I Tried 'Anti-Ageing' Workouts For A Month – Here's How It Went

If there’s one habit my job as a lifestyle writer has taught me to stick to, it’s exercising. 

All fitness, from walking to weightlifting, has benefits. Maintaining your muscle mass as you age might help to prevent everything from dementia to falls.

As a result, I’m pretty religious about my five-day workout minimum. But I’ll be honest; it took until last month for me to finally enter what I jokingly called “the gym part of the gym,” or the part with intimidating squat racks and clanging machines. 

That’s a mistake, I know. A 2024 Mayo Clinic article discussed a paper in which researchers found that resistance (or strength) training “could slow and, in many cases, reverse the changes in muscle fibres associated with ageing.” 

Muscle loss begins as early as 30, which looms ever closer.

Meanwhile, a 2023 paper found that resistance training may even make your skin look younger.

Fine, I told myself last month; years into my exercise journey, I decided to expand my recent dumbbell dabbling and try some “proper” weights. Here’s how it went:

Week 1 

I was used to following body weight and dumbbell exercises, which can go a long way to preserving muscle mass. 

But to grow new muscle, I had to try progressive overload, or trying more and more challenging weights. I had already embarrassed myself by trying to squat with a pair of 18kg dumbbells on my shoulders (do not do this). 

Instead, I figured I’d replace the “lighter” moves in my workouts with the “heavier” options they were trying to recreate. 

So, where I once did dumbbell squats, I thought I’d try squatting using a bar; the same went with Romanian deadlifts. Even when I used dumbbells, as for Bulgarian split squats, I reckoned I’d up the weight and decrease the reps. 

But on my first day, I failed to ask a PT how to load the bar and didn’t put clips on the end of it. That led to a plate clattering loudly on the ground (dangerous and mortifying), so I quit out of shame. 

The second day was cardio; on my third day, I figured I’d half-heartedly try some machines to work upper body, and realised how much I’d neglected my arms and back. The weights were too heavy, and put me off the moves.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t stick to it that week. I went back to my regular workouts because I was too ashamed (a common reason to quit or never start). 

Week 2 

Over the weekend of week one, I figured I’d regroup and find out what went wrong. 

I didn’t have a plan, I wasn’t sure how to use all the equipment, and I was embarrassed, I realised. The first issue took a Sunday evening’s work of scheduling, while the second was solved by simply asking a member of staff to talk me through the moves and researching them online. 

I began my first day with five moves I’d done versions of before (squats, Romanian deadlifts, lunges, kettlebell swings, and hip thrusts). 

Only three of these needed to involve new machines, which was a nice compromise; I asked the staff member to show me those before I began. 

I was still a little embarrassed, but as the week went on, I asked for advice on two more machines (leg press, lat pulldown) and started to enjoy how much more streamlined my workouts began to feel. 

Week 3

I began my new week excited to get going. I hadn’t felt muscle twinges for months before trying my new weights routine (which isn’t always a bad thing), but I’ll admit I was enjoying the twinges I’d started feeling after upping the weights. 

I also used to work every muscle group every day, and liked the fact that my legs got days off. 

I had a clearer view of what was possible, and lifted heavier than I had before. My Bulgarian split squats in particular, taught me what “training to failure” really means; my neglected upper body did scream out in protest when I began attempting assisted pull-ups and bench presses, but I enjoyed the activation. 

Basically, this was when I truly began to feel I was “getting it.” 

Week 4

I am converted. I think I’ve noticed some muscle changes already (my poor partner has been asked to squeeze my bicep more often than he’d likely enjoy).

I am getting stronger by the week – common for beginners – and feel like my workouts have taken more of a firm direction, with clearer goals. 

Additionally, my workouts have become simpler, though not faster. I do five clearly defined sets on my strength days, sticking to running on my other ones; I feel my cardio has benefited from my added strength. 

I think I might have more energy, too, and am more motivated. 

I can’t say if it’s done any “anti-ageing” magic yet. But both I and experts seem to agree that strength training, combined with some cardio, is my best bet for keeping myself healthy as I get older; and four measly weeks into it, I can see myself sticking to the advice for life.

If you’re hoping to get into a similar routine, I suggest speaking to a PT or gym staff first, being patient, and having a plan – failing to do all three at first held my progress back for about two weeks.