For years, conventional wisdom urged women to “age gracefully” but it’s really a phrase that means shrinking our ambitions along with our bodies. Now a new narrative is being shaped. Across gyms, kettlebell clubs, and community studios, women like me in midlife and beyond are turning to heavy lifting as a pathway to confidence, independence, and long-term health.
The science supporting this trend is compelling. In the LIFTMOR study, postmenopausal women with low bone density performed heavily supervised resistance training twice a week for eight months. Their bone density increased by nearly 3 per cent—while a comparison group doing light stretching lost density instead. No injuries were recorded, even as the women trained at 80 to 85 per cent of their one-rep maximum.
In the newly released book, Hormonal Harmony by Dr Karen Coates and Sharon Kolkka write about how after 50, women lose oestrogen and the ‘the importance and potential of the exercise component to reverse low bone density’ which they stress is ‘grossly under-estimated.’ In essence, we are more at risk of injury and less confident of our ability to move if we allow our biology to go unchecked. Heavy lifting directly counteracts this decline.
Dr Karen Coates and Sharon Kolkka go on to say: “Like any tool to help us maintain wellbeing, you must keep your eyes focused on the end game: for osteoporosis, the end game is reducing your risk of bone fractures as you age.
“If you have established osteoporosis, embark on a targeted weights program only under the supervision of a trained expert who understands how to do this safely. This is often an exercise physiologist ( a very under utilised expert in the movement field) or a physiotherapist who is hands-on with you in the gym. This choice can be life-changing – strong, bigger muscles, means better bones, lower riskof falls and fractures, more confidence and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes.”
Heavy Lifting After 50
Strength training among us women after fifty has both physiological and emotional benefits. Chronic loneliness increases mortality risk by 14 per cent. Social isolation raises it by 32 per cent. But joining a gym or joining an exercise group is a fun way to remain social as I discovered recently when I joined my local gym. At my fitness classes, I’ve witnessed plenty of older women training side by side.
In Sydney, 61-year-old Jenny Smith joined her local gym after an unexpected osteoporosis diagnosis. She had always been active—running, walking, yoga but assumed gentle exercise was enough. With the encouragement of her instructor, she began lifting barbells twice a week. A year later, she can deadlift 10 kilos. Her osteoporosis has resolved.
“I decided I didn’t want to age faster than I need to and live in fear of losing balance or having a fall,” Jenny says.
Others in the group report similar transformations. Women are discovering a new identity under the barbell. They’ve gone from practicing yoga for four decades, and then turned to strength training after debilitating back spasms. “I never thought lifting barbells would help me so much,” says Anne Robinson from Southport.
Rewriting Old Messages
At my local gym women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s swap stories and technique tips between lifts. We also go for coffee after our gym classes. It’s a social experience.
We discuss the ripple effects beyond the gym. Let’s face it, a bit more strength in your body means it is much easier to carry groceries, lug suitcases, or getting dressed while sitting down. More confidence. More joy. And, less chance of falling over and risk our quality of life.
Strength in Numbers
When I signed up for my gym, I got my husband to sign up with me too because well, there’s strength in numbers and now we plan to go together. I even encouraged him to join a hip hop class, and he loved it. We are now planning to challenge ourselves to more heavy lifting with barbells, and even taking them on our walks together.
Living Proof
And then there are the women I know who meet twice a week at 6:30 a.m. at Balmoral Beach, slipping their kayaks into Sydney’s glassy harbour before most of the city is awake. After an hour on the water, they finish with strength work on the beach. Many in the group are in their seventies—yet move, laugh, and look as though they’re at least 15 years younger.
For them, it’s not just about living longer, it’s about being able to live a healthy and engaged life. And what that requires is for us to get up and move our bodies.