In a first-person essay published by womenshealthmag.com, writer Tina Lacy argues that shifting her fitness focus from cardio to heavy strength training in her late fifties transformed her physical independence and mobility. Lacy writes that she spent decades prioritizing running, aerobics, and treadmill sessions before hiring a personal trainer at age 57 to address long-term functional health.
Transitioning From Cardio to Heavy Weight Training at Age 57
For most of her life, Lacy viewed cardiovascular exercise as the gold standard of fitness, having run track in high school and taught aerobics after college. In a column for womenshealthmag.com, she notes that she occasionally picked up light weights but largely dismissed strength training. That routine changed during the summer she turned 57, when surplus free time prompted her to accept an offer from a local gym trainer to learn proper weightlifting techniques.
Lacy reports starting with twice-weekly sessions utilizing free weights and weight machines while maintaining cardio on alternating days. Under her trainer’s guidance, she targeted specific muscle groups including the glutes, hamstrings, back, and shoulders. womenshealthmag.com reports that she also began tracking macros, increasing her protein and carbohydrate intake to support muscle hypertrophy after noticing early muscle definition in her arms and glutes.
Building a Six-Day Home Gym Routine After Eight Years of Coaching
After working alongside the same trainer for more than eight years, Lacy transitioned to designing her own workouts in early 2025 following his relocation. womenshealthmag.com states that she prepared for the shift by enrolling in a personal training course to deepen her fitness knowledge before launching a six-day training split in her home gym.
Her current schedule dedicates Sunday to lower body work, Tuesday and Saturday to shoulders, Wednesday to glutes, Thursday to chest and arms, and Friday to back, with Monday reserved for rest. According to womenshealthmag.com, she cycles her exercises every six weeks, performing five to six moves per session across three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Her workouts incorporate dumbbells, barbells, and cables, utilizing multi-joint movements like deadlifts, squats, shoulder presses, and lat pulldowns alongside one core exercise per session.
Did you know about her daily activity volume?
Lacy has replaced traditional cardio sessions with high daily step counts and dedicated mobility work. womenshealthmag.com reports that she walks 10,000 to 12,000 steps daily for cardiovascular health and completes 30 minutes of stretching three to four times a week to maintain flexibility.
Three Core Factors Behind a Successful Fitness Transformation
Lacy attributes her sustained success in weight training to three distinct choices made over her seven-year fitness journey, as detailed by womenshealthmag.com. First, she emphasizes the value of learning from an expert coach who established proper form, ensured safety, and provided the accountability necessary to build foundational confidence.
Second, she started small by committing to just two days of lifting per week to avoid feeling overwhelmed. womenshealthmag.com notes that keeping the routine simple initially allowed her to build consistency before naturally increasing her training volume to four and eventually six days a week. Third, she embraced the mindset that it is never too late to gain strength, noting that chronological age matters less than consistency and the willingness to begin.
Tina Lacy learns workout programming through personal training courses
What specific core exercises does Tina Lacy include in her routine?
According to womenshealthmag.com, she incorporates one core movement per workout, utilizing exercises such as hanging leg raises, weighted sit-ups, or Russian twists.
How did Lacy acquire the knowledge to program her own workouts?
Womenshealthmag.com reports that after training with the same coach for more than eight years, she enrolled in a personal training course to deepen her fitness knowledge before designing her current home gym routine.
What training plan did her former personal trainer create?
Womenshealthmag.com notes that her former personal trainer, Michael Garry, designed an exclusive four-week training plan for members of the WH Collective requiring 35-minute sessions three times a week.
Lacy currently programs her home workouts utilizing dumbbell, barbell, and cable variations while incorporating deadlifts, squats, and lat pulldowns into her weekly schedule.
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