Free program
A free 12-week strength training program for women over 40
This is the program I’d start you on if you walked in tomorrow, written out in full. Twelve weeks, three sessions a week of about 35 minutes, built on the five movements that cover your whole body. It’s free, it needs only a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a gym, and it works whether you’re 42 or 62.
Want help sticking with it?
Get Jill’s tips by email while you work through the 12 weeks: what to eat, how to progress, and what to do when a week goes sideways.
Who is this 12-week program for?
Women over 40 who have never lifted, or who are coming back after years away. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, a past fracture, a recent surgery or an injury, check with your doctor first; the program can be adapted, but start that conversation before week one.
What equipment do you need?
- Adjustable dumbbells (or a gym with dumbbells and a bench)
- A notebook or the PDF to write your weights down
- About 35 minutes, three times a week, with a day between sessions
How the program is built
Every session uses the same five patterns: squat, hinge, push, pull and carry. You alternate two sessions, A and B, so each pattern gets a slightly different exercise. The program runs in three four-week phases that follow the NSCA’s guidance for older adults: two to three sessions a week, building to two to three sets of multi-joint moves at a weight that makes the last couple of reps genuinely hard.
| Phase | Weeks | Sets × reps | The point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Learn | 1–4 | 2 × 10–12 | Learn the moves with light weight. Form first. |
| 2 · Build | 5–8 | 3 × 8–10 | Add a set, add weight. The last two reps should be hard. |
| 3 · Load | 9–12 | 3 × 6–8 | Heavier still. This is where bone and muscle really respond. |
The warm-up (5 minutes, every session)
- 2 minutes of brisk walking or marching in place
- 10 bodyweight squats
- 10 hip hinges with hands on hips
- 10 arm circles each way, 10 band pull-aparts or wall slides
- One light set of your first exercise before the working sets
Session A
| Pattern | Exercise | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | Goblet squat | Dumbbell at your chest, sit between your hips, chest tall |
| Push | Dumbbell bench press (or floor press) | Lower slowly, press straight up |
| Hinge | Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | Hips back, weights close to your legs, flat back |
| Pull | One-arm dumbbell row | Elbow to hip, shoulder away from your ear |
| Carry | Farmer’s carry | Heavy, 30 seconds, walk tall |
Session B
| Pattern | Exercise | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Hinge | Glute bridge (phase 1) → dumbbell hip thrust | Squeeze at the top, ribs down |
| Push | Seated dumbbell overhead press | Ribs down, press straight up, don’t arch |
| Squat | Reverse lunge (or split squat) | Step back, drop straight down, front heel planted |
| Pull | Lat pulldown or band row | Pull to your chest, elbows down and back |
| Carry | Suitcase carry (one side at a time) | Don’t lean. 30 seconds each side |
Week 1 is A, B, A. Week 2 is B, A, B. Keep alternating. The five moves guide has fuller form cues for every pattern.
When should you add weight?
That rule is the whole program. The sets and reps change by phase; the rule never does. Writing your weights down is what makes it work, because you cannot progress what you don’t track.
The rest of the week
- Walk. 30 minutes on the days you don’t lift. The CDC’s guidance is at least 150 minutes of brisk walking a week plus two or more days of strength work, and this program covers both.
- Eat protein at every meal. About 30 grams per meal for adults over 50, per Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. The protein calculator gives you a daily target.
- Sleep. Seven to nine hours. Muscle is built on rest days, not training days.
Why it works
From around age 30 the body loses about 3–5% of its muscle mass per decade unless you train to keep it, and after menopause bone follows. Loaded, progressive strength training is the signal that reverses both. In the LIFTMOR trial, postmenopausal women who built up to heavy lifting twice a week for eight months improved their spine bone density while the gentle-exercise group lost some. Twelve weeks won’t finish the job. It builds the habit and the base that does.
What do you do after week 12?
Run it again from phase 2 with heavier weights, or swap in new exercises for the same five patterns. For a full week that fits walking and balance work around the lifting, see workouts for women over 50. If you want a program built around your own body, schedule and goals, with someone checking your form, that’s what coaching is.
Form comes before weight. Stop any movement that causes sharp pain. This program is general fitness education, not medical advice.
