The Middle Third Is the Perfect Time to Start Lifting Weights. A Certified Trainer Helps Us Get Going
written by Stacey Lindsay
“Strength training positively affects your entire life. ”
For years, we've been hearing about the benefits of strength training. But more recently, the volume has been turned way up. It seems everyone—from trainers to doctors to friends to influencers—is talking about the benefits of lifting weights to get stronger.
The reasons are vast: Strength training is linked to improved balance and posture, increased bone and muscle mass, and better mood and hormonal balance. These benefits see no age limit. A 2023 study showed that people 65 and older who'd never regularly weight trained prior responded positively to lifting weight.
LA-based certified personal trainer Noa Franco underscores all of this, and she says there are even more exciting reasons to lift weights, especially for women. "It's a way to create a better life overall for yourself. It's a way for you to be stronger, to challenge yourself, and to learn new skills."
Curious to explore a new strength training routine but unsure where to start, we asked Noa for her advice. We also unpack the deeper misconceptions around lifting weights and why this form of exercise is not only beneficial for our bodies in midlife but also our minds and entire way of being. We love how Noa, who has a refreshingly honest and accessible take on fitness, puts it. "Lifting weights makes you a better version of yourself. It helps build you up and focus on your abilities and what you know your body can do. It just adds so much to your life."
Chatting with Noa Franco
Let's look at the big picture first. Why is strength training and lifting weights so good for our overall health?
We all know that any form of exercise and movement is beneficial for your lifespan. Weightlifting is essential because it keeps your skeletal muscle intact. To be mobile, independent, and live a good quality of life later in life, you must have your bones and skeletal muscles in order. Women who live an active lifestyle will preserve more muscle mass, have better bone density, and have better integrity in their connective tissues. Their metabolism is usually in better shape. In addition, it makes women less prone to injury.
Another cool part is that research suggests estrogen positively impacts strength and muscle mass. For many women, their estrogen spikes between days seven and 14. During this time, you can find you can lift a lot heavier and do amazing weightlifting workouts on those days because we get this estrogen spike. Estrogen has such a positive impact on our strength and our muscle mass. It fluctuates during the month and as we age and go through perimenopause and menopause. A lot of times, it will settle into a lower place in our bodies post-menopause. So, it is important to find ways to stimulate your muscle fibers and get them working—and a great way to do that is weightlifting.
Also, what I get so excited about is that it actually increases the efficiency of your neural pathways. While you're exercising, you're not only gaining benefits from a musculoskeletal, orthopedic, and metabolic standpoint but also neurological benefits.
How does weightlifting work?
It is your muscles working against some form of resistance. When you stress the muscle, it sends a signal to your body to rebuild. That rebuilt muscle is called adaptation. So, you stretch the muscle, rebuild it, adapt, then stress, rebuild, adapt. The adaptation is muscle that you're gaining. So, you're imposing increasing demand on your muscles and also on your central nervous system, which is all causing the adaptation. It makes you stronger physically and mentally.
I have shied away from lifting weights because I've bought into the idea that it will make me bulk up. What are some of the biggest misconceptions you see?
This comes from the fact that people associate strength training with bodybuilding. You may be imagining huge men or like women with backs that are upside-down Christmas trees. But that is bodybuilding, and it is a very different difficult to do and totally different from weightlifting.
A big misconception I see is that people think they must lift super, super heavy weights to build muscle. But you don't have to kill yourself and lift super, super heavy weights. You can change your routine and still gain muscle with lighter or heavier weights. Both will elicit hypertrophy, which is an increase in muscle growth. There are so many factors of your workout that you can adjust, like your tension, sets, reps, rest time, and volume, to help you grow muscle. So this scares people; when they believe they have to lift super heavy when they don't have to.
Also, many people think that more is better. And that's not the case. I'll see people jump into a new program where they'll be weightlifting a bunch of days, then doing cardio and being super aggressive. Doing that can put your appetite into overdrive. So, if you're training and you feel like you can't stop eating, consider backing down the frequency and intensity of your activities—because sometimes, less is more.
There is this idea that a workout must be super intense for it to be worth it.
Yes! I constantly tell people this. I call it the sweat and soreness myth. People think sweat and soreness indicate an effective workout, but that's not the case. The emotional part of sweating a lot and feeling sore might feel good, but that doesn't always have a solid, physiological carryover.
Is it ever too late to start lifting weights?
There's no bad time. Anytime, any age is a great time to start.
What are your tips for getting started?
First, have a plan. I've seen many people go to the gym, wander around, and try to figure things out while they're there. This isn't conducive to a good workout or effective workout. So, have a plan and set an intention. Then, make an appointment with yourself. Plan the dates and times for your training sessions and put them in your calendar. It's also essential to make it convenient. If this means adjusting your bedtime by 15 minutes, packing your gym bag, or laying out your clothes the night before, make it as easy as possible for yourself. So, those are the main things: Have a plan. Make sure you're making the time and the appointment with yourself. Make it convenient. And also, stick to the basics when you first start.
You have made a significant pivot in your career, from working in the film industry to becoming a personal trainer. What drew you to this work?
I love working with women who want to learn how to lift weights and move their bodies in a way that will keep them mobile and functional for the rest of their lives. I love working with people who are interested in the details of why things work a particular way and why it's important that you use the full range of motion because when you get into your seventies, you usually lose your range of motion. I love working with people who want to create a healthy, functional life for themselves and understand that it's a process.
How have you seen strength training impact people's lives on a more holistic level?
I am always shocked by the confidence that people slowly build. There's really something satisfying about being able to physically see and feel the improvements, like in the amount of weight or reps. This work helps build people mentally and physically. Strength training positively affects your entire life.
I also don't think people realize how much easier your daily tasks become. Because you've been weightlifting, your energy levels are higher, your sleep quality is better, you can carry more groceries into your house, and playing with your kids or grandkids becomes effortless. I love seeing how much more energized people get and how they use what they learn in the gym to make their daily lives easier.
How has it changed your life?
I became interested in fitness for all the wrong reasons. I started for all the diet culture reasons. I thought if I looked like a bikini pro, my whole life would be fine, and everything would be great. Then, I ended up with an eating disorder and had to reshape everything and go over my values. When I started focusing on strength training, it became evident how much weightlifting changed my life and confidence.
I see that weightlifting allows people to take up space for themselves. There are a lot of moms out there, a lot of women, who do everything for their families and their kids. This is an hour where they take space for themselves, challenge themselves, and do something great for them. And I love to see that.
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Noa Franco is a NASM, Girls Gone Strong, Certified Personal Trainer based in Los Angeles. She works with individuals and groups in-person and online. Learn more at noafranco.com and @shockinglyaveragefitgirl
“When I started focusing on strength training, it became evident how much weightlifting changed my life and confidence. ”
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