As an increasing number of scientific studies show the far-reaching benefits of strength training (at any stage of life, but particularly for women in midlife and beyond), it’s important to reiterate the message that it doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym or buy a load of expensive, fancy equipment. Bodyweight exercises are a great place to start and investing in some dumbbells can also help you create a really solid strength training routine – as 63-year-old fat loss coach and fitness content creator Karen Trasatti recently demonstrated on Instagram.
Giving us an insight into how she trains to build muscle, Karen explained that she typically rotates three dumbbell-only workouts a week.
‘You don’t need complicated workouts, you need a simple plan you actually stick to,’ she captioned her post. ‘This is exactly how I train to stay lean, strong and build muscle .’
Why you should add strength training to your routine
Age-related muscle loss, known scientifically as sarcopenia, can begin as early as the age of 30 (when loss sits at around 3-8% per decade), but it speeds up significantly when we enter our 60s.
As well as increasing fall risk and general frailty, sarcopenia is a significant risk factor for osteoporosis; a health condition (affecting women significantly more than men) that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break.
Strength training, then, can significantly slow sarcopenia, and in some cases even help reverse osteoporosis.
The workouts
Repeat the below exercises for 2-3 rounds. Rest as needed between exercises, taking a longer rest between rounds.
Full body (2-3x per week)
Dumbbell chest press x 10-12 reps
Core: plank for 30-45 secs
Upper bodyDumbbell chest press x 10-12 repsSingle-arm row x 10 each side
Shoulder press x 10 reps
Lower bodyGoblet squat x 12 repsRomanian deadlift x 12 reps
The bottom line
Of course, when building muscle, there are other crucial factors involved such as nutrition (getting enough protein is vital), and you’ll need to implement progressive overload – incrementally increasing training stress through reps or weight – in order to continue to build muscle.
But as far as muscle-building blueprints go, this is a good one.
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.