My Wobbly Bird Dog and the Case for Starting Anyway

I filmed this workout in my living room. My bird dog row wobbled so much I nearly lost a dumbbell to the skirting board. I kept the take anyway.

People ask me: do I need a personal trainer to start strength training in my 40s? You don't. A pair of dumbbells, a bit of floor and six moves is plenty to begin with. Wobbly counts.

The workout I keep handing to new starters

It's the second Move Strong session. It's the one to add when the first feels friendly. Six moves, one pair of dumbbells.

Sumo squats, bicep curls, deadlifts, shoulder press, bird dog row and side plank thread the needle. Ten to twelve reps for most of them, eight each side for the floor work. Three rounds.

That's it. No machines. No mirror full of strangers. Strength training for women at home with dumbbells really can be that plain.

What each move quietly does for your week

Here's what I tell the women I train. I don't care much about the names of the exercises. I care about what they let you do on a Tuesday.

Sumo squats are getting up off the floor with a handful of Lego. Deadlifts are the laundry basket, the shopping bags and the child who has gone limp in the car park. Shoulder press is the suitcase going into the overhead locker without you hunting for a kind stranger. Bicep curls are carrying everything in one trip, because we all do that.

Bird dog row and thread the needle are the odd ones. They feel strange at first. They're also the ones that make you feel put together. Steadier through the middle, easier to twist and reach. These are functional strength exercises for everyday life, dressed up as a floor wobble.

The saved workout that never gets done

I've trained a lot of women in their 40s now. Many of you save the workout. Then you wait until you feel ready.

I did exactly that after my second baby. I was waiting for a calmer week. There wasn't one. Nobody I know has ever been handed a calm week.

What changed things for me, and for the women I train, was starting smaller than felt impressive. Ready doesn't arrive first. It turns up around the third session, when you notice the shoulder press feels a bit less like a fight.

Start lighter than your pride wants

If you're wondering how to start lifting weights in your 40s, this is the whole trick. Pick weights that make the last couple of reps feel like work while your form stays tidy. If you can't tell what that feels like yet, go lighter. Tins of tomatoes are a respectable week one.

Rest whenever you need to. Put the kettle on between sets if that's what it takes. Nobody is marking you.

Two sessions a week is a lovely place to land. When a move starts to feel easy, add a rep or two first. Then go up a little in weight. That's progress, and it's allowed to be slow.

If something pinches, make the movement smaller. A shallower squat is still a squat. A lighter row is still a row. Your body gets a say in how this goes.

Why this suits women in their 40s so well

This is the stage where life asks a lot of us. Work, kids, parents, a body that's started doing its own thing with hormones. Getting stronger is one of the most practical answers I know.

I can't promise you what it will do for every symptom. I can tell you what the women I train say. They feel steadier. They carry things without a second thought. They feel more like themselves. And none of it needed a gym membership or a single bicep that looks like a bodybuilder's.

So, about that trainer

You don't need one to begin. You do need a bit of company sometimes, and that's a different thing. Having someone say "lovely, now slow it down" can make the whole session feel easier. That's why I run live sessions. They're not a requirement. They're just more fun than doing it on your own.

You don't need to do any of this perfectly. You just need to press play, pick up the dumbbells and let it be a bit wobbly. Then do it again on Thursday.

If you'd like to do it with me, come along to a live session. Bring your dumbbells, or your tins. I'll be the one laughing at my own bird dog.