Why Strength Training Is the Best Thing You Can Do for Your Body as You Age

The evidence on muscle, bone, estrogen, and why lifting matters more than ever after 35

There is a quiet revolution happening in women’s health and it involves barbells.

For too long, strength training was marketed as something for athletes or bodybuilders.

Meanwhile, the science has been piling up with a different message: for women, especially as we move into our 30s, 40s, and beyond, resistance training may be one of the single most important investments we can make in our long-term health.

At Sweatworking Collective, this is why we built LIFTED. And in this post, we want to share the “why” in full because understanding what is happening in your body is one of the most powerful motivators there is.

What Happens to Our Bodies as We Age (And Why It Matters)

Muscle Mass: The Quiet Decline

Starting in our 30s, adults begin to lose muscle mass, a process called sarcopenia. Without intervention, women can lose 3–8% of muscle mass per decade, with this rate accelerating around the time of menopause. This matters not just for how we look or feel in the gym, but for our metabolism, our mobility, our balance, and our independence later in life.

The good news? Resistance training directly counters sarcopenia. A 2024 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that even two sessions of resistance training per week significantly improved skeletal muscle mass in older women with sarcopenia, producing results comparable to three sessions per week.

Bone Density: The Estrogen Connection

Bone density is largely regulated by estrogen. As women transition through perimenopause and into post-menopause, estrogen levels fall, and with that decline comes accelerated bone loss. Research shows that during the first 10 years after menopause, women can lose 1.5–2.5% of bone mass annually. Over time, this contributes to osteoporosis and a significantly elevated fracture risk.

The statistics are sobering: approximately 40% of women over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime, with hip fractures in particular associated with serious complications, including reduced independence and increased mortality.

But this is not inevitable. Bone is living tissue. It responds to load and resistance training is one of the most effective ways to stimulate bone formation and slow bone loss.

What the Research Says About Strength Training and Bone Health

The evidence base here is substantial and growing. Here is what the science tells us:

Resistance Training Protects and Builds Bone Density

Studies across postmenopausal women, found consistent evidence that exercise training, particularly resistance-based exercise, has a favourable effect on bone mineral density (BMD). The effects were observed at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, two of the sites most vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures.

Further research, found that moderate-intensity resistance training performed three days per week was clinically preferred for improving BMD in postmenopausal women. The same research confirmed that bone loss accelerates significantly with estrogen loss after menopause.

Specific Movements That Matter Most

Not all exercise is equal when it comes to bone health. Research suggests that the most effective movements for improving BMD are those that place direct mechanical load on the skeleton. A landmark randomized controlled trial, the LIFTMOR trial (Watson et al., 2018), demonstrated that high-intensity resistance and impact training specifically deadlifts, squats, and overhead presses, improved bone mineral density and physical function in postmenopausal women with osteopenia and osteoporosis.

These are exactly the foundational movements at the core of LIFTED.

Exercise Promotes Osteoblastic Activity

At the cellular level, exercise works by stimulating osteoblasts, the cells responsible for bone formation.

Regular exercise promotes osteoblastic activity and bone strength, and that this mechanical loading plays a critical role in maintaining bone health during and after the menopause transition, working synergistically with (and sometimes in lieu of) hormonal interventions.

Strength Training Recommendations: What the Guidelines Say

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend that adults incorporate muscle-strengthening activities at least two times per week to maintain muscle and bone health. These guidelines are informed by systematic reviews of the scientific evidence and are endorsed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

For women in perimenopause and post-menopause specifically, 2–3 sessions per week at moderate to high intensity is the optimal frequency to meaningfully impact bone mineral density.

The Bottom Line

Strength training is not a nice-to-have for women as they age. It is, increasingly, one of the most evidence-backed tools we have for maintaining independence, reducing fracture risk, building and preserving muscle, and supporting overall quality of life through perimenopause and beyond.

The best part? It does not have to be complicated.

Consistent, well-structured strength work, two or more times a week, using foundational movements like squats, deadlifts, and overhead press is enough to make a meaningful difference.

That is exactly what LIFTED is designed to give you.

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