Mel Robbins Started Lifting Weights in Her 50s. Here’s What Her Gym Routine Looks Like

Mel Robbins has always been a mover—running, hiking, skiing, Pilates, yoga, you name it—but it’s only been recently that the 58-year-old has added strength training to her fitness regimen. She credits Dr. Stacy Sims (a Women’s Health advisory board member) and Dr. Vonda Wright, both guests on The Mel Robbins Podcast, with finally persuading her to lift weights.“They kept saying, when we reach a certain age, 40 and up, for us to start resistance training and with heavier weights,” says Mel, who had to overcome a few fitness myths to finally prioritize pumping iron. “I was nervous I would bulk up. That's a joke, because you know how much you need to train to actually bulk up? I wasn't going to be doing that.”So what exactly does Mel do in the gym? She walked WH through a typical session for the latest episode of Strong Like.Before Mel’s feet ever touch a mat, she makes sure to jot down—with actual pen and paper!—what she intends to do at the gym. “This will ensure that you actually do it, because if you're relying on this noggin up here, it ain't happening,” she says.With her to-do list by her side, Mel begins her session with a warm-up. She runs through a batter of stretches that include inchworms (with an added push-up—go Mel!) and lunges with a twist, before moving on to a banded overhead press to mobilize her shoulders. “I've stopped judging these little bands,” Mel says. “These little suckers look like nothing. Let me tell you, there's a whole lot of something in these bands. You'll be shocked at how much gain you can get and how great this is for you.”With her warm-up complete, she moves on to the workout, shifting the bands from her arms to her legs for a duck walk. Mimicking the water fowl, she moves forward and back, side to side, keeping outward pressure on the bands.Next, she tackles one of her favorite moves, a reverse lunge with medicine ball twist. “It's a compound movement that works mobility, your core, your arms, your legs, everything in one movement,” Mel says. “It's super-simple, painful, and awful, and it works like a charm.”She moves on to the upper body with chest presses, though she has a hack for lighting up even more muscles in the process. “If you want to maximize what you're doing here, suck in your stomach and clench your butt, because then it's not just arms; it's a whole-body thing,” she says.Finally, she concludes with a snatch, joking: “You can work out a lot of aggression at the world doing [these].”Ultimately, says Mel, her approach to fitness is pretty straightforward: “I'm not in here because I want to look good in a bathing suit. I do, but that's not the motivation. I'm in here lifting weights because I want to live a long, vibrant, healthy life. I want to be dancing into my late 90s. I want to make sure I can pick up the suitcase and put it up in the overhead. I want to make sure that I am strong so my life is long.”To hear more about Mel’s gym motivation, click play on the latest episode of Strong Like above!Video Executive Producer Dorenna NewtonVideo Producer Janie BoothDirector of Photography Derrick Saint PierreVideo Editor James ChupkaAmy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women's Health, where she edits the magazine's celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.