(Pregnancy, Midlife, Menopause & Everything Between)
You guys — if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a trainer, a mom, and a woman in her 40s, it’s that strength training is the constant we all need. Whether you’re growing a human, trying to keep up with one, or staring down the hormone roller coaster that is perimenopause, lifting something heavier than your phone is pivotal.
And no — strength training doesn’t mean becoming a bodybuilder or living under a barbell. It’s resistance in all its forms: dumbbells, cables, kettlebells, bands, rucks, even your own body weight. It’s the process of reminding your body (and brain) what it’s capable of — at every age.
Strength Training During Pregnancy: Building More Than a Baby
When I was pregnant, I dealt with gestational diabetes, a shifting center of gravity, and an overall sense that my body had been hijacked. Strength training was the one thing that made me feel like me at a time when I was feeling very much not myself. I was told I would feel like Superwoman during my second trimester (yeah, no) – my energy dipped fast. My feet were swollen, my brain was mush, and I felt like falling asleep at my desk. Nonetheless, strength training was the one thing that helped me feel grounded and capable in a body that suddenly felt foreign. Squats, rows, deadlifts, carries — I wasn’t trying to “crush PRs,” I was just reminding my body what it could do.
Research backs this up — according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, resistance training during pregnancy can reduce back pain, prevent excessive weight gain, and even lower the risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension. Studies also show it improves blood flow and preps you for the physical marathon that is labor.
In the end, those workouts did more than keep me moving. They helped manage my blood sugar, reduced back pain, and improved my sleep — all things that made a rough pregnancy a little easier. More importantly, they helped me stay connected to myself when everything else felt out of my control.
Strength Training In Midlife: The Reality Check Years
Now in my mid-40s, I’m dealing with the fun combo of creaky knees, changing hormones, and a metabolism that used to be my friend but now just… watches me eat. Add in the gradual drop in estrogen and muscle mass, and strength training goes from “good idea” to “non-negotiable.”
Science agrees. Research in BMC Women’s Health (2023) found that regular resistance training in women 40–60 helps preserve lean mass, improve metabolism, and support bone density — all things that start to decline without it.
And while I will loudly admit that I hate cardio, I know it has its place. But lifting gives me what cardio never did: confidence, stability, and that feeling of being total badass.
That mental side is key — because feeling physically strong changes how you show up in your life. When you’re pushing through a set of deadlifts, you start realizing you can also push through that stressful meeting, that parenting moment, or that hormone-fueled meltdown.
Strength Training After Menopause: Strong Is the New Normal
If you think strength training stops when hot flashes start, think again. After menopause, bone loss and muscle decline speed up, but studies show resistance training can reverse a lot of it. A 2024 study from the University of Exeter found that women who lifted weights improved hip strength by 19% and balance by 10%.
That means fewer falls, more independence, and a body that can still do the things you love — hiking, rucking, carrying grandkids, or whatever your “next phase” looks like.
This stage isn’t about chasing your 25-year-old self. It’s about building the version of you who feels alive in her 50s, 60s, and beyond. And I promise, that version lifts.
It’s Not About Perfection — It’s About Power
Here’s the thing no research paper can measure: the way strength training makes you feel. It’s that quiet moment when you realize you’re stronger than you were last month. It’s carrying your groceries, hiking a trail, or helping your kid move into a dorm and thinking, “Yeah, I’ve got this.”
Strength training doesn’t just change your body — it shifts your perspective. You stop training for aesthetics and start training for agency. For capability. For that deep, personal kind of power that says, “I can handle whatever this phase throws at me.”
And that, my friends, is why we lift.
It’s about building a foundation that supports you — physically, mentally, hormonally, emotionally. Pregnancy, midlife, menopause… they all demand strength.
So, grab a dumbbell, a kettlebell, or a resistance band. Move intentionally. Build muscle. Support your bones. Feel your power.
Because you’re not getting weaker with age — you’re just getting started.