Strength training for women over 50 can help you age well
Strength training if anything becomes even more critical as we age in order to maintain quality of living. Many women in their 50s are nearing menopause or are in peri-menopause and so estrogen hormone production suffers. This puts them at an increased risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, loss of muscle mass and hormonal imbalances. What many people don’t realize is that strength training for women over 50 can actually help boost estrogen production and regulate hormone levels. Women spend 40% of their life post-menopausal so you can see how reversing the effects of menopause through strength training can have a tremendous impact on overall well-being.
Strength training is also important for women over 50 because as we age, our muscles tend to lose mass and strength, which can lead to a decrease in mobility and balance. This also results in bone density loss and so the risk of falling or injury increases. Strength training is preventative by helping maintain and even increase muscle mass, strength, coordination and functioning. Having more muscle mass also helps improve metabolism and weight management.
Strength training for women over 50 and the effects on mental health
These changes in hormone levels for women over 50 can also take a toll on one’s mental health causing mood swings, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Strength training helps improve mental health by releasing endorphins, which are chemical signals in the brain that increase feelings of wellbeing. Weight training also helps build self-confidence, build self-esteem and improve body image.
Research has found that weight training can also help lower levels of cortisol, the hormone that is released when we are feeling stressed. It can even help improve cognitive function. Studies have found that strength training can help improve memory, reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer‘s, and increase focus and concentration.
Best muscle strength exercises for women over 50
For best results women over 50 should be lifting 2-3x per week consistently to see progress. It’s also important to be lifting heavy to work on improving strength, muscle and bone density retention. You should ideally be working with a weight that’s challenging at 4-6 reps. Statistically speaking, women are much more likely to lift weights that are far less than their capabilities limiting their potential gains. It’s important not to be afraid to lift heavy.
Here are 5 strength training exercises you should incorporate into your routine for total body strength. You want to make sure you’re doing a combination of compound and unilateral lifts.
- Squats
Squats are an important compound functional exercise for training lower body including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes and other abductor muscles. It’s a movement pattern that we use everyday. When you add a load to this exercise such as with a goblet squat you’re able to incorporate upper body as well by engaging the core, traps and upper back muscles.
2. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are an important compound exercise for developing muscle strength in the posterior chain. They target the hamstrings, glutes, back, hips, core and trapezius. Hinging is an important movement pattern that we need to be able to do effectively in everyday life.
3. Lunges
Lunges are an important exercise not only for strength, but for improving balance, stability and coordination. This is also a functional exercise that prepares you for movement in everyday life such as walking up stairs. This is a great exercise for training not just legs, but upper body and core too. The primary muscles working are the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, transverse abdominis, oblique, erector spinae and adductors. Lunges are considered a unilateral exercise because the lead leg is working more. Training with unilateral exercises allows you to achieve symmetry throughout your body. By training both sides of the body equally, unilateral exercises help prevent muscle imbalances, which often lead to injuries.
4. Push-ups
Push-ups are a very effective body weight functional movement for training total body when executed well. The primary muscles utilized are your triceps, pectoral muscles, shoulders and core. However, you can also effectively engage your glutes, quadriceps and upper back muscles.
5. Pull-ups
Pull-ups are another important body weight exercise for training upper body and core. For most women this exercise will be quite difficult so you can easily modify it by doing banded negative pull-ups. This exercise primarily uses your lats and biceps, while also recruiting your deltoids, rhomboids and core. There are few other exercises that allow you to train so many different muscle groups at once. This exercise trains you to pull your shoulder blades down and back into proper position to help improve posture.
Women over 50 can live better
Overall, strength training is a great way to help women over 50 maintain physical health, as well as mental wellbeing. The benefits show that aging doesn’t have to be a period of our lives that we dread. Instead we can actually train our bodies to get better with age with the proper training. This applies to us even as we age into our 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond! Our age does not have to define us.
If you are interested in learning more about where to start on your fitness journey our team is happy to help! Our program is personalized to fit your unique goals and needs. Contact us to schedule a free phone consultation.
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