Meet Victoria, a 58-year-old Washington DC-based scientist who's not your average weightlifter. “Because I’m a scientist, I tend to approach things a little bit differently than the general population,” she says. “I like people who research what they do..."
It gets my endorphins flowing, makes me feel good and helps me focus on my work."
Victoria was looking for a program that would help her achieve results that weren’t just superficial. “The aesthetics — gaining muscle, losing weight, fitting into clothing better — that’s just icing on the cake,” she says. “Because the real positives are just feeling good and being able to lift really heavy weights and the feeling that I can do this. It’s really empowering.”
Until she worked with Caliber, Victoria hadn’t found a personal trainer who kept her specific goals in mind. “I think part of it was that I’m an older woman and there was this idea that I wouldn’t be serious,” she explains. “They thought I was only really interested in becoming more fit and that my goal was to lose weight. And while that might be nice as a side effect, that wasn’t really what my goal was.”
It was actually her dental hygienist, a competitive bikini model, who recommended she look online for personal training. She found Caliber, and upon reading the blog, appreciated that research and science are at the forefront of their approach. She decided to go ahead with the 14-day trial, and not only did it work, but it also fit into her lifestyle. “One of the things I really liked was that I could do it on my own time.” she says. “If I wanted to get out of bed at 4 am, I could do it without having to worry about meeting somebody.”
She and her strength coach worked to develop a plan that was tailored to her and her experience level. “My coach had me record videos to prove that I wasn’t doing crazy stuff,” she explains. And over the initial 14 days, she realized the program is doable. “It’s just a matter of getting up and going,” she says. “And because I have this check in with my trainer, I’m motivated to go. On one level, I didn’t want to disappoint this person who was putting time and effort into this.”
Victoria found her self-motivation was even stronger. She liked that she was in control of the schedule and staying on track. She began seeing results, like an increase in strength and endurance, within a couple of weeks, but over time, she was surprised to see more unexpected ones.
The mental benefits have also been significant, especially where her work life is concerned. As a research assistant professor at the George Washington University Medical School, her day-to-day life can be incredibly stressful. She’s found that strength training has helped tremendously to reduce stress. “I go to the gym, get my endorphins flowing, and then I can work without feeling like I’m going to lose my mind because there’s so much to do,” she shares. “It also helps you focus and feel good, and that’s a huge thing.”
She also experienced a change in her asthma symptoms. “As a scientist, I don’t have a control, so I can’t claim that all of these results are due to my fitness routine,” she explains. “But since I started doing weightlifting and improving my entire musculature, I’ve hardly had any asthma issues at all.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is the support she receives from fellow gym-goers. “I’m kind of the unicorn at the gym,” she says. “There are more young women who are lifting but there’s still very few older women lifting.” Despite being one of the only women in a room full of young people, mainly men, her experience hasn’t been isolating. “I’m a real introvert, but now I have a bunch of friends at the gym and they’re always helpful,” she shares. “It’s a really positive community.”
Victoria believes other women, especially ones her age, would also benefit from Caliber. “It’s worth a go because you will feel better,” she says. “They’re not going to make you do something crazy from the get go like bench pressing 120 when you’ve never done it before. The approach is personal. They want you to succeed.”
