There are twenty gyms in Woking. Walk into any of them and it's easy to head straight for the treadmill — because at least you know what you're doing there. I get it. But if you're over 40 and your workouts start and end with cardio, you're missing the thing that actually moves the needle.
What happens to your body after 40
From your thirties onwards, you naturally start to lose muscle mass — a process that speeds up after menopause. Bone density follows a similar pattern. Left unchecked, this shows up as things like a slower metabolism, aching joints, poorer balance, and a higher risk of fractures later in life.
The good news is that strength training is one of the few things proven to slow, and in some cases reverse, both of those processes. It's not about lifting heavy for the sake of it — it's about giving your body a reason to hold on to the muscle and bone it already has.
It's not just physical
Clients tell me again and again that the biggest change isn't how they look — it's how they feel. Getting stronger tends to bring better sleep, steadier energy through the day, and a noticeable lift in confidence. There's something genuinely different about knowing you can carry your own shopping, get up off the floor without thinking about it, or keep up with your kids or grandkids without running out of steam.
Where to start if you've never lifted before
- Start with bodyweight and light resistance — technique comes before load, always.
- Focus on the big movements: squat, hinge, push, pull, carry. Everything else builds from these.
- Two sessions a week is plenty to start seeing real change within a few months.
- Don't train through pain — but don't confuse normal muscle fatigue with an injury either. A good coach will help you tell the difference.
The only hard part is starting
Most of the women I work with put this off for years, usually because the idea of walking into a gym and not knowing what they're doing felt worse than not going at all. That's exactly why I coach one-to-one, in a private studio — you make every mistake here first, in private, at your pace, and walk into any mainstream gym afterwards already knowing exactly what you're doing.