So...

[commodorified]

What if I were a 46 year old woman who is both active (bikes, swimming, hiking, snowshoeing) AND somewhat disabled/in chronic pain (scoliosis and a dodgy shoulder at the top of my back and hyperflexibility/sciatica/bursitis at the bottom) AND I'd tried doing weights (machines, largely, due to a horrid fear of breaking myself through incompetence if I tried free weights except for curls) and then got bored and stopped doing it ...

And I suddenly decided that I wanted to be able to pick up my own weight (190, +/-) and hold it over my head and put it down again?

Where would I start? Should I start? Is there some other goal I should consider first or instead? What kind of time/money/energy commitment am I looking at here?

My local community centre has a good weight room and my favourite trainer in the world works there and I can afford to buy some time with her. So there's that.

Comments

[resolute]

Yes yes yes YES you should try!

But I would *strongly* recommend talking to a good PT and devising a plan that will not totally fuck you over.

I mean, I can say Deadlifts, Squats, Farmer's Carry, and Shoulder Presses are the way to go -- but I don't know a damn thing about the particularities of your anatomy, its strengths and weaknesses. *Nor does any damn strength training program!*

And, speaking as an enthusiastic strength-training fan who has fucked her wrists and elbows, possibly permanently, though scrupulously following books and videos without talking to my doctor, well ....

.... learn from my mistakes, maybe?

[commodorified]

I have an excellent PT, and will consult!

Jo-the-trainer has a background working with injured and disabled people, too, so that helps.

[resolute]

:high-fives:

[commodorified]

*painful high-five*

For some reason I cannot explain, this urge was triggered partly by the snowpocalypse, digging us out of which has done truly brutal things to my shoulder.

ETA I think what I will do is see my trainer for a program, then take what she gives me to my physio and hand him a red pen. As it were.

[rachelmanija]

FWIW, I've had that basic problem in the past (multiple physical issues that could be exacerbated with lifting) minus access to a trainer, and have previously managed to increase my strength substantially just by taking it slow and if something causes the bad sort of pain, not doing it again. I haven't ever been able to lift my own body weight over my head, but I probably could get there if I didn't keep getting interrupted by injury/illness/life stuff/failure to work out consistently.

[commodorified]

*nodnod* I mean, maybe I won't get there. But it turns out that if I don't have a specific, describeable goal, I'm less good at sticking to things.

[lyorn]

Yes, you should start. Probably with talking to a doctor who is used to athlethes not being *entirely* reasonable, who could recommend how to best go about it (support, PT, ...)

And then to a trainer who knows how to deal with your issues, and who can teach you to work up to the heavy lifts in perfect form.

I'd expect three times a week about 45 to 60 minutes, including warm-up. But I'd also expect you'd be doing that for years to get your body weight overhead, but not time like the present to start.

After 3 useless years on the machines, it took me about 6 workouts given by a PT to regain the mobility in my back that 14 years of chronic pain and being very careful had lost me, and about 20 workouts to become pain-free. After half a year I started a full free-weight-programm, and except for one case of badly done crunches, my back only complains when I skip training too often. So I totally belive in miracle cures!

Belated comment is belated

[rydra_wong]

but I feel this article from The Toast about a related goal may be inspirational:

“So You Want to Pick Up and Lift a Man Overhead”: A Fitness Roundtable

I can't recall if you are into Marvel, but someone in the comments has helpful contributed a list of the canonical weights of various Marvel characters to use as goals.