Whenever I’ve had a fitness assessment done, like as a bonus when joining a new gym, the “strength” assessment includes doing as many correct push ups as I can and as many stomach crunches as I can in some set period of time. I always thought it was a weird proxy for strength, particularly since it doesn`t test lower body strength at all which is what you should be using to lift a bag of dirt.
That said, I imagine a professional society for sports medicine or something of the sort might maintain guidelines for appropriate strength by age and gender. Or even better, maybe some sort of aggregated data so you could see how you compare to actual women your age. It’s been years since I switched gyms but I really think I was told I was above average for flexibility, below average for strength, etc. as part of helping me develop a plan. That must’ve come from somewhere.
From being mostly untrained, it doesn’t take so much effort to significantly improve one’s strength up to a point, as long as one doesn’t have any problematic injuries. For example increasing one’s strength by 50% is not difficult if one’s starting position is low. So a little weight training can be useful, without necessarily taking it too far, or using too much time. Of course, one has to keep it up.
I’m guessing that it’s more technique than it is strength. Most adult humans can lift 40 lbs if they use their legs. The key is getting the weight to the place where you are using your legs, not your back and arms exclusively.
Are you sure the problem isn’t with a lack of gripping strength in your hands? While most people can lift 40 pounds with their legs, I think there are probably a lot more people who can’t lift that using a pinching motion of the hands.
It was definitely the arms that failed. They were the ones trembling and giving up. I did not put my back into it because I have a bad one and have learned to avoid straining it at all costs.
Putting together some of the comments and experiments-- picking up the cats-- mostly legs. And they are perhaps 25 or 30 lbs per arm. Lifting each carrier onto a high ledge took much effort but was quite doable. The 200 lbs was a whole body thing. It was easier to lift the co-worker than it was to raise the cat carrier shoulder high.
Yeah, looks like I need some strength training for the arms.
Whoops! I was coincidentally talking to my cousin (we’re all going kayaking this weekend) who has let me know I’ve misremembered. The pack she struggled with was actually 40 lbs, not fifty, and she said it was a pain in the ass because I’d “packed it squishy” and it would have been easier if I’d tightened all compression straps to make it feel more rigid.
IMCHO, she said 40 lb canoe? No problem, she can carry it herself. 40 lb sack? Pain in the ass because it’s floppy and has no resistance.
This could just be a factor of poor lifting technique. I lifted (2) 90 lb bags of concrete from the ground as a teenage boy and 3 of them from waste level. I weighed 135 lbs at the time with no upper body strength.
I say this while laying in bed with a back that is halfway from going out so I couldn’t lift a sock right now. If it’s a function of strength then I would expect a 45 year old woman to be able to dead-lift 40 lbs with proper technique. You lift it with your legs with your arms fully extended and while it’s still moving up you get your arms fully under it.
I helped a friend move stuff last weekend. If you’re moving something rigid, like a table, it’s not too bad. Big TVs are a pain…they’re heavy but awkward and of course you don’t want to be banging into things with them. Things in bags…you have to grip the bag pretty hard if the weight is substantial.
Next time I’d recommend squatting, getting your hands under the bottom, then lift purely with your legs: just lock your elbows and stand. Keep your back straight of course and exhale as you lift to avoid hernias.
I’m in my 50s, male, and sadly out of shape, but I have no problem lifting and carrying a 40-pound bag of cat litter, and have easily carried them under one arm for short distances (100-200 feet). I have also lifted 2 bags at once for a total of 80 pounds, although find it very hard to carry them easily other than one on each shoulder (more due to awkwardness than weight, I think).
exrx.net has a weight lifting strength standards chart. It’s separated by weight rather than age and you need to use the one rep max calculator first and know how much you can lift for some of the common gym lifts (press, deadlift, bench, squat and clean). Deadlift is probably the closest motion to what you’re after.
I don’t know how accurate it all is, and obviously it’s going to be easier to lift a barbell than it is a bag of dirt, but it might give you an idea of where you are strength-wise.
Interesting charts, I also wonder how accurate they are. Apparently I am just about on an elite level in one type of lift :dubious:. I’m just an amateur who goes to the gym a few times a week, and don’t feel that elite.
I think there is some difference between dead weight and live weight. Therefor it is much easier to pick up a 40 lb kid than it is to pick up a 40 lb bag of dirt.