If you’ve ever looked at a video of someone hip-thrusting 400 pounds and thought, “Yeah, that’s definitely not for me…”—you’re not alone. And you’re not wrong. Because while lifting heavy is an essential practice of maintaining our muscles as we age, that’s not where any of us start.

In this episode, we’re ditching the intimidation factor and pulling back the curtain on what it really looks like to begin strength training—especially in perimenopause and beyond.

We’re talking about the things the internet skips over, like foundational movement, nervous system prep, and learning how to move with confidence before you ever touch a heavy weight.

We’ll explore:

• Why “starting light” is not a weakness—it’s a strategy

• How strength training can reduce pain and injury risk when done right

• Why lifting weights DOES NOT make you bulky!

• What the internet doesn’t teach you (but a good coach should)

• Why building strength has nothing to do with looking a certain way

• The role of nervous system regulation in learning to feel safe while training

Plus, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how my Fit After 40 program helps women build strength from the ground up—without cookie-cutter workouts or pressure to perform.

💡 Mentioned in this episode:

• Free Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training in Perimenopause & Beyond

• Fit After 40 Small Group Training: IRL Twin Cities + Virtual (join the waitlist!)

• “5 Surprising Reasons We Need to Resistance Train in Perimenopause”

• “What Does It Mean to Lift Heavy?”

• “How to Nail Form Without a Coach”

• 4 Types of Exercise - But Only One Builds Muscle - Are You Doing the Right One?
• The TED Talk: What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection

You deserve to feel strong, safe, and at home in your body—and that starts right here, right now, with small steps that build big strength.