How to Start Bodybuilding for Women Over 50

Are you wondering how to start bodybuilding for women over 50?  If so, this page is a great start.  If you are approaching, or are over 50, then you need to weight train and build that strong muscle base.  Doing so will increase muscle and bone strength and to stabilize your joints, preventing injury.  Think it’s impossible?  Just check out Missy, 52, who lost 50 pounds, transformed her physique, and entered a competition.

First Step to Bodybuilding for Women Over 50

The first step you need to take is to get an overall body composition.  This is taking your stats: body weight and body fat percentage.  You can do this at home or have it done by a professional.  There are 3D body scanners available that are accurate.  There’s also the hand-held Omron body fat testing device.  Having this starting information will lay the foundation of the things listed below such as nutrition and exercise.  Having your stats provides the information you need to formulate a diet plan, weight training routine, and added cardio work.  Let’s start off with the dieting part.

Nutrition for Transformation

Nutrition for your female bodybuilding transformation will come in the form of eating what Mother Nature provides.  Include such foods as natural and even organic fish, chicken, beef, steak, turkey, potatoes, brown rice, vegetable, etc.  In addition, you will need to begin tracking your calories and macronutrients (macros).  This is the time in your life where nutrition is critical.  They say that muscle maturity is at it’s peak about the age of 30.  We can safely say that it’s between 30-40.  After that, your body will start breaking down more and faster than it did when you were younger.  So, choose your foods wisely.  Eat more whole, natural, and organic and shy away from the sweets and processed foods.

If all this new to you and you can’t make sense of it, I can create a online program for you.  Now, there are various calculations you can use to figure your calories and macros.  There’s not ONE right way.  Dieting success is fining what works for you and sticking to it.  Then, when you feel you hit a plateau, that’s when you make tweaks.  Consistency is the ultimate pay off.

Weight Loss

If you are brand new to bodybuilding and want to lose weight, then an easy calculation is to use your body weight x 10 to find your starting calories.  If you have been training and dieting for a while, you can start off using your lean muscle mass as the caloric foundation and build from there.  Your diet is about 80% of your muscle gain and fat loss results.

Overweight

If you are overweight you might start with a diet that includes intermittent fasting combined with the ketogenic diet.  You’ll notice some good fat loss using this tactic.  If you are average weight, you can just go into bodybuilding dieting mode.  If you are underweight, you can enter the bodybuilding dieting mode as well.  Just be sure you are eating enough calories and protein.

Weight Training for Muscle

The weight training portion is where you will build your muscle.  It’s important to progressively build your training if you are new to female bodybuilding.  You don’t want to jump into heavy weight and low reps with no rhyme-or-reason.  For someone new, and older, it’s good to choose a poundage in which you can do about 15 reps.  If you can do more than 15 reps, then the weight is too light.

The higher reps in the beginning acclimates your muscles and it builds your joints.  Stick with the 15-rep format for about 3 months.  After 3 months you can increase your poundage and drop your reps to 12.  Follow that format for about 4-6 months and assess again to higher poundage and 10 reps.  Going about training in the fashion will prevent injuries and time away from the gym.

A good training split can include 4 – 5 days a week of weight training.

• Monday – Chest / Triceps / Calves
• Tuesday – Back / Biceps / Abs
• Wednesday – Off
• Thursday – Legs / Calves
• Friday – Shoulders / Traps / Abs

Before you jump into your first set, you need to get a good warm-up in.  I don’t care how many years you’ve been training, around 50, your muscles are really going to feel it in the gym.  After you warm-up, it’s a good idea to pyramid each set.  This seems to work best rather than just jumping to the max  poundage you can use.  I know,what worked for us in our 20s and 30s doesn’t work the same in our 5os.  Warm-up good and increase your poundage slowly over 4 sets, making your 4th set your heaviest set.  Now, if you can get away jumping in with heavy weight the first set and seeing it through for a 4 sets, more power to you… do it.

Cardio to Manage Fat Loss

Cardio is supplemental for fat loss.  Most of your fat loss will come via diet.  Use cardio as an additional fat-loss tactic.  This means to use it in moderation and don’t become a cardio queen.  It’s a good idea to start cardio off on the low end, such as 2-3 days a week for about 20 minutes.  Every two weeks or so increase it just a little.  An increase can be as simple as adding one day or increasing your time by 5 minutes.  Don’t make drastic cardio increases or you can eat up your precious lean muscle mass.  It can become quite the balancing act with diet and training.  To, pace yourself cardio-wise.

If you have thick legs that need to be leaner, good cardio choices are the treadmill on flat, sprinting, the elliptical, and the bike.  If your legs are thin and you have a hard time building, user the stepper, stepmill, and the treadmill on a steep incline.  Cardio doesn’t build muscle, but your choice in what you do can help your legs to some degree.

Lastly, What You Need to Know About Bodybuilding for Women Over 50…

This is skimming the surface.  There’s more information you can get in my FREE Bodybuilding Course below.  Learn what to eat, when to get, how to train, when to do cardio, etc.  All the answers will be at your fingertips.  Now, click the link below and let’s get started.