Why Strength Training Matters More for Women Over 40

Strength training matters more after 40 because bone loss speeds up sharply in the few years around your last period, and muscle strength drops with it. Two sessions a week that work every major muscle group is the minimum. The years before perimenopause are a good time to start.

If your exercise is mostly walking, a spin class and an occasional yoga video, you're doing plenty for your heart. You may also be doing very little for the bones and muscle that change fastest around your last period, typically in your early 50s. Nothing feels wrong yet, which is exactly why this gets put off.

Why Is Strength Training Important for Women Over 40?

Because the timing of bone loss isn't even. Mayo Clinic says most people reach peak bone mass around age 30. After that, you lose slightly more bone than you gain. Then, with dropping estrogen, there's usually a lot of bone loss around the time of menopause.

The word "slightly" is doing a lot of work there. The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) has tracked women through midlife since the mid-1990s. In SWAN, spine bone loss was close to zero until about a year before the final period. Then it jumped.

A presentation of the SWAN data at the NIH by Dr. Sherri-Ann Burnett-Bowie of Harvard Medical School shows the pattern. The steepest loss came from one year before to two years after the final period. White women lost about 2.5% of spine bone density a year in that window, compared with almost nothing beforehand.

So the drop starts before your periods stop, while you may still be counting cycles. If you're 38 or 43 and wondering whether this applies yet, the honest answer is that it's coming, and nobody gets a warning date. The early signs of perimenopause are the nearest thing to one.

What Happens to Bone and Muscle in Perimenopause?

Bone isn't the only thing that shifts. A 2021 review linked the menopause transition to falling estradiol and to decreased bone density, muscle mass, and muscle strength. It also brings more fat around the organs. The same review calls physical activity and nutrition the cornerstones of keeping muscle healthy with age.

The SWAN loss rates also varied between ethnic groups, even allowing for body size. And women with a higher body mass index lost bone more slowly.

Losing bone more slowly isn't the same as being protected. The same presentation includes separate US Medicare data on women with osteoporosis. In the year after a fracture, Black women were more likely than white women to die, move into a nursing home or newly need Medicaid. Most of the women who broke a bone in that data were in their 80s.

None of that is a reason to panic. It's a reason not to assume your background means bone loss won't touch you. A bigger build slows bone loss but doesn't stop it.

Can Lifting Weights Rebuild Bone After Menopause?

It can raise bone density in the spine and, more modestly, the hip. One of the clearest trials was in women well past menopause. The LIFTMOR trial took 101 postmenopausal women with low bone mass, average age 65. Half did twice-weekly, 30-minute supervised sessions of heavy lifting and impact work for eight months.

The heavy lifts were 5 sets of 5 reps at above 85% of the most each woman could lift once. Spine bone density rose 2.9% in that group and fell 1.2% in the group doing gentle exercise at home. At the femoral neck, the top of the thigh bone where hip fractures often happen, it rose 0.3% against a fall of 1.9%.

One woman had a minor back spasm. That's a good safety record, but every session had a trainer watching, so it isn't a program to copy alone from a video.

Walking still counts for something. The NIH's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases says exercise makes bone denser and replaces old bone with new bone. It recommends a mix of weight-bearing exercise, such as brisk walking, stair climbing or dancing, and resistance training with weights, bands or your own body.

How Much Strength Training Per Week Do Women Over 40 Need?

Two days a week, covering every major muscle group. The CDC says adults need at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week, working legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. That's on top of 150 minutes of moderate activity, such as brisk walking.

The International Menopause Society gives the same number for midlife women. Its factsheet says to include at least 2 days of strength training to protect bones and keep muscle.

Effort matters more than the exercise you pick. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say to work to the point at which it would be difficult to do another repetition. They count lifting weights, resistance bands and heavy gardening. Some types of yoga can count too.

Mayo Clinic gives a practical way to choose a weight. Pick one heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions. It says a single set of that can build muscle efficiently in most people, and that 20 to 30 minutes twice a week brings real gains.

How to Start Strength Training in Your 40s

Start with moves that work several muscles at once: squats, lunges, rows, a press and a push-up against a wall or bench. Do them twice a week, and rest a full day before working the same muscles again, as Mayo Clinic advises.

Write down what you lifted. The weight that tired you out in week one won't by week six, and the habit only keeps paying if the load goes up. Progressive overload for women explains how to raise it without guessing.

If you're starting from zero, a first month of strength training lays out the early weeks session by session. Home, gym or a class all work, as long as the last few reps feel hard.

Do You Need More Protein When You Lift?

A little more than the bare minimum helps, but not as much as protein tubs suggest. A review of 49 trials with 1,863 healthy adults found protein supplements added only modestly to the muscle gained from lifting. Gains in lean mass stopped at a total intake of about 0.7 grams per pound of body weight a day (1.6 grams per kilogram). The cut-off was uncertain, though, and could be as high as 1 g per pound (2.2 g/kg) for some people.

The same review found the extra protein made less difference as people got older. So the lifting is doing most of the work. For working out your own number from food, see how much protein women need, and check with your doctor first if you have kidney disease.

Does Strength Training Help Mood and Lifespan?

Probably, in both cases, though neither is a reason to lift through pain. A 2018 analysis of 33 randomized trials with 1,877 adults found resistance training was associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms. The better-designed trials showed smaller effects, so treat it as one help for low mood, not a treatment for depression.

If low mood lasts more than two weeks, or you have thoughts of harming yourself, talk to your doctor. In the US and Canada, you can call or text 988 any time. In the US that's the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and in Canada the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline.

If your life is at risk or you can't keep yourself safe, call 911 or go to the nearest ER. In the UK and Ireland, call Samaritans on 116 123, free, any time, and in a UK emergency call 999. Anywhere else, call your local emergency number.

A 2022 review of 16 long-term studies linked muscle-strengthening to a 10 to 17% lower risk of early death, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The biggest drop showed up at about 30 to 60 minutes a week. These studies show a link, not proof, and they covered adults in general rather than women alone.

That 30 to 60 minutes is roughly what the twice-weekly guidance asks for anyway. More wasn't clearly better. If you've seen claims that lifting will rebalance your hormones, strength training and hormones sorts what's known from what isn't.

When to Check With a Doctor First

If you have osteoporosis or low bone density, NIAMS says to talk to a healthcare provider before starting an exercise program. Ask which movements are safe for your spine, and whether a physical therapist or qualified trainer can supervise the heavier lifts, as in LIFTMOR.

With osteoporosis or low bone density, sudden severe back pain during or after lifting needs urgent medical advice, because it can be a spinal fracture. For anyone, stop and get help for chest pain, severe breathlessness or dizziness during exercise.

Mayo Clinic also says to check first if you have a long-term health condition or other safety concerns. If an exercise causes pain, stop it rather than pushing through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Too Late to Start Strength Training at 40?

No. The women in the LIFTMOR trial averaged 65 and still raised their spine bone density in eight months. Starting in your 40s gives you a head start before bone loss speeds up.

How Many Days a Week Should a Woman Over 40 Lift Weights?

At least two, according to the CDC, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the International Menopause Society. Each session should work every major muscle group, and Mayo Clinic says 20 to 30 minutes is enough to make gains.

Is Walking Enough to Protect Your Bones?

Walking helps, but it isn't the whole picture. NIAMS recommends combining weight-bearing exercise like brisk walking with resistance training, and the official guidelines ask for both.