I’m a PT in my 50s – this is the full-body workout to try
At the end of the day, the goal of exercise is to make us healthier by boosting muscle, bone, and joint strength, and keeping our heart and brain healthy. If we can enjoy it along the way by doing some of the best exercises for longevity, then even better.
Joey Bull is a personal trainer and strength specialist with 35 years of experience, now working with the menopause platform Issiva. She knows firsthand how strength exercises for women over 50 can transform not just how you look, but how you age.
“From our 30s, we naturally lose 3 to 5% of muscle per decade, and this rate speeds up after 50. Resistance training is the only way to preserve and rebuild that lost muscle. While Pilates and yoga have many benefits, in our age group, we need to push heavier. It’s the key to so many elements of healthy ageing,” she tells woman&home.
Whether you’re looking to know whether to start with a pair of dumbbells or liven up your routine, Joey has a workout that works anywhere, from your living room to the gym. All you need is some weights (she recommends a pair of dumbbells and resistance bands, or kettlebells) and a good yoga mat.
Joey’s strength exercises for women over 50
1. Single leg bends
Single-leg bends or squats are classic quadricep exercises that boost lower-body stability and “improve gait strength and confidence,” says Joey. With age, this is one of the strength exercises for women over 50 that can also help with basic movements, such as climbing stairs.
Here’s how to do them:
- Stand on a stable elevated surface.
- Keep upright, bend slowly down and back up, stepping forward and back, touching down for balance only.
- Train your knee and hip to align with your foot – a mirror can help with this.
- Keep movements small and precise.
- Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
2. Romanian deadlift
As a glute exercise, deadlifts also target the lower body and can “teach us to bend well while protecting the spine, which prevents lower back issues and strengthens hips for lifting and climbing,” says Joey.
This exercise will also “add functional muscle mass that stabilises knees and help us build balanced, shapely legs,” she adds.
Here’s how to do a deadlift:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Hold one dumbbell in each hand and hold them in front of your thighs, with your palms facing your legs.
- Keep your back straight, squeeze your shoulder blades back and down.
- Hinge at the hips by slowly sending your hips to the back of the room, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
- Drive through the heels to return to the upright position.
- Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
3. Overhead press
It’s essential to prioritise some upper-body movements when doing a dumbbell workout at home or in the gym. An overhead press can help “create posture and presence in your frame,” says Joey. “It also improves your ability to lift and reach, and it protects shoulder stability.”
This is how to do an overhead press:
- Stand shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level.
- Your elbows should be slightly out in front of you, not parallel to your shoulders.
- Press the weights over your head, bringing them close together at the top.
- Pause at the top, then bring your arms down slowly until you get to shoulder height.
- Repeat the movement, keeping your core braced and without leaning back.
- Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
4. Bent-over row
While strength exercises for women over 50 do include wall angels and the Superman, the bent-over row is a back exercise that boosts strength and muscle tone. This exercise can also “improve posture, strengthen your grip and spine, and give the illusion of a neater waistline, and help offset time spent sitting or at a desk,” says the personal trainer.
Here’s how to do a bent-over row:
- Holding two weights, hinge forward at the hips until you are almost parallel with the ground.
- Pull the weights towards your ribcage, keeping your elbows close.
- Keep your back engaged with your shoulder blades pulled back and down.
- Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
5. Jumps
“The drop in oestrogen during menopause reduces muscle mass, bone density and joint integrity. This can increase the risk of osteoporosis, frailty and falls in later life,” Joey warns us. A simple exercise like jumping makes all the difference.
“It builds leg power, balance, and bone density, and it reduces the risk of falls and restores the ‘spring’ we lose with age,” she says.
Here’s the best way to do it:
- Start with one leg slightly forward and the other angled out (like at 2 o’clock), shoulders square.
- Bend and drive upwards, landing softly with knees aligned.
- Start with mini jumps or explosive push-offs without leaving the ground if your fitness or confidence is low.
- Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
How to make these exercises easier
- Single leg bends: Instead of bending down on one leg, bend down on both until you have built up more strength. You could also switch this exercise out for a standard squat.
- Deadlifts: “Begin with no weight and practice hinging forward with broomstick or lighter dumbbells,” says Joey.
- Overhead Press: Instead of using weights, try “water bottles, or press without weight to learn your range,” she says.
- Bent-over Row: “Use resistance bands and focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together,” says Joey. This should make the exercise feel easier.
- Jumps: “Focus on aligning your feet and knees. Bend low, and simply bounce onto your toes without leaving the ground,” says Joey. “Then, progress to small hops when you’re ready.”
Joey Bull is a certified personal trainer and strength coach with 35 years of experience in the industry. She was invited to host the National Fitness Awards in 2021 and appears regularly on BBC radio. Joey has nine workout DVDs to her name, which have sold internationally and been dubbed into several languages. She is currently working with Issiva.
SONGMICS
Set of 6 Dumbbells
New to working out? Grab a stack of dumbbells lower in weight. If you need some heavier ones, you could always hold two together.
Resistance bands are travel and storage friendly, rolling up into neat circles that can be kept tucked out of the way. When you need to use them, they carry jus the same resistance as dumbbells or kettlebells. Simply hook one under your foot and lift.
I’d always recommend a soft kettlebell if you have hardwood flooring or anyone living below you. This one comes in fun colours and has a non-slip handle for even-better lifting.
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