068: How to Start STRENGTH Training in 2025

In this episode of The Strong Bones Coach Podcast, Carly dives into how to start strength training in 2025 and why this year is the perfect time to build a strong foundation for your health. Whether you’re new to strength training or looking to get back into it, Carly shares five ways strength training will be different in 2025 and how you can get involved in a way that feels accessible and empowering.

If you've ever felt intimidated by the idea of lifting weights or thought you needed to be "fit enough" to start, this episode is for you. From bodyweight exercises to working with a coach and incorporating mindful movement, Carly breaks down the essential steps to get started safely and confidently.

Listen in for practical tips, motivation, and everything you need to get stronger in 2025.

AND, if you’re ready to lay the foundation for your strength journey, Carly’s Strong Bones Starter Kit mini-course is the perfect place to begin!

If you want access to this step-by-step guide to safe and effective strength training at home. Click here to learn more and access today

Thanks for listening to the Strong Bones Coach Podcast

If you'd like to get in touch to ask a question about today's episode or to find out how you can get support from my coaching, reach out on the following links:

hello@carlykillencoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/thestrongbonescoach

Thanks for listening to The Strong Bones Coach Podcast!

If you’d like to get in touch with a question about today’s episode or find out how I can support you with coaching, here’s how to reach me:
📧 Email: hello@carlykillencoaching.com
📱 Instagram: @thestrongbonescoach

Do you crave unshakable confidence in your strength from midlife and beyond? Would you love to achieve your goals without sacrificing family time or self-care?

Ready to take your strength to the next level? Start building a stronger body and healthier bones with my Strong Bones Starter Kit—your step-by-step guide to safe and effective strength training at home.
👉 Click here to learn more and access today

🌟 Stay connected and inspired with daily wellness tips on Instagram @thestrongbonescoach.
🌟 For tailored advice or personal queries, email me at hello@carlykillencoaching.com.

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to supporting you on your journey to strength, health, and confidence! 💪🦴✨

Transcript

Carly: 0:37

Hello and welcome back to the Strong Bones Coach podcast. I'm your host Carly Killen and I am so glad you have tuned in today. So we are kicking off 2025 with a really exciting topic, how to get strong in 2025. What a perfect time to talk about starting your strength training journey especially if you are looking to prioritize your health, build muscle and feel more confident in your body this year. Now you might be hearing a lot about New Year's resolutions, but instead of diving into those rigid goals, or feeling the pressure to reinvent yourself, as you'll have heard me say before, I'm here to talk about making small, sustainable changes that will benefit you in the long run. And I did say in previous episodes that January can be a nice time to explore gently and consider your options. Maybe try a few things besides without feeling the need to make a strong commitment if it's not for you. And I want you to act from a place of choice, not fear, urgency or obligation. So that is how you create lasting change. So let's get started. So I want to start with five ways that strength training might be different in 2025. So let's have a look at what could be different this year. And perhaps this is your year to get involved if you've been on the sidelines for a little while. So firstly, strength training is for everyone. So in 2025, strength training is going to be more inclusive and accessible. When we're talking about the gender gaps, when we see who comes into the gyms, there are more women than ever starting to step into gyms, lifting weights and practicing strength training. And it's not just for physical appearance, but for overall health, building muscle, strengthening bones and helping your mental wellbeing too. So there is no need to wait. Until you get fit enough to come to the gym or to start coaching. Strength training is for every stage of life, especially when it comes to supporting your bone health and preventing age related muscle loss. So if you're on the sidelines, if you're not sure, if you're ready to start with strength training, just know it can start really simple with body weight movements and there is no better time than when you're unsure to get some help. So, Number two, there is more of a focus on a holistic approach to strength training. So we're moving away from thinking of strength training as just about lifting heavy weights or getting ripped, saying that's in inverted commas, but it really is about overall health. Strengthening our bones and boosting it, boosting our mood as well and even improving your mental clarity. So if you're struggling with brain fog, this is one way that you can really start to help clear out the cobwebs and start to connect back with your body again. So it's about building resilience for daily life and supporting your longevity. So, if you've heard about how strength training helps your metabolism, builds muscle, keeps your bones healthy, all those things are true. And it's not just about looking good, although this is totally okay as well. It's about feeling strong in all areas of your life and a strong body can start to support you with that. So it's not just all about how much work you can do in the gym. But how you recover and restore yourself in between sessions as well. And of course, how this fits in with your life values. That's super important. And this is why I get my clients to focus on what nourishes them from a food perspective, as well as what lights them up with joy, fulfillment and purpose. Which is one of the reasons I like to include breathwork as just one of the tools I use alongside strength training within my coaching. Moving on to number three, mindful movements is key. So this year, mindful strength training is something we might want to focus on. Again, not just about having the heaviest weights that we can manage, that we can handle, it's about being present with your body. Paying attention to your alignment, your form, how your body is moving, ensuring you're moving safely and staying intentional during each exercise. So this allows you to build more muscle more efficiently and also reduce any injury risk. So if you have any concerns about the safety of strength training, then being mindful about it, taking it slow is a great way to start. It also helps you build more muscle as well. And when I say build more muscle, just to clarify, as women, we don't have the hormone composition to build muscle quickly, so nobody's going to be building bulky muscles, even if we wanted to, unfortunately. But, or fortunately, depending on your perspective. So yeah, and for many of you, um, And this is part of my story too. We have become quite disconnected from our bodies. Through rushing around all day, striving to build our careers, our family connection. It's easy to forget ourselves. I've been on a long journey of reconnecting to my body. And it all started with finding that connection through lifting weights. And I know that doesn't sound the most conventional. And it's not really what you'll hear most coaches say. And you probably hear that yoga practices are more known for this, but it's all about meeting yourself where you're at. And for me, with my busy rushing mind, I couldn't connect with slow practices. And I even felt frustrated when starting to lift weights. I wasn't used to not getting hot and sweaty, like aerobic and HIIT classes, but with practice and a little patience and a lot of self compassion, I was able to slow down enough to feel the weight, my bodily response, and just for a minute or two I was finally able to focus on just myself in the moment and not the 101 tasks I had to do on my to do list. It was in this moment of stillness between sets that got me hooked. So when we move more mindfully, we connect with our bodies. And this is just so important for women in midlife, menopause, and beyond. Number four, women are embracing strength training like never before. So one of the biggest shifts I think we will see in 2025 is the increase of women embracing strength training as part of their regular fitness routine. I've already seen it building over the years, I've been helping more and more women as each year goes by. And of course most gyms are now welcoming more women than ever before, a growing focus on women's health and rightly so, but there is still a lot more work to be done. I know that when I go into another gym, many of the free weight areas are still a little sparse when it comes to female representation. But please don't be ashamed by this. If you are feeling intimidated by the weights area, that's okay. Just remember that you do have a place there. Strength training is for you too. Um, the fear of looking at a place is something to So many of us have faced, I absolutely have. You may have heard me say this story of entering the free weights area, hiding behind my program the very first time I stepped in there. Something I've covered in earlier episodes. But if you can take that small step, and perhaps get some support with this if you need to, it really is time to reclaim that weights area. Take up that space so you can get strong too. And number five, coaching really does make a difference. And I know I sound completely biased, but what are you going to do? So of course, in 2025, working with a coach is becoming more common. And those who are looking to start with strength training, I've already got the right idea. So we don't have to rely on figuring it all out by ourselves or going alone. Working with a coach can really help you to move properly. You can get support with progressing your training, understanding, What is a marker of success? What is a sign of progress? And set some realistic goals. So when you have a coach, you have a plan tailored to your needs, you have someone walking beside you and witnessing your success. Personally, I feel like that is one of the biggest things with coaching. Even at times when I haven't felt like I needed specific guidance, just having someone alongside you to celebrate with you or commiserate at times makes such a difference in your ability to carry on and benefit in the long term. So whether you're starting with bodyweight exercises or using dumbbells, the coach can really help you stay on track with motivation, consistency and the longevity of your training in general. So if any of that has inspired you to start to think about getting involved with adding strength training into your fitness regime, let's look at how you can get involved with strength training in 2025. Here are five simple ways to get involved and begin your strength training journey. Starting with number one, start with bodyweight exercises. If you're new to strength training, bodyweight exercises are a great starting point. You don't need any fancy equipment, you don't need a gym membership to get started. Things like squats, lunges, push ups, glute bridges, all amazing movements you can do at home to build strength. So focus on learning the basics and build that, and build that strong foundation. Number two, join a strength training class or online program. So finding a class or online program can be a fantastic way to stay motivated and get those first few scary steps out of the way. So this might be something like a club like Strong Bones Club that we have at Stronger Life in Hull. It may be an online version of this. It may be that you get some support with online coaching if you're not able to get out and about to other facilities. But even if you're a beginner, strength training sessions can teach you proper form, give you some accountability, and just help you ease into strength training with support. Thirdly, you can work with a coach. So working with a coach, whether that is in person or online, can make all the difference. Coaches like myself will help you with your technique, your movement quality or form, and your progression. It's so important to learn how to perform exercises safely and effectively, especially when building bone strength and muscle. So a coach can also guide you with the exercises that work for you at the level that you need to start at and we can give you that gentle nudge when it's time to step up a little bit as well. That way you can be confident knowing that what you are doing is the right thing for you. Number four, you might want to invest in simple equipment. So when you're ready, adding some basic equipment to your routine can be a game changer. Resistance bands, dumbbells or a kettlebell are relatively low cost tools you can use to increase the intensity of your workouts. These tools can help build strength gradually, so you can start slow and progress as you get stronger. Because when we're building strength, it's all about that progressive overload, gradually, slowly, but surely increasing the weights or increasing the complexity of the exercises. And finally, number five, be patient and consistent. So consistency is key, even if that is going to look slightly different day to day or from time to time. But strength training is not about seeing results overnight, it's about steady progress over time. So give yourself some grace, be patient with your journey and commit to your long term health goals. Start small, but try and stay consistent and you will see those results. So if you are ready to take that first step, I do have something for you. I'd love to invite you to check out my Strong Bones Starter Kit mini course. This is a beginner friendly course which is perfect for everyone who wants to start the strength training journey safely and effectively. In this mini course, I'll guide you through basic body weight exercises, showing you how to lay strong foundations for strength training. Whether you're at home or just starting your fitness journey, this course will give you the tools you need to get started with confidence. And by the end of the course, you'll have a clear plan, an idea, how to start building your own strength and a better understanding of how to progress to the next steps. Whether that's using simple equipment, adding weight, or transitioning to gym workouts. So if you're ready to start building your strength training from the ground up, Head over to the show notes or visit carlyculin. com to get started with the Strong Bones Starter Kit. Let's get you set up for success in 2025 and beyond. Well, thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode of the Strong Bones Coach Podcast. Remember, strength training is for everybody, and this year is a perfect time to start your journey. So stay consistent, stay patient, and most importantly, stay strong. Until next time, take care of yourself and your bones.