Are you a woman over 40 still working out the way you did in your 20s, only to find you’re not getting the same results anymore?



If your current routine feels like a battle against your body, it's time to shift your approach. To get the results you truly deserve, you need to understand three big things about training smarter, not harder.



Make sure to watch this video until the end to get my proven strength training blueprint for women 40+.













1. Your Hormones Matter (A Lot More Now)



One of the most significant shifts for women over 40 is the increased influence of hormones.



As you age and approach perimenopause and menopause, your body naturally produces more cortisol, the stress hormone, which can make things a little harder. While cortisol is vital for managing stressful situations, chronic elevation due to everyday life, and surprisingly, certain workouts, can be detrimental.



Many women unknowingly contribute to elevated cortisol levels by choosing workouts that promise the highest calorie burn on their watch, often gravitating towards long cardio-based or high-intensity classes.



The overlooked piece of this puzzle is that too much of these activities, especially if they are long, will increase cortisol. When cortisol levels remain elevated, your body perceives a constant state of danger, leading to more belly fat gain and even water retention, making you feel puffy and causing weight fluctuations despite intense effort.



This isn't about shunning cardio entirely, but rather being smart about not adding unnecessary stress to a body already dealing with hormonal changes.



2. Boost Your Metabolic Rate, Don't Just Burn Calories Manually



While energy expenditure is certainly part of the equation for workouts, the way you burn energy needs to evolve. Instead of focusing solely on “manual calorie burning” through endless running or biking, the smarter approach is to increase your metabolic rate. This is where weightlifting becomes your most powerful ally.



When you lift weights, your muscles grow, which in turn increases your metabolic rate. This means that the more lean muscle mass you have, your body burns more calories even when you're resting.



Unlike the immediate calorie count you see on a watch after a run, the calorie burning from weightlifting is a continuous, byproduct effect of having higher muscle mass. This is why individuals with more muscle mass can “get away with eating more” without losing their gains, as their muscles efficiently use the extra energy.



Conversely, someone who relies solely on cardio for calorie burning might find themselves in a constant cycle of intense workouts to manage weight fluctuations. By lifting weights, you’re not just burning calories during the workout; you're building a furnace that burns calories all the time.



3. Weightlifting is the Key to Shaping Your Body and Preventing Muscle Loss



If you're in your 40s or beyond, you have to actively work to maintain and build muscle mass. Unlike your 20s or early 30s where activity might have been enough to maintain muscle, in your 40s, muscle loss accelerates if you don't give your muscles something to do. And guess what accelerates this loss even more? Eating less and less which is another thing that women in their 40s and beyond do in order to lose weight, without realizing that if they don't lift, they lose valuable muscle mass.



Weightlifting is the only thing that will truly shape you...