Over 70 and Shredded: The Guide to Building Muscle at Any Age | Michelle & Joan MacDonald

**Michelle MacDonald** (0:03)
A median disorder is like being in a relationship with the most abusive person you can imagine. You literally, you get up and you're afraid. You're afraid because your history is that within two hours, you're going to be damaging yourself.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (0:20)
You both are strong icons. If a woman is just getting into her 40s, what is the number one thing that you would tell her about training?

**Michelle MacDonald** (0:31)
You have to get clear around to why and understand that for most of us, it's going to be a journey.

**Joan MacDonald** (0:38)
If you don't put the effort in and consistency, I don't think you're going to get the results or you're not going to get them when you think you should.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (0:45)
The single most important thing a woman in her 40s can do to transform her body is to be consistent. This is going to make us a little unpopular. From the evidence that I have seen, there doesn't seem to be sex differences through or for trading.

**Michelle MacDonald** (1:03)
There's no statistical difference between how a woman, the rate at which a woman gains muscle, even in menopause. I know this is so hard to hear.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (1:10)
I'm really glad to hear you say this. Michelle and Joan MacDonald, welcome to the show.

**Michelle MacDonald** (1:24)
Well done, well said.

**Joan MacDonald** (1:25)
Thank you very much for inviting us.

**Michelle MacDonald** (1:26)
Thanks for having us.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (1:28)
You both, from my perspective, are strong icons. You show the world what is possible as women who, shall I say, are over 40

**Joan MacDonald** (1:41)
Just keep going.

**Michelle MacDonald** (1:42)
I'm age positive. I love saying I'm one month away from being 55, which is literally true.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (1:48)
Extraordinary.

**Michelle MacDonald** (1:49)
And you're almost 80 80

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (1:52)
Incredible.

**Joan MacDonald** (1:52)
Which just seems like a far-fetched thing. I don't feel like I'm 80

**Michelle MacDonald** (1:57)
You have longevity on your side.

**Joan MacDonald** (1:59)
Yeah, I do on both sides, so it's good.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (2:01)
Joan, nearing 80, you started training at around 70?

**Joan MacDonald** (2:06)
Yeah, I was close to 71

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (2:08)
Whereas many women, I would say, in their 40s, are scared to train or are afraid because they don't think it's possible.

**Michelle MacDonald** (2:21)
Or they're still living under that old rubric that lifting weight, building muscle will make you manly and inboxy. That's still very pervasive. I think we're seeing a return to that right now, which is very alarming. I think it's really important that leaders, I've said this so many times, that female leaders make it fun, make it sexy, make it cool to be in shape. And then we support them with the evidence, which you're doing. Look at your lab markers. Like what tests should you be getting done? Like a DEXA scan BMI, where you're looking at, you know, are you thin, which might lead to frailty in 20 or 30 years, educating people around that? Or are you having sufficient muscle, or are you doing things to support that muscle? And so being science-based, evidence-based, cool, having real people living and walking the talk, showing that it is great and fun to be in shape, and you don't look manly. I mean, you hardly look like a guy.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (3:14)
I hardly look like a guy. I'm still trying. Now, Michelle, you're trying to look like a guy? Yeah, I'm still trying to get jacked. Michelle, you both have various histories. So when did you start training?

**Michelle MacDonald** (3:28)
I've been at Al's my entire life. But I would say with weights, now that I know what I know is a CSCS, purposeful, intentional training, progressive overload, all of that, that really started when I was 39, when I did my first competition. So it was like, oh, this is what you're supposed to do when you go to the gym. And why do I say that? Because in three months, my body looked like it had never looked before. And I've always been on the smaller side of things. So I'm sitting at, I weighed myself this morning. I'm doing a photo shoot on Monday with Paul Buschetta. I was 114.5 pounds. I'm at the end of a cut.
I normally sit around 120 at 5 foot 2 Well, way back in 2010 when I started at 39, I was averaging 104, 105 pounds.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (4:17)
Wow. That's very light. 104

**Michelle MacDonald** (4:20)
Hugely different.

**Dr. Gabrielle Lyon** (4:21)
104 pounds. 105 pounds at 5 foot 2