The gym-machine workouts an orthopedic surgeon recommends for women over 40 as an alternative to deadlifting

Heavy weightlifting has an impressive number of health benefits, especially for women in their 40s and beyond. But Dr Tiffany Rogers, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Torrence Memorial Physician Network, cautions that certain exercises, like deadlifts, may cause spinal injury when done incorrectly.

“There’s a huge and well-deserved push right now for women to lift heavy, and I’m all for it,” she explains. “The challenge is that many women are adopting weightlifting later in life, when proper form and training are harder to master. In addition, the body is often already dealing with ligament laxity that shifts with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and the perimenopausal years.

“I explain spinal discs to my patients as a jelly doughnut wrapped in a car tire: thick and strong on the outside, with a soft center that moves and conforms with your body,” she continues. “The danger, especially when it comes to deadlifting, comes when you lift in a forward-leaning position. This severely compresses the disc and pushes that jelly core backward. If the outer wall ruptures, the core gets squeezed out and presses on the nerve. That’s a disc herniation, and it can cause severe pain in the buttock and down the leg.”

Warning signs of a herniated disc

There’s a difference between the pain associated with a herniated disc, and the soreness associated with a hard workout. It’s important to know the difference.

“The single most telling difference is back spasms,” says Rogers. “When a disc ruptures and herniates, the body does everything it can to lock down that segment to protect it. That ‘locking down’ is what produces the spasms.”

“Plain muscle soreness is different,” she adds. “It may leave you achy and low on energy, but it typically is not seizing and spasming. A herniation tends to bring crippling pain. I can usually spot a herniation just by the way someone walks—the person struggles to stand up straight and hold a vertical spine.”

Spine-friendly alternatives to the deadlift

Fortunately, there are still ways to build strength and muscle mass without jeopardizing your spine health.

“My advice is to lift but to take advantage of machines that are not constantly loading the lower back,” says Rogers. “Something as simple as grabbing two dumbbells for curls puts a lot of pressure on the spine to stabilize the load. Machines help you build strength without overly loading the spine, which is exactly what you want to avoid.”

Rogers suggests the following spine-friendly workouts, which can be done twice a week, ensuring you never repeat the same workout on consecutive days.

“Progressive overload matters most for bone,” she says. “Aim to add weight or reps every one to two weeks on the machine lifts.”

We’ve added links to YouTube demonstrations of each exercise, but gym machines differ by brand, so make sure to familiarize yourself with the instructions on the machines at your gym, or ask a trainer for help.

Lower-body gym machine workout

1. Warm-up: 5min bike/walk, plus bodyweight squats
2. Box step-up: 3 sets x 10 reps each side
3. Leg press machine: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
4. Hack squat machine: 3 sets x 10 reps
5. Seated leg curl machine: 3 sets x 12 reps
6. Hip abduction machine: 2 sets x 15 reps
7. Hip adduction machine: 2 sets x 15 reps
8. Standing calf raise machine: 3 sets x 15 reps
9. Core finisher: Crunch with arms crossed over chest: 2 sets x 12 reps

Upper-body gym machine workout

1. Warm-up: 5min row/bike, plus arm circles
2. Incline press machine: 3 sets x 10 reps
3. Chest press machine: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
4. Seated horizontal row machine: 3 sets x 12 reps
5. Shoulder press machine: 3 sets x 10 reps
6. Biceps curl machine: 2 sets x 12 reps
7. Triceps push-down machine: 2 sets x 12 reps
8. Core finisher: Dead bug or bird dog: 2 sets x 10 reps each side

About our expert

About our expert

Dr Tiffany Rogers

Dr Tiffany Rogers is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who specializes in treating neck and back conditions. A former Division I All-American basketball player who experienced a serious back injury herself, she combines her background in physical therapy and orthopedic surgery to help patients return to the activities they love.