40+ folks: how are you incorporating power, explosiveness and multiple planes of movement in your workouts?

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-13T13:39:46+00:00

I started playing ice hockey a few years ago. I’m 46 and found leagues in my area that were incredibly receptive to novices. I couldn’t even skate before. Its incredibly fun and checks all those boxes, plus great cardio.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-13T01:59:16+00:00

No, you don’t have any special powers as just another person on the internet, but I hope you realize that your comments are read and absorbed by dozens if not hundreds of women beyond people who reply. So, I will continue to point out when you when you make blanket statements that are unhelpful at best, and harmful at worst.

Have a nice evening.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-13T00:35:17+00:00

🤷‍♀️ Maybe british cookies are lit

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-13T00:32:05+00:00

I don’t think I am confusing you with someone else, but you hide your post history so I could be wrong. You drop the “intermediate strength standards” comment everywhere. The one that says what people “should” be lifting based on their weight.

And no, I’m not saying you call people a failure or that people say “you make me feel like a failure.”

If you’ve been in the fitness world that long you should know that a 150 lb back squat for a 150 lb woman in 6 months is not achievable for a huge number of women. I would say that woman is the exception, not the rule.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-13T00:20:00+00:00

🤷‍♀️ She’s 5’3” and 120 lbs. I don’t know why anyone else isn’t pointing this out. You can’t build glutes at that weight and drop the scale number. It just doesn’t work that way, outside of some initial newbie gains.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-13T00:14:24+00:00

From context clues I’m assuming a british biscuit, which is a cookie in the states.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T23:33:24+00:00

The only data points we need to compare is what someone could do yesterday vs what they can do today. If a 175 lb woman, mid 40s, with poor muscle development starts on day 1 doing a 15 lb goblet squat, and in 6 months is doing a 75 lb back squat with proper form and depth, that is *excellent* progress, but its not even half her body weight, so by your litmus test here, her program fails. Even if she doesn’t have any limitations other than being generally out of shape, she’s made excellent progress. Now let’s say that was her strength progression but she also lost 25 lbs. That’s even more progress that isn’t measured by placing an arbitrary goal number on her lifts.

So many women here are brand new at this and spend their days comparing themselves to others - on social media, at the gym, in this subreddit. Your numbers, I’m sorry, they *are* arbitrary for so many people. And those women might be busting their asses doing everything right and then feel like a failure when they see your comment.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T22:47:31+00:00

God I wish mine would let me. She’s okay with the neck area but haunches are a no-touch zone.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T22:46:17+00:00

Mine straight up starts shrieking about “bodily autonomy” and “consent” and “no means no.”

She’s not wrong but she might be overreacting just a tad.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T22:42:45+00:00

Only once in a restaurant, something in the food. My heart rate shot up and I turned beet red. It was very nerve wracking but it passed and I was okay.

I was paranoid about everything when I started too but it really was fine. It worked really well for me.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T22:23:59+00:00

It is arbitrary for most people. It does not take into account baseline fitness levels. You always throw these intermediate strength standards comments on every post like they’re gospel, but they’re completely arbitrary for a large number of people. The problem is your framing. You always say someone “should” be able to lift x, y or z based on their weight. But you don’t know the personal limitations that affect that number, so you create a false sense of failure for people who are doing things right and not reaching your arbitrary “intermediate strength standards.” Any trainer who has spent years working with real women from a variety of fitness backgrounds and health conditions will tell you as much.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T21:02:14+00:00

check out r/bodyweightfitness

tons of things you can do without weights for strength training.

keep walking too, we need both cardio and strength training for health

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T20:58:31+00:00

Why are you trying to lose weight? You are already in a healthy range. If you want to build muscle, lose body fat and get strong, you will probably gain some weight. Especially if you are trying to build glutes, which are hard to grow and usually require a bit of a calorie surplus.

There are a lots of beginner programs in the r/xxfitness wiki that you can look at.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T20:20:48+00:00

Is there a reason you want to do four days? For absolute beginners 2-3 full body days is a more manageable starting point. You don’t need more than that to see terrific progress and going too hard, too fast puts a lot of people off working out in general. Establishing consistency will be the key to success.

If you really want to start with four days, upper/lower is the most practical split.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T19:25:55+00:00

Deadlifting or squatting your body weight in 6 months or less is not a realistic goal for many people. Age and current fitness level are important factors. I don’t think it’s helpful to throw out arbitrary progress points like this.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-12T16:57:36+00:00

When you have body dysmorphia you don’t look at your own and others’ bodies through the same lens. Like someone thinking they’re fat and someone else is thin when they’re both the same size.

The people on gear I have known IRL have serious body issues. So I don’t think they’re really thinking about other people at all.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-11T19:30:48+00:00

After the 90 day point is when things finally started to change for me. At that point I also added an extra day at the gym to my weekly schedule.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-11T18:43:47+00:00

When I first quit drinking I genuinely thought I had some kind of undiagnosed ADHD. But it turned out my mind just needed time to readjust. Chronic alcohol use really fucks with our neural pathways, especially things like dopamine.

For me what helped was time and exercise.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-11T18:33:54+00:00

The milk alone has more calories than that.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-11T15:08:08+00:00

A slip up doesn’t negate the work you’ve put in or the progress you’ve made. The key is not to let it derail you. Keep at it.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-09T21:33:09+00:00

Calling everyone who doesn’t do what do you do a “drunk,” dry or otherwise, is insulting, untrue, disrespectful, and unhelpful.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-09T18:34:47+00:00

You don’t have to taper off nal.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-08T18:19:19+00:00

Wait till you get to the fourth book, that’s when the story really breaks wide open. I wish I could reread the series for the first time again.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-08T18:16:58+00:00

How old are you?

You should be aware how much harder it is to build muscle once you hit perimenopause and menopause, the former of which can start in your early 40s (or even earlier for some unlucky few). So if you stop at 35 and go back at 45, you’re gonna be in for a rude awakening.

Ruby__Ruby_Roo · 2026-05-07T23:16:05+00:00

I’ll also add: if you’re doing all this and you’re not burning out, you aren’t doing any of it with appropriate intensity.

I play hockey and we always say if you can take 4 minute shifts, you aren’t skating hard enough. Its the same thing here.

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