The plan behind the story · Martine Barons, three-time world powerlifting champion, started with a barbell in lockdown
Six weeks to your first proper deadlift
By the end of six weeks you will be able to deadlift a kettlebell or light barbell with a straight back, squat to a chair without your hands, and will have a written log showing both have gone up.
Why this works
Muscle is lost at roughly 3–8 per cent a decade after 30, faster after 60, unless it is loaded. Walking and gardening are good, but neither asks a muscle to work near its limit, which is the signal to keep it. Lifting does. Trials in people in their sixties to eighties show strength gains of 20–40 per cent within two to three months, and the first improvements arrive within weeks.
The deadlift and the squat are the movements of daily life: a bag off the floor, up from a chair, a grandchild lifted. Getting stronger at them is felt in ordinary days, which is what keeps people going.
Bone responds too. Lifting is one of the few activities shown to help maintain bone density in the spine and hips, which is why it is increasingly recommended around and after the menopause.
Before you start
- Check with your GP first, especially if you have osteoporosis, a back or joint problem, high blood pressure or a hernia. Lifting is often recommended for these; the point is to do it with the right guidance.
- Kit: a sturdy chair, a rucksack weighted with tins, then an 8 kg kettlebell (£20–£30). At a gym, nothing extra.
- Cost: one form-check session with a trainer or physiotherapist who works with over-50s, £40–£70. Gym membership £20–£40 a month; council gyms have over-60s rates.
- Where: search “strength training over 50” with your town. British Powerlifting clubs welcome beginners; council leisure centres and Age UK run strength and balance classes. (In the US, USA Powerlifting’s club finder or SilverSneakers.)
- Watch ten minutes of video on “how to hip hinge with a kettlebell” before week 1.
The plan
| Week | Do this | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sit-to-stand from a chair, 2 sets of 5. Hip hinge with an empty rucksack: push hips back, flat back, stand tall. 2 × 8. | 2 sessions, 15 min | Never lifted anything on purpose? Hands on knees for the sit-to-stand, higher chair, and 3 reps. Practise the hinge without any bag at all. |
| 2 | Same, 3 sets. Add four tins to the bag. Book the form-check session. | 2 sessions | Film your hinge from the side. If the back rounds, lighten it. |
| 3 | Form check with the professional. Learn the kettlebell deadlift and the squat to a chair properly. | 1 session plus 1 at home | Write down every cue they give you. |
| 4 | Kettlebell deadlift 3 × 8. Chair squat, no hands, 3 × 6. Add a band row 3 × 8 for the back. | 2 sessions, 20 min | Muscle ache the day after is normal. Sharp or joint pain is not; stop and ask. |
| 5 | Add weight: heavier kettlebell, or two kettlebells, or a barbell with an instructor. Squat holding the kettlebell at your chest. | 2 sessions | One small increase per movement per week. |
| 6 | Re-test the Track it measures. Then say yes to the next invitation: a class, a club, a session with a friend. | 2 sessions | It would be rude not to. |
If it goes wrong
- Lower back aches after hinging. Almost always a rounded back or too much weight too soon. Return to the empty bag and the video; re-film yourself. If it persists, see the physiotherapist.
- Knees hurt on the squat. Sit to a higher surface, push the knees out over the toes, and slow the descent. Check with your GP if it does not settle.
- The gym is intimidating. Go at 2 pm on a weekday; it is nearly empty. Or stay at home with the kettlebell; it is enough.
- You lose a week. Repeat the last week you did, not week 1.
Track it
| Measure | Start (week 1) | End (week 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Sit-to-stands in 30 seconds, no hands | ||
| Deadlift weight (kg) for 8 clean reps | ||
| Squat weight held (kg) for 6 reps | ||
| Get up from the floor without using hands (yes/no) | ||
| Something in daily life that feels easier |
What next
- Strong at 60, our 12-week plan, takes these movements and builds a full two-days-a-week programme around them, with the reasons and a log.
- Ask a powerlifting club whether you can watch a masters session. Most will offer you a bar to try.
- If you have not exercised in years and six weeks feels like a leap, do the 30-Day Restart first, then come back here.
General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.