Why Strength Training is Non-Negotiable for Women over 40

Women over 40: let’s break down the barriers and talk about why strength training is a non-negotiable part of your self care package.

Do you know many women who lift weights as part of their exercise routine?  Have you ever cast your eye over to the weights room of your gym and noticed women in mid-life doing deadlifts? Have you ever considered for a moment entering that space full of barbells, dumbbells and monster machines?

If the answer to these questions is an emphatic no, then you are not alone, because unfortunately the majority of women in midlife are not taking strength training seriously. 

Let’s look at why, what are the myths that surround it, and why it is crucial to include strength training into your routine.

First of all, let’s clear up some misconceptions:

Myth number 1: “Strength training is not for me”.

Strength training is based on the principle of ‘progressive overload’, meaning that the load, or resistance, is increased gradually to achieve progressive adaptations in lean muscle mass and strength. This means that the workouts are suitable to anyone, at any age and any fitness level. This is particularly true for women and older adults. 

In fact, did you know that the NHS recommends that older adults do activities to improve strength, balance and flexibility at least 2 days a week, which should include at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity like weight lifting. 

High Intensity Resistance training is even considered a highly appealing therapeutic option for the management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with very low bone mass.  Dumbbells, barbells, exercise machines, kettlebells and resistance bands may be adapted to suit everyone.

Myth number 2: “Strength training, especially weight lifting, is dangerous and it's easy to get injured”.

This is the elephant in the room so let’s clear it out.

 Based on the concept of progressive overload, nobody is ever going to ask you to lift more weight than is safe for you.  Resistance is increased as you increase in strength, so the weight will always be proportional to what you can achieve. 

However, it is strongly advised you take two or three initial sessions with a professional trainer who can familiarise you with the equipment and show you the correct form for each exercise. 

Precision of movement is as important as integrating movements for each major muscle group, so a trainer can give you a balanced routine that you can follow at home or in the gym. 

There is no evidence to support the fact that resistance exercise causes injuries.

Myth number 3: “I will look muscular and as a woman the last thing I want is to look bulky”.

Sadly, another fallacy that is hard to shake off.

Women in perimenopause and menopause experience a significant decline in oestrogen that reduces their anabolic capacity. In other words, the capacity to build muscle after the age of 40 is significantly reduced and you would have to spend many more hours than you can imagine in the gym every day lifting weights to become even slightly ‘bulky’.

On the contrary, weight lifting, together with adequate nutritional support, is the only proven way to arrest the loss of lean muscle mass and bone mass, that naturally declines in the years around the menopause. 

Studies have shown a clear correlation between lean body mass in women and the incidence of hot flushes and night sweats, demonstrating that you can achieve a significant reduction, up to 50%, of these symptoms by preserving your lean muscle mass. 

Christien Bird of the Menopause Movement emphasises that if there is one thing we should be scared of as we get older, it is osteoporosis.  If we become fragile, we have an increased risk of fractures and injuries, because frailty is directly correlated with our ability to live independently as we age.

Remarkably in the year before menopause and the 3 years after menopause, we experience on average a loss of 6% of our bone mass and this can be as high as 15%.

It is interesting that as women, we are usually diligent in scheduling our mammograms, but are still not convinced of the necessity to look after our skeleton and prevent osteoporosis.  

At the Healthy Londoner, we believe that accepting that an old age of fragility, where we have to avoid the activity we have always enjoyed, is not just sad, but tragic.  The data clearly shows that whilst women are living longer, they are living the last 20 years of their life in poor health.  

Now, consider this for a moment; when you try to fit your luggage into the overhead compartment of an aeroplane or when you lift a heavy box of books onto the top shelf of your library, that it is an ‘overhead press’ or when you move a plant pot to the other side of your garden, it is a ‘lat pull’ and a ‘deadlift’ put together!

If you always want to be able to rise up from the bed, a chair, or even from the floor independently, without the help of a walking stick, it is a ‘squat’ you need to be able to do.

My point is that the movements you need to get stronger at are functional movements you need in everyday at any age, in order to be able to enjoy life and not give up any of the activities that bring you joy and zest for living.  It makes sense, no?

Even when a woman knows it though, there are many other barriers to strength training. Women may be intimidated by the gym. They feel they do not belong and that it is a space for muscly young men and bodybuilders.  Women may lack confidence and are afraid of judgment, embarrassed of being looked at, ashamed of doing it wrong.

So, let’s reframe this, because in order to break down these barriers we have to do it together and to support each other.  Feeling and looking good is vital for our self esteem, but exercise is not just essential for our good health and wellbeing, it can also be incredibly enjoyable and after all, who wants to become a frail old lady?