Alright, ladies, as we enter our 40s and beyond, we really need to start looking at exercise and fitness a bit differently. Instead of viewing exercise as purely a means to attain physical fitness and aesthetics, we need to shift gears to maintaining a healthy body. Sure, we can still have physique goals, but there’s so much beyond that.
As an aging woman, we need to prioritize our overall health, longevity, bone density, and metabolism. Whether you’re new to fitness or have been active in some capacity for years, my strength training tips for women over 40 will help you to optimize your workouts, health, and well-being.
Ready to level up your fitness as you learn how to age gracefully? Let’s dive in!
Get The Most Out of Your Strength Workouts
Tip # 1: Focus on Form First
Proper form is the foundation of any strength training routine, but it’s especially important as we age. Using proper technique helps to prevent injuries and ensures that you’re targeting the right muscles. There are so many resources on the internet and social media these days that showcase proper form. Take the time to watch them, study the concept, and begin working on your technique – this will help ensure you get the most out of your workouts while preventing injury.
Tip # 2: Prioritize Compound Movements
Compound movements include exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows – these are the basics and they’re essential in a quality strength training program. Compound exercises engage multiple muscle groups at once, making them highly efficient and effective for building muscle and increasing your overall strength. These are also the movements that mimic your everyday activities, which helps to ensure you maintain your functional fitness as you age (aka a reduction in the chances of needing assisted living).
Tip # 3: Progressive Overload is Key
Progressive overload is the concept of gradually increasing the load you place on your body over time. This is the key to continued muscle growth, strength gains, and body composition changes. In order to properly apply progressive overload, you must be repeating the same workouts and/or exercises week to week and tracking them. If you’re switching up your workouts each week, you won’t reap the benefits of progression. Choose a strength training program that has you doing the same workouts for 4-8 weeks at a time before switching things up so that you have the opportunity to perfect your form, build strength, and see results.
Tip # 4: Don’t Neglect Your Core
We hear so much about core strength from a post-partum perspective, but what about as we get older? Guess what; it’s still important! A strong core supports your posture, balance, and stability – things that tend to deteriorate as we age. Poor core strength can increase your risk of injury and chronic low back pain, which is more and more common as we age. Be sure to choose a strength training program that includes core work.
Tip # 5: Don’t Neglect Mobility and Flexibility
I’m obviously a big advocate of strength training but don’t forget that working on your mobility and flexibility as you age are of equal importance. This is where the phrase “don’t skip your warmup” comes into play as a woman over 40. You should be incorporating dynamic stretches, foam rolling, and warm-up exercises to your routine before you start lifting and after you’re finished. A well-rounded strength training routine includes plenty of mobility and flexibility as it’s critical for a fluid body that moves well across all activities.
Tip # 6: Rest and Recovery Are Musts
Sometimes we get so excited to be consistent with a workout routine that we assume more of a good thing is inherently a better thing, however, this is not necessarily the case when it comes to strength training. If you’re lifting heavy weights, applying progressive overload, and working hard, your body and muscles need time to rest and recover. Failure to properly recover between training sessions can lead to overtraining which can lead to injury, fatigue, and burnout. It’s important to allow 48 hours of rest between working the same muscle groups, prioritize rest days, and ensure you’re getting enough sleep. Muscle and results are built while resting, so make sure you’re not wasting your effort in the gym by not allowing your body the time it needs to recover.
Tip # 7: Don’t Be Afraid to Lift Heavy
Spoiler alert: You won’t become the incredible Hulk with bulging muscles if you pick up heavier weights. In fact, aiming for lower reps and heavier weights (think 6-10 reps per set) can help you to maintain and build muscle mass more effectively than higher-rep, lighter-weight routines. Lifting heavy weights will combat the natural muscle loss we experience as we age while supporting a more efficient metabolism and better physique.
Tip # 8: Make Bone Health a Top Priority
As aging women, our risk for osteoporosis is astronomical. Osteoporosis is the natural loss of bone and the degradation of our joints as we age. This is a leading cause of immobility and reliance on others to perform daily living activities as we age. To combat this, focus on improving your bone health through weight-bearing exercises. Strength training is one of the best and most effective methods for protecting your bones.
Did You Know? Strength training is essential for women’s health – physical benefits, mental and cognitive benefits, longevity and disease prevention. I cover it all and do some myth busting! Just read the blog post to learn more.
Tip # 9: Keep Your Hormonal Health In Check
As we get into our 40s and 50s, menopause becomes a major life factor. Hormonal changes during menopause can affect everything from muscle mass and metabolism to energy levels and moods. Adding a solid strength training regimen to your life can help to mitigate these effects by supporting the growth of lean muscle tissue and improving your metabolism. Furthermore, consistent exercise can help keep your weight in check, reduce stress, improve your mood, and allow for better sleep – all factors that are impacted by your hormones during perimenopause and menopause.
Tip # 10: Be Patient and Stay Consistent
Results, just like most things in our lives as we age, will slow down. Be patient with your results, with your body, and with your abilities. If you struggle with a particular exercise, give yourself grace. Begin from where you’re currently able and work your way up from there. Consistency is key for results, but consistency and rigidity are not the same thing. Every week will not look the same, and that’s ok. Rest when you need to, push yourself when you can, and know that your ability to continue to show up and execute will pay off over time. Strength training is a life long journey, so it’s best to get comfortable with focusing on longevity, sustainability, enjoyment, and patience.
Wrapping Up
If you’re a woman over 40, or even approaching 40- building and maintaining your muscle mass is of the utmost importance! No matter how old you are or where you’re at on your journey, it’s never too late to get started.
With the right approach and mindset, you can build strength, combat signs of aging, and enjoy vitality for years to come.
