News & Tips · Strength Training

Strength Training for Women Over 40: Where to Start

By Katerina Jakubcova · personal trainer and certified menopause specialist, Surbiton

General guidance only. Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise programme, especially if you have an injury or existing health condition.

"I've never lifted weights. I'm scared I'll hurt myself, and honestly, I'll feel stupid in the gym." I hear a version of this from almost every woman before she starts. So let's deal with it straight away: if you're a complete beginner and you're not confident enough to walk into a gym, you don't have to. You can start at home.

When I begin coaching someone who has never trained before, the first thing we do is simple. You record yourself. Film yourself from the side doing the exercise you're not sure about, even if it's the whole session. You've got videos in your app showing exactly how the exercise should look, so you can compare your position against it. And if you're still not sure, or you don't want to risk hurting yourself, I'll jump on a quick Zoom call or a WhatsApp video call and guide you through it there and then. It is not a problem. That's what I'm here for.

What week one actually looks like

I don't introduce weights in week one if someone has never trained before. We start with bodyweight. What surprises almost everyone is how stiff they feel afterwards, and how their flexibility isn't what they thought it was. Even a leg workout using nothing but bodyweight is genuinely hard the first time. Manageable, but hard.

That stiffness is normal, and it passes fast. By the second week, it's already much easier.

The two myths I have to undo first

Before anything else, there are two pieces of bad advice almost every woman arrives with already believing.

The first is that carbs are the enemy. So many women think carbohydrates are something to avoid, and they focus on cutting calories rather than understanding macronutrients. They slash their intake and then wonder why they have no energy. Carbs give you energy. That's the whole point of them.

The second is the fear of getting "bulky." A lot of women still believe that if they lift weights a couple of times a week, they'll turn into a bodybuilder. That's not how it works, and it's one of the most common reasons women avoid strength training altogether when it's exactly what they need.

If you have no equipment and nowhere to train

Most of my clients start with nothing. And that's genuinely fine, because you already have equipment at home, even if you don't think of it that way. A chair, a sofa, the carpet under your feet. That's enough to begin.

Here's the order I actually use:

• Stretching, first
• Gentle bodyweight squats
• Some core work, and I'll often check your balance too — a lot of it is single-leg exercises

For the first couple of weeks, you genuinely do not need equipment. Once an exercise starts to feel easy, that's when I'll send you a link for resistance bands or a couple of dumbbells. You don't need a pile of equipment to begin. You need to begin.

Starting in your 40s versus starting in your 60s

The advice changes depending on where you are.

If you're in your 40s, you've probably still got kids at home and less time than you'd like. My advice there is: don't stress about fitting in an hour, three times a week. Focus on what you can actually do.

If you're in your 60s and starting for the first time, it's more about recovery. Muscle mass has usually declined quite a bit by then, so you're working with less strength to begin with. I'll start slower and gentler, at least for the first two or three weeks. Someone in her 40s will typically build strength faster than someone in her 60s, even though both of you are very much capable of getting stronger.

And if you're wondering whether 60 is too late to start: it isn't. It's exactly the time to start, and I wouldn't wait any longer. One small step at a time, but don't wait.

Strength training is one half of the picture. If the scale still will not move even once you're training consistently, this explains what else is going on.