If you’ve ever thought “I’d love to be stronger, but weights just aren’t for me” — you’re not alone.
Many midlife women across the UK feel unsure, nervous, or even downright intimidated by the idea of resistance training.
But here’s the truth:
it’s one of the most powerful tools you have to support your body through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.
Let’s bust through some of the most common fears and questions — and get you feeling confident to pick up those dumbbells.
Top Fears Midlife Women Have About Lifting Weights
1. “Am I too old to start now?” Absolutely not.
- In fact, resistance training becomes more important as we age.
- It helps protect bone density, maintain muscle mass, and reduce injury risk.
- It’s never too late to start! Particularly for women, as we go through & beyond menopause risks of bone and heart disease increase significantly.
- Plus as we age, lack of movement can give rise to sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass, function and strength).
Weight training is the gold standard recommendation to mitigate against these risks.
2. “What if I hurt myself?” Fair concern! But done right — with proper form and progressions — strength training is safe AND can help reduce the risk of injury in everyday activities too. Start with bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, or light weights.
3. “I don’t want to bulk up.” You won’t. Midlife women don’t have the hormone levels to bulk up like bodybuilders. Instead, you’ll tone up, support your joints, and feel stronger and more capable.
4. “I feel self-conscious in the gym.” You’re not alone there. But remember: everyone starts somewhere, and no one’s looking at you as much as you think. Starting in a small group of like-minded people can be the confidence boost you need while giving you the coaching support you need – check out my Ladies That Lift: Strength Training for Women Over 40 in Potterhanworth, Lincoln programme.
5. “Where do I even start?!” Start simple. A few key movements (think squats, lunges, and push ups) go a long way. And if you’re working with a coach — even better.
6. “Will this make my pelvic floor worse?” Done correctly, resistance training can actually improve pelvic floor function. It’s all about proper breathing, core connection and load/pressure management.
7. “I’m exhausted already — won’t this make me more tired?” Actually, it could boost your energy over time. You might feel a little sore at first, but building strength supports stamina and reduces fatigue.
8. “I’ve never been sporty — is this for me?” Absolutely. You don’t need to be athletic to benefit from resistance training. It’s about building strength and confidence — at your pace.
9. “I’m not losing weight — is it working?” Exercise is only one part of the equation when it comes to weight loss.
- Nutrition, stress management & sleep are other key factors.
- Overall you need to create a calorie deficit (i.e. take in less energy from food & drink than you use during the day) to lose weight – if you’re not losing weight you probably haven’t consistently created one.
- But even so, with continued strength training you’ll be supporting your bones, heart and getting stronger.
10. “Is this safe with joint pain or arthritis?” Yes — with modifications. Strengthening the muscles around joints can reduce pain. Work with someone who understands menopause and mobility.
Other Common Questions Midlife Women Ask:
- Can lifting help with menopause symptoms? Yes — it supports bone, brain, mood & metabolism.
- What if I leak when I lift? Pelvic floor education & breath work help massively. (You can read more on that by clicking here)
- How often should I do it? The recommendations from WHO are to strength train 2-3 times per week. But start where you are and remember that strength training 1 day a week is better than not strength training on any day of the week.
- I’m doing Pilates – does that count? I love Pilates (in fact you I offer both in-person & online sessions) and find that it complements weight training beautifully. While it does include strength elements (the push-up is one of the 34 original mat Pilates moves after all), it does not provide enough resistance training to class as strength training itself. However it’s great at providing flexibility, stretching & balance work to complement your strength work as well as enhancing your core strength which supports resistance training – it’s a marriage made in heaven.
- Do I need a gym? Nope! Home workouts with bands or dumbbells work too. And I love resistance bands for home workouts – they’re inexpensive, take up very little room and are super-easy to tidy away plus they offer lots of versatile ways to add resistance to your movements.
- Will this help get rid of belly fat? Strength training helps your body use energy more efficiently – but as I mention above, reducing belly fat and losing weight requires a calorie deficit and
- unfortunately we cannot target weight loss from specific areas of our body (boo!)
- but we CAN target toning specific areas of our body with weights and resistance training (hooray!).
- For women in peri- or post-menopause, our bodies start to store fat preferentially around our midriff (thanks hormone changes ) but despite all the claims and supplements being sold on t’internet, it is absolutely still possible for women at this stage of life to lose weight and/or shape using movement, strength training and a calorie deficit.
Lifting weights doesn’t have to be about “getting ripped” (achieving this is incredibly hard to do and even more difficult to maintain for the majority of us).
It’s about feeling strong, capable, and confident in your body — at a time when it might feel like things are shifting.
Midlife can feel tough as a woman. And as we move into later life, we become more aware of our capabilities and our independence.
Strength training is your golden ticket to preserve, prolong and improve those things. Plus in taking up strength training you’ll no doubt meet new people, on similar journeys to you and find an incredibly supportive community in the process too.
If I haven’t answered your specific question or you’d like to find out how you can work with me then please do get in touch by emailing me at [email protected]
Take care of You
P.S. If you’re a coach looking to support women through this journey, check out my Done-for-You Menopause Course — complete with editable resources, expert support, and everything you need to help women move better, feel stronger, and thrive through midlife – & Workshops too.