Strength Training for Women Over 50 Full-Body Workout

1. Strength Training for Women Over 50 + Full-Body Workout

3. Exercise is good for everybody’s body. Young, old, male, and female; everyone can benefit from regular workouts. But what type of exercise should you do? In general, men tend to gravitate toward strength training, while women often prefer group workout programs andcardio. 

4. Of course, there are exceptions to this observation, and some men enjoy things like spinning and step aerobics, and there are plenty of female bodybuilders and powerlifters, even over 80, like the phenomenal Shirley Webb! But, in many cases, there is a workout division, and men and women tend to enjoy different kinds of exercise.  This is unfortunate because the type of workout you AREN’T doing could be the thing you need most. 

5. If you skip cardio in favor of weights, your cardiovascular fitness and long-term health may suffer. On the flip side, if you do a lot of cardio but seldom lift anything heavier than your water bottle, you could become weak and susceptible to injury.  So, most people need to do cardio AND weights to achieve a decent all-around fitness level.  But what if you are a woman in her 50s? Is it too late to start strength training?

6. Should you just stick with yoga, Pilates, and Zumba?  Absolutely not!  This article explains the benefits of strength training for women over 50, reveals some of the best exercises, and provides you with a simple full-body beginner workout routine to follow. 

7. The Benefits of Strength Training for Women Over 50 • Increased muscle mass: Muscle mass tends to peak while you are in your early 30s. After that, muscles start to get smaller and weaker with every passing decade. This is a part of the aging process.  However, women tend to be more lightly muscled than men and experience a dramatic change in hormonal levels during menopause.

8. This means they tend to lose muscle faster and sooner than most men.  • Lifting weights regularly will help preserve and even increase muscle mass as you age. • It’ll also help tone and condition your muscles, so you look and feel better. 

9. Increased strength  Losing muscle means losing strength. While you probably have no interest in being able to lift massive weights in your 50s, being weak can have an adverse effect on many aspects of your life.  Muscle weakness can make everyday tasks more difficult than they need to be, from walking up stairs to carrying groceries to just getting out of bed in the morning. The longer you can preserve your strength, the longer you’ll be able to live an independent and fulfilling life.

10. Stronger bones  Lifting weights doesn’t just affect your muscles; it also affects your bones. Like muscle mass, bone mass tends to decrease with age, especially during and after menopause. Left untreated, loss of bone mass can become osteoporosis, which is a medical condition characterized by weak, porous bones that are prone to fracture.  Combined with a healthy diet, strength training can help minimize and even reverse bone loss. 

11. Weight control  Many women gain weight and fat during their 50s.This is partly the fault of menopause and also the result of being less physically active. Middle-age spread doesn’t just affect men!  Strength training increases muscle mass, which will have a positive impact on your resting metabolic rate.Also, lifting weights burns calories just as effectively as cardio. 

12. Better balance and coordination  Balance and coordination tend to decrease with age. Balance is your ability to keep your weight over your base of support, while coordination is your ability to move and control your limbs.  Poor balance and coordination will increase your risk of suffering a fall. Unexpected falls can be catastrophic in older people and often lead to injuries and fractures. 

13. Lifting weights will improve your balance, enhance coordination, and reduce your risk of suffering a fall. And, if you are unlucky enough to take a tumble, having stronger muscles and bones will make your body more injury-proof.