What actually changes
- Muscle: loss accelerates, and with it strength and resting metabolic rate.
- Bone: density declines fastest in the years around the final period.
- Body composition: fat storage shifts toward the abdomen, often with no change in weight.
- Recovery: disrupted sleep makes hard sessions harder to absorb.
- Joints: aches and stiffness are common and usually respond to loading, not rest.
Why strength training, specifically
Because it addresses several of those at once. Resistance training is one of the few interventions that meaningfully supports bone density, it's the primary signal to retain muscle, and retained muscle is what stops body composition drifting. Cardio is good for your heart and does very little for any of the above. The common instinct — more cardio, fewer calories — accelerates muscle loss and makes the problem worse.
What the week looks like
| Component | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 2-3x a week | Full body, progressive, all five movement patterns |
| Impact / loading | 2x a week | Step-ups, low hops where joints allow — supports bone |
| Walking | Daily | 8,000+ steps; the easiest lever on body composition |
| Mobility | Most days | Ten minutes; addresses stiffness better than rest does |
Protein and undereating
The most common problem we see is chronic undereating — decades of dieting habits meeting a body that now needs more protein to hold onto muscle, not less food. Aim for 1.6-2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, and eat enough to train properly. Strength training for women covers the same ground for earlier life stages.
Training around symptoms
Some weeks will be poor — broken sleep, hot flushes, low energy. The plan that works is the one that survives those weeks: reduce load, keep the session, skip the heroics. A coach's job here is largely to stop you either pushing through something you shouldn't or abandoning the week entirely. Symptoms that are severely affecting your life are a conversation with your doctor, not something to train through.
Sessions run at home or in your condo gym, which for a lot of women in this stage is the difference between training and not. A female coach is available on request — see female personal training or strength for the 40+.