How to Build Strength in Your 50s: A Trainer’s Weekly Workout Routine

Brown’s regimen shifts focus from heavy lifting to higher-volume, lighter-weight exercises to maintain strength and endurance while managing physical recovery.

Beverly Hills Trainer Revamps Workout Routine After Four Major Surgeries

Over the past five years, Brown has navigated a hip replacement, a wrist reconstruction, spinal disc surgery, and a shoulder reconstruction. “I’ve had to start over four times in the past five years,” Brown told Fit&Well and Yahoo Lifestyle.

Medical advice following her procedures prompted a shift in her exercise philosophy. “The doctor told me ‘you can’t do as much as you used to do and you have to be mindful of your age’ and I knew that I could either let that get me really depressed and just accept aging or I could work around it,” Brown said.

Rather than abandoning resistance training, Brown adjusted her volume and load. This method allows her to build both muscular strength and endurance. “The difference between strength and endurance is that strength is how much weight you can lift, endurance is how many times you can lift it,” Brown explained.

Inside Jill Brown’s Weekly Exercise Schedule

• Monday (9:00 AM): HIIT workout featuring functional exercises.
• Tuesday (6:30 AM and 9:30 AM): Teaching two Body Sculpt classes at Equinox, followed by physical therapy exercises for shoulders and hips.
• Wednesday (9:00 AM): Rowing machine session followed by core work.
• Thursday (9:00 AM): Teaching a Pilates class followed by a resistance training session focused on back and biceps.
• Friday (6:30 AM): Teaching a Cardio Sculpt Step class, followed by a dumbbell workout and battle rope exercises.
• Saturday (8:00 AM): Teaching a Body Sculpt class followed by a leg-focused strength workout.

Expert Tips for Starting Strength Training and Returning to Exercise

• Try workout videos: “I really recommend starting with workout videos,” Brown advised. “No one’s watching you so there’s nobody calling you out, but you have someone pacing you.”
• Forget isolation exercises: Beginners often spend too much time targeting specific muscles, according to Brown. She recommends compound movements instead: “Instead of doing a triceps kickback, do a plank, which works the triceps, but it also works a lot of other upper-body muscles.”
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable: “Part of becoming a regular exerciser is getting comfortable with the notion that your body is going to be a little uncomfortable,” Brown said. “Get your mind comfortable with the fact that your body is going to be a little uncomfortable.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of surgeries did Jill Brown undergo?

How did Brown modify her weightlifting routine?

Instead of lifting heavy weights for low reps, Brown reduced her overhead press weight from 25 pounds to 15–17 pounds, increased her sets from three to four or five, and raised her reps from six to ten.

What are Brown’s primary tips for beginners?

Brown recommends utilizing workout videos for pacing, avoiding isolated movements in favor of compound exercises like planks, and accepting mild physical discomfort as a normal part of building an exercise habit.