, and I checked out some of her Q&A videos, and looked at a few of the workouts. I, too, have been feeling like my workouts have been getting to be too short/too easy, and would like in increase my strength and bone density now (I am in my 40s) rather than try to catch up 10-15 years from now. Now that I am eating adequate protein, I'm thinking this may be effective. I don't think I can currently lift as heavy as what Cee is doing, but I will get there, I imagine?
I know that in order to get stronger, your muscles have to get bigger. However, I don't want to have to buy new bigger clothes. Is body recomposition a thing with these workouts? They seem slow. You said y awhile back you pick one from the 30 min series, and do it 3x/wk with days in between. That seems doable. Are you still sticking to that?
I have looked at a few other programs, but they are either longer or more days (which I don't have time for). Currently, I am doing 10-20 min. of Zuzka-style workouts daily, plus 10-20 min. of yoga, and about 20-30 min. intentional walking per day. If I am going to longer workouts, they need to not be daily.
Any thoughts appreciated!
Thanks so much, @skwigg ! That is really helpful. I guess I'll give it a try, see if I like it, and see what happens!
It doesn’t matter if you ever lift the same weights she does. She really emphasizes that you need to choose weights that are right for you, where the last couple of reps feel challenging. That can vary wildly from person to person, and even from workout to workout for the same person.
I’ve been doing 20-45 minutes of strength training 3x per week and 10-20 minutes of yoga daily. The strength workouts are sometimes Lifting with Cee and sometimes doing my own thing. But again, it’s whatever works best for you, your schedule, and your own preferences. What I do will change the moment I feel like doing something else. That’s the beauty of it. I did 16-18 straight weeks of Lifting with Cee. I still do it, but I’m mixing it up more lately just for fun.
No worries at all about having to buy a whole new wardrobe. Muscle is lean, small, and dense. Gaining it is difficult, especially for older women. I have to eat at a consistent surplus to see any gains in size and strength, and even then, I wear the same size or have gotten smaller. Not lighter, mind you, but smaller. You may remember this photo that is a comparison of 5 pounds of fat next to 5 pounds of muscle. Strength training makes you metabolically more awesome, not necessarily any bigger.