Do Women Over 40 Need to Train Differently?

What the Research Really Says About Strength, Cardio and Exercise During Midlife

If you’re a woman over 40, you’ve probably heard at least one version of this:

“Don’t train too hard. It’ll raise your cortisol.”

“Walking is better for women in menopause.”

“Stop doing cardio.”

“You need special menopause workouts.”

Or maybe the opposite:

“You just need to work harder than you used to.”

No wonder women are confused.

As your body moves through perimenopause, menopause and the years beyond, there are physiological changes worth considering.

But that doesn’t mean everything you learned about exercise suddenly stops working when you turn 40.

You still need to challenge your muscles.

You still need cardiovascular fitness.

You still need adequate recovery.

And perhaps most importantly, you need a training program designed for you—not a generic workout based solely on your age or hormone status.

So, do women over 40 need to train differently?

Sometimes. But probably not for the reasons social media has led you to believe.

The Fundamentals of Good Training Don’t Change

There isn’t a separate set of exercise principles that suddenly applies to women after 40.

Muscle adapts when it’s challenged.

Strength improves through progressive resistance.

Cardiovascular fitness improves when the cardiovascular system is appropriately challenged.

Your body needs enough recovery to adapt to that training.

Those principles still matter.

In fact, a recent National Strength and Conditioning Association position statement on female athletes reinforces an important point: although sex-specific physiology can influence training considerations, the fundamental principles of strength and conditioning—including progressive overload—remain relevant.

What’s more useful than asking:

“What’s the best menopause workout?”

is asking:

“What does my body need to stay strong, capable and healthy as I age?”

That’s a very different conversation.

Strength Training Becomes Increasingly Important

If there is one thing we wish more women understood about exercise after 40, it’s this:

Don’t stop challenging your muscles.

Resistance training can help improve and preserve:

• Strength

• Physical function

• Muscle

• Bone health

• Metabolic health

• Your ability to remain independent and active as you age

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found significant improvements in upper- and lower-body strength and other measures of physical fitness in postmenopausal women who participated in resistance training.

Research also supports resistance training as an important strategy for bone health, although the exact training prescription that produces the greatest benefit continues to be studied.

This is one area where the message from experts such as Dr. Stacy Sims and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon aligns with a much broader body of research:

Muscle matters. And women shouldn’t be afraid to get strong.

Does That Mean Every Woman Needs to “Lift Heavy”?

This is where we need a little nuance.

You’ve probably heard the recommendation that women in menopause should “lift heavy.”

There’s good reasoning behind encouraging women to progressively challenge themselves rather than spending years lifting weights that no longer provide much stimulus.

But “heavy” is relative.

Heavy for a woman who has trained for ten years looks very different from heavy for someone beginning resistance training at 52.

The goal isn’t to chase a particular number on a barbell.

The goal is to use enough resistance that your body has a reason to adapt—and progressively increase that challenge as you become stronger.

For one woman, that might eventually mean a heavy deadlift.

For another, it might begin with learning how to squat confidently, getting up from the floor or carrying groceries without difficulty.

Progressive doesn’t mean reckless.

It means continuing to appropriately challenge the body you have today.

What About Cardio?

Cardio did not suddenly become bad for you when you entered perimenopause.

Your heart and lungs still need training.

Current physical-activity guidelines recommend that adults accumulate both aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening exercise because they provide different health benefits.

Walking absolutely counts.

So can cycling, swimming, hiking, rowing, jogging and other activities you enjoy.

Higher-intensity exercise can also have a place.

Dr. Stacy Sims has been particularly vocal about incorporating higher-intensity intervals and power-focused work during the menopause transition rather than relying exclusively on long, moderate-intensity exercise.

Emerging research supports the value of vigorous exercise and high-intensity training for cardiorespiratory fitness and other health outcomes.

But that doesn’t mean every woman over 40 needs to sprint.

And it certainly doesn’t mean walking or moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise suddenly becomes useless.

The question isn’t cardio or strength.

For most women, the answer is some combination of both—appropriately programmed around their goals, fitness level, health history and ability to recover.

What About Power and Impact Training?

Here’s an area we think deserves more attention.

Strength is your ability to produce force.

Power is your ability to produce that force quickly.

Think about catching yourself when you trip, climbing stairs quickly, jumping, changing direction or reacting when something unexpected happens.

Power tends to decline with age, which is one reason experts including Dr. Sims emphasize appropriately programmed explosive movements and plyometric training.

Impact exercise can also provide an important stimulus for bone.

But again, this doesn’t mean every 55-year-old should start doing box jumps tomorrow.

Power training can be scaled.

It might begin with:

• Faster sit-to-stands

• Medicine-ball work

• Low-level hops

• Step variations

• Carefully progressed jumping or landing exercises

Your current ability, joint health, bone health, training experience and medical history all matter.

And No, You Don’t Need to Fear Cortisol

We’re going to devote our next blog entirely to this because women are receiving an enormous amount of misinformation about cortisol and exercise.

For now, here’s what we want you to know:

A temporary rise in cortisol during exercise is a normal physiological response.

It doesn’t automatically mean your workout is damaging your hormones.

And women shouldn’t avoid appropriately challenging exercise simply because they’re afraid it will “spike cortisol.”

Chronic stress and inadequate recovery absolutely matter.

But that’s a different conversation from the normal hormonal response that helps your body meet the demands of exercise.

We’ll unpack that distinction next.

What We See at 2PiFit

Many women come to us believing one of two things.

Either:

“I need to work harder because what I used to do isn’t working anymore.”

Or:

“I’m getting older, so I probably shouldn’t push myself as much.”

Usually, neither extreme is the answer.

Our job as coaches is to find the appropriate challenge.

That means looking at the woman standing in front of us:

Her goals.

Her training history.

Her movement quality.

Her strength.

Her injuries.

Her recovery.

Her sleep.

Her stress.

Her health history.

And yes, the stage of life she’s navigating.

Then we build from there.

Two women can both be 52 and need completely different programs.

That’s why we don’t train an age. We train a person.

So, What Should Women Over 40 Prioritize?

You don’t need a complicated menopause workout.

You need a well-designed training program.

For most women, that means:

1. Strength train consistently.

Current guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity at least two days per week. Depending on your goals, experience and program, you may benefit from more.

2. Progress your training.

Your body needs an appropriate challenge to continue adapting. That may mean gradually increasing resistance, repetitions, complexity or another aspect of your training over time.

3. Maintain cardiovascular fitness.

Walk. Hike. Bike. Row. Swim. Use intervals when they’re appropriate.

Your heart needs training too.

4. Don’t forget power.

When appropriate for your ability and health, include movements that challenge your ability to produce force more quickly.

5. Recover from the work you’re asking your body to do.

Training is the stimulus.

Recovery is when your body adapts to it.

Nutrition, sleep, stress and your overall training load all matter.

6. Individualize.

Your program should account for your goals, abilities, health history, symptoms and current season of life—not simply your age.

A Coach’s Perspective

We don’t want women becoming afraid of exercise as they get older.

We want them becoming more intentional about it.

You don’t need to punish your body with harder and harder workouts.

And you don’t need to protect it by never challenging it.

There’s a middle ground:

Train with purpose. Progress appropriately. Recover well.

Getting older isn’t a reason to expect less from your body.

It’s a reason to train it for the life you want to keep living.

The Takeaway

So, do women over 40 need to train differently?

Maybe.

Your recovery may change.

Your goals may change.

Your health considerations may change.

And your program should evolve with you.

But the fundamentals remain remarkably familiar:

Build strength.

Challenge your cardiovascular system.

Maintain movement and power.

Recover.

Fuel yourself.

Progress appropriately.

And don’t let fear-based messaging convince you that your body has suddenly become too fragile to challenge.

You don’t need to train less because you’re getting older.

You need to train intelligently for the body—and the life—you want decades from now.

References

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.

• National Strength and Conditioning Association. Position Statement on Strength and Conditioning of Female Athletes, Part II: Training Adaptations and Program Design. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2026.

• Resistance Training Effects on Healthy Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Climacteric. 2024.

• Does Exercising During Peri- or Early Post-Menopause Prevent Bone and Muscle Loss? A Systematic Review. 2025.

• Optimal Resistance Training Parameters for Improving Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2025.

• American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription.

• Sims ST. Evidence-informed education on resistance, power and high-intensity training for women during the menopause transition.

• Lyon G. Evidence-informed education on skeletal muscle, resistance training and healthy aging.

• National Academy of Sports Medicine. Evidence-based resistance-training and program-design principles.

• Precision Nutrition. Evidence-informed exercise, nutrition and recovery principles.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace medical advice from your healthcare provider. Always consult with your physician or a qualified health professional before making significant changes to your diet, exercise routine, or health practices.