Howdy Bodybuilding community. My mom is overweight and she wants to stop being overweight. I’ve helped her clean up her diet and now I have to get her to the gym. Problem is I’m kinda lost on the whole training deal for her. She’s about 45yrs old and she is very strong. I am convinced shes pretty swole underneath her winter coat.
I need help with training methods for her because my mind goes to powerlifting training stuff when I think training people. Any and all help would be appreciated!
Walking as much as possible will work wonders, low impact and something that can be done multiple times a day. Combined with a calorie deficit it will be effective without being strenuous.
I’m terms of actual weight training I would go for something EDT like. Very easy to track progress and it gives good targets each workout. It’s fast paced with very little rest which is great for burning fat.
Another option would be circuits or complexes.
For cardio stationary bike is an option. Less impact on the joints vs walking, interferes with resistance training less vs walking/jogging and one can whip out their phone and watch a movie/show to make an hour of cardio go by quick.
She’s not really old or weak and she doesn’t have any particular injuries you need to watch out for (that you’ve mentioned). As long as diet is in check almost anything will work whether it’s powerlifting training, bodybuilding training (maybe not crossfit lel).
IMO it’s more important that you find something she will stick to. The best program in the world may as well be the worst if someone doesn’t do it properly or consistently. Have a discussion about her preferences for the program e.g. how much time she is willing to commit per week or machines vs free weights.
Have you asked her about what she might like to do?
A dance class might be what she prefers to do.
I helped ny dad many years ago, and while he wasn’t seriously unable to do most things, his lack of coordination or any sense of athleticism weighed on ny mind. What I did was less of a “develop a balanced physique” approach at first, and more of a “lets just get some muscles doing something.”
He did a bunch of treadmill walking (there was no way he was going to able to even do a body weight squat at first), and I picked 4-5 exercises that would help me use some bigger muscle groups and develop his coordination while also adding to his physical recomposition (machine chest press, machine shoulder press, pulldowns, machine rows, and seated dumbbell curls).
We did this 3x a week and retooled his diet (very basic but even just simple planning can do wonders for someone who lives on heavily sugared coffee and whatever he can grab from the corner bodega). 3 months later, down 25 lbs. nothing fancy needed.
S
Oh my, you’re making me feel old. I agree to find out her interests…does she like to be outside or more of an indoor person?
Lol, yeah, I love when someone posts about their parents and I’m the same age as they are.
S
Most of the folk who get a program in my gym are around your mum’s age. I usually give them a cookie cutter program which is simple enough to follow and allows them to get in and out the gym
Weights -
Legs (usually a goblet squat)
Push (dumbbell shoulder press or machine chest press)
Pull (trx rows or lat pulldown)
Farmers walk (only throw this in if they’re in reasonable shape)
I program the sets, reps as 3-5 sets of 10+ on a good day and 10 on a day they’re not feeling so good. I like the workout to be intuitive.
Cardio
30 - 45 minutes on any cardio equipment, although I usually direct them towards the treadmill for incline walks or if they can, running
The deal is they keep their heart rate between 120 - 150bpm for at least 30 minutes duration.
I program it all like this
Mon - weights ---- cardio
Wed - cardio
Fri - weights ---- cardio
However I prefer if they split this template over 5 days as I believe the frequency will give them a better ‘result’ and allow them to hopefully build the habit of keeping active.
I hear what you’re saying about reverting to the powerlifting mindset however most over 40’s that come into my gym just want to get ‘fit’. Fuck, some don’t even want to touch a weight!
That’s when you tell them ‘weights make you look good, cardio makes you feel good’
She enjoys lifting weights as she’s done it before, just has not stuck to it for any longer than 12 weeks.
My mom has trouble sticking to a cookie cutter program for some reason. I’ve trained her in the past and it went pretty good. Hell once she gets into it she is like me and enjoys putting herself through mind numbing workouts. Problem was then was that the program was spontaneous and we didn’t have any way to track strength progressions. The most structured our training got was at one point I had her doing the doggcrapp program for 6 weeks and fat was melting off of her. Maybe I’ll have her do DC training again…
Tell me about it… I’m a year older than his mom.
It adds character and knowledge, but sux when ya feel old 
My heart is young… the carcass is old
This week some 45 years old lady was arguing with me about my age, because when I will be her age I will get it. Yes I am 32 with 10 years of experiences! She did not get it.
I know she’s your mom and you are doing “everything” you can. She’s an adult and is responsible for either doing the healthy way of life or not. It is a pity she doesn’t embrace the fact that you care enough to help her and are asking for help. Best of luck to you, but she’s either gonna do it or not. Sad thing to learn about life. You just have to be there but don’t spend too much energy you could be spending on happiness. Good luck
I very vaguely remember a post similar to this.
The majority of what everyone said, boiled down to just having someone do what’s comfortable for them. I take it your mother is older, have her do something that she likes.
You nor her need to be doing any DC training at the moment.
Do some battle ropes, move a kettle bell around, walk a fair amount, swim, some decent dumbbell work and rearrange food choices.
My mom ran a half marathon last year, she’s 65. I’m riding to work on bicycles with a guy I work with next week, it’s 35 miles and he’s 64. People older than 40 set world powerlifting records, win Worlds strongest man, have held boxing titles, are professional athletes, the list goes on and on.
I agree with @kd13 - short and sweet. Especially complexes and circuits. Don’t treat the age as a limit - given the right help and support, 40+ year olds have plenty of strength coupled with the maturity to see something through. Look at @losthog , dude kills it. If she is overweight though, it’s likely taken a toll on the joints at this point, so lots of band work and maybe go easy on the knees.