+ Is weight lifting safe? Is this really going to build me up instead of breaking me down?

Weight lifting has a reputation because of splashy stories about what happens to people (mostly young guys) who train unsupervised and lift too much too soon.

This cannot be over-emphasized. We lift weights for one reason: to get stronger -- and this happens GRADUALLY, at your body's own rate. That is the ONLY way -- not because I say so, but because this is how the body works. (Younger people get stronger faster than we do, but it’s still gradual.) This is part of the reason you are committing to being patient. The weight you can lift and/or are expected to lift increases very slowly as you build physical muscle and nervous-system skill. You’re with an experienced teacher, your two feet are on the ground, you are using both hands, and you’re starting light. This is safer than most forms of exercise, especially for beginners, and especially when supervised.

I describe weight lifting with gradually increasing weight as "building you up rather than breaking you down" as a plain-English expression for "anabolic" (muscle-building) exercise versus "catabolic" exercise, which can lead your metabolism to break down muscle into required protein or glucose. Our goal is to build muscle in order to be healthier and improve the metabolism -- not to engage in high-stress, prolonged, high-intensity "cardio" that often burns more protein (muscle) than fat. The metabolic processes are a lot more complex than that, but our goal of building muscle to improve wellbeing is a realistic and user-friendly one.

+ Will I really get measurable results? How will I measure my results?

You will feel your results. We will track everything you do, using low-tech tools, and you’ll see your abilities increasing from week to week or month to month. Our go-to metrics will be strength and range of motion. Other results are very real but are harder to measure, such as: greater comfort and less huffing and puffing during daily life; a feeling of "having muscles"; better ability to retrieve something from the floor or pick up a child; a feeling of groundedness. These are all results that my trainees have described with great enthusiasm. I want to share them with you, too.

+ Can I come in and see you and then decide?

Yes, let’s schedule an informational interview. The form on the next page will ask for your contact information and some of your interests.

+ What's Fran's story? Why is a 50+ woman teaching weight lifting?

As a kid I instinctively wanted to be strong. When I saw the boys getting muscles, I envied them, and tried to do push-ups at home. As an adult with an office job, I gradually became unfit, without realizing it, like most people. I was grateful to discover hard but fun workouts with weight training via CrossFit in 2004. I couldn’t help but immerse myself in it. Pretty soon I was earning training credentials and starting to train clients. I opened my own gym, CrossFit 206, in 2009. I closed it in 2017 to focus on the training and coaching described here.

I believe the most valuable single kind of exercise we can do is lifting weights for strength. I can explain why, if you come and see me.