Strength training for women over 40: what I do at home now

At 44, my training has changed. Not because I've given up on feeling good or looking good. The opposite, actually. I want to focus on feeling the best I can. But I know my body needs something different now than it did in my 20s.

In my 20s and 30s, training was about burning calories, pushing harder, and trying to look a certain way. Now, I'm focusing on building a body that supports me for life. Strength training for women over 40 at home has become the centre of what I do, and honestly, it's given me more than any workout ever did in my younger years.

What I care about now

I want to be able to hold my own bodyweight. To always be able to stand up alone.

I never want to lose power.

I want to keep walking for the rest of my life.

And I want core strength that supports everything I do.

Of course I still want to feel confident at the beach too, especially with my swimwear obsession. But just as importantly these days, I care about strength, energy, mobility, and capability.

The shift isn't about lowering the bar. It's about moving the bar to something that actually matters.

Why strength training for women over 40 matters

From about 35 onwards, women start losing muscle mass. Around perimenopause and into menopause, that loss accelerates. You lose strength, bone density drops, and your metabolism shifts.

This isn't doom and gloom. It's just biology. And the best thing you can do about it is build and maintain muscle.

Strength training protects your bones. It keeps your metabolism working. It helps with balance, which matters more than you think when you're in your 70s and 80s. And it keeps you capable. Carrying shopping bags. Picking up your kids or grandkids. Getting up off the floor without needing to hold onto something.

That's what I train for now. Not aesthetics. Function.

What this looks like at home

You don't need a gym. You don't need fancy equipment. You need a way to challenge your muscles consistently, and you need to show up.

I train at home most of the time. I use a mat, a resistance band, a couple of dumbbells, and occasionally my pull-up bar. That's it.

Here's what I focus on:

• Push movements. Wall push ups, bench push ups, or full push ups depending on the day. These build upper body strength and protect your shoulders and wrists.
• Pull movements. I work towards hanging and pull ups, but if you're not there yet, resistance band rows or even just holding a dead hang for a few seconds works.
• Lower body strength. Squats, lunges, single leg work. I want strong glutes and legs so I can walk, climb stairs, and get up from the floor without thinking about it.
• Core. Not crunches. Proper core connection. Planks, dead bugs, bird dogs. Movements that teach your core to stabilise your spine.

I do three to four sessions a week. Twenty to thirty minutes most days. Sometimes I add a longer Pilates session. Sometimes I go for a walk instead.

If you can't hang on a bar yet, don't stress

You don't have to start where I am. You don't have to start where anyone else is.

Start with wall push ups. Start with walks. Start with learning how to connect to your core.

Start where you are.

You do not need to already be fit to start. That's the biggest lie women are sold about fitness. You're supposed to be fit before you start getting fit. It's nonsense.

If you're starting from scratch, begin with bodyweight. Master the basics. Build from there. Progress happens when you're consistent, not when you go hard once and then bail because it was too much.

What I want my girls to see

I have two daughters. And hopefully, by showing up consistently, I'm teaching them that strength is something normal.

Not something you do to fix yourself. Not something you earn. Just something you build because it makes life better.

I want them to see that training isn't about punishment or perfection. It's about capability. And it's something you can do at home, in your own time, without needing to prove anything to anyone.

That's the kind of fitness I want to model. And that's the kind of fitness I help other women build.

If you're in your 40s and you're not sure where to start with strength training at home, I run live Pilates sessions twice a week. They're designed for real women with real bodies and real schedules. You can join from your living room. No performance pressure. Just solid, functional work. You can book a free taster session on my site if you want to try it out.