How to start strength training in midlife, according to female trainers 40 and over

Experts share a few tools, from dumbbells to resistance bands to cooling towels, to help women get stronger

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Unfortunately, muscle mass peaks long before wisdom does. After age 40, we lose about 3% to 8% of it per decade, and after 50 the losses accelerate. Known as sarcopenia, this decline means our muscles don’t respond to strength and recover after workouts.

That doesn’t mean it’s pointless to exercise later in life – in fact, it’s fully the opposite. You may not get abs, but your health improves across the board when you strength train: “Regular aerobic and resistance training cuts the risk of almost every noncommunicable disease – type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s,” Leigh Breen, an expert in skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism at Birmingham University, previously told the Guardian.

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Even if you’ve never picked up a dumbbell before, it’s not too late. “People who’ve trained for years are better protected, but even late starters can dramatically reduce their disease risk in a short time,” said Breen.

Beyond the physical benefits, getting stronger in later life can simply feel

Meet our strength training experts

• • Gritin Skin-Friendly Resistance Bands

  • Dr Teal’s Pure Epsom Magnesium Salt Soak

  Use the ‘most underrated’ workout tool

  Many of the women we interviewed suggested adding resistance bands to your routine, and Caroline Idiens even deemed them “the most underrated fitness gadget”. Her favorites are
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  Gritin
  Skin-Friendly Resistance Bands
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  Stick to compound exercises

  None of our strength training aficionados suggested complex lifts like the infamous snatch, in which an athlete lifts a barbell from the floor in one powerful movement.