While we sing the praises of strength training for women almost every day, we understand that getting started can often be overwhelming.
Social media can make you think that strength workouts must be long, arduous ordeals – but that’s absolutely not the case, as clinician-scientist, endocrinologist and renowned longevity expert Dr Florence Comite is keen to highlight.
Dr Comite – who regularly posts content online about how to improve our healthspans – recently uploaded a video detailing the three exercises she recommends for building the kind of strength that’ll keep you mobile throughout your life.
‘Train this way if you want to stay mobile past 100,’ she wrote. ‘Your posterior chain – glutes, hamstrings, hips and back – is the engine of longevity. When it’s strong, you walk better, lift safely, protect your spine and stay independent as you age.’
In other words, these muscles are the foundation of many everyday, functional movements, so strengthening them really can help transform the way you move.
A research review published in the scientific journal Sports Medicine found that compared to general exercise and walking programmes, Posterior-Chain Resistance Training (PCRT) had a significantly greater effect on pain, level of disability and muscular strength for people with chronic low back pain.
3 posterior chain-strengthening exercises for longevity 
Why: ‘Build glutes and hamstrings, protect the spine and support metabolic health,’ says Dr Comite.
How to do it:
Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand and let them rest in front of your hips with your palms facing your thighs.Keeping your spine in a neutral position and squeezing the shoulder blades, start sending the hips back. Keeping the dumbbells close to your body, lower them down so they are in front of your shins. Lower yourself until you feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings, while maintaining a neutral spinePause briefly, then drive through your heels, extending your hips and knees to return to the starting position. Squeeze your glutes at the top, but avoid overextending your lower back. 
Why: ‘Increase lower-body strength while improving hip mobility and pelvic stability.’
How to do it:
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and evenly distribute your weight, with your toes turned out to 10 and 2 o’clock. Hold your kettlebell with both hands so it hangs between your legs.Keeping your core tight and chest tall as you inhale, bend your knees, and sink your hips down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you drive through your feet back to an upright standing position.3. Step-ups with knee raise
Why: ‘Reinforce single-leg strength, coordination and balance for real-life movement.’
How to do it:
Step onto a raised platform with your right foot, keeping your torso tall and your chest lifted.Press through your right foot to stand up, bracing your core as you drive your left knee up towards hip height.Lower your left foot back to the floor with control, then step your right foot back down to return to the starting position. That’s one rep.
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition.
Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.