Strength training for women: why it matters and how much to do

What counts as strength training?

Strength training is any session where your muscles work against a load that makes the last few reps feel challenging. Programs usually open with compound lifts that use several joints at once (a squat, a hip hinge, a press, a row and a pull), then add single-joint isolation work.

Progress comes from adding weight or reps over time, often called progressive overload. Bands, machines and bodyweight moves such as push-ups (press-ups in the UK) all count, so strength and resistance training for women does not depend on a gym.

What does strength training do for women at each stage?

The case starts early. Supervised strength training is safe for young people and doesn't stunt growth (Lloyd et al., 2014). In puberty the emphasis is on technique: bodyweight squats, lunges and push-ups first, then load added under qualified supervision. The aim at this stage is skill with movements that stay useful for life.

In the reproductive years the aim shifts from learning to building, with compound lifts and loads that rise gradually. This is the stage when the reserve is laid down, which is why the session range is at its widest here. If bone is your main interest, our guide to weight bearing exercises for osteoporosis looks at loading in more detail.

Through perimenopause and menopause the same lifts carry on, with progressive load, for muscle and bone. The work is now as much about keeping what you have built as adding to it. For readers looking further ahead, our page on sarcopenia covers the loss of muscle strength that can come in later life.

A later start still counts. In the LIFTMOR trial (Watson et al., 2018), supervised heavy lifting improved bone density even in women who already had low bone mass. Many women also notice the practical side first: steadier stairs, easier carrying, feeling surer on their feet.

How much strength training, and how often?

A sensible target is 2–4 strength sessions a week through the reproductive years, perimenopause and menopause, and 2–3 a week in puberty and after menopause. From the reproductive years on, what stays steady is how a session is built: compound lifts first, isolation work after, and sets that finish 1–3 reps short of failure. The table below gives the sets and reps for each stage.

Protein supports the lifting. In a pooled analysis of 49 trials of adults doing resistance training (Morton et al., 2018), gains leveled off at about 1.62 g of total protein per kg of body weight a day. The trials covered adults generally, not women alone. Some women also look into creatine for women as an optional extra.

What do the studies show, and what do they leave open?

LIFTMOR is the trial this page leans on most for bone. Its participants were postmenopausal women with low bone mass, and the program was eight months of supervised high-intensity resistance and impact training. One minor adverse event was reported, a lower back spasm.

Those results come from one program in one group of women, so they speak most clearly to that group and setting. The trial does not tell us what happens in younger women or in training done alone at home.

The weekly ranges on this page are working targets, not tested doses. The CDC and NHS lines give a floor of 2 days and no upper figure, so there is room to settle on the number of sessions that suits your week.

Where do Zone 2 cardio and walking fit in?

Zone 2 cardio and walking fit alongside strength training at every stage, not in place of it. The CDC's muscle-strengthening line stands on its own, so a daily walk adds to your lifting days. Many women like steady cardio on the days between sessions.

For aerobic exercise for menopause, as for any other stage, walking, cycling or swimming are all reasonable, and the one you enjoy is the one most likely to last.

Do mobility, balance and yoga count?

Mobility, balance and yoga count as part of an active week. In puberty, the bodyweight work that comes first is movement practice in its own right, so strength and mobility overlap from the start. Yoga and stretching sit comfortably on the days between lifting sessions at any stage.

For older adults the guidelines name balance directly. The CDC (2024) asks adults 65 and older for muscle-strengthening on at least 2 days a week plus balance activities, and the UK NHS (2024) lists strength, balance and flexibility activities together on at least 2 days a week.

Where do impact and low impact exercise fit?

Low impact is a sound place to begin at any stage. Low impact exercise for women after menopause can start with machines or bands, using moves such as sit-to-stands and step-ups. Many women find that builds confidence before anything more demanding.

Impact is an option to grow into. LIFTMOR paired its heavy lifting with impact training in women who already had low bone mass, which supports exploring it with a qualified instructor, gradually, once lifting feels comfortable.

Next steps

A good place to start is the life-stage row that matches where you are now, trying its figures for a few weeks and noticing how your body responds. You might begin at the low end of the sessions range and build from there as sessions feel easier, then revisit the plan as your goals or life stage change. Some women prefer a gym, others bands at home, and both can work. Strength training is not one size fits all, so you decide what fits you.