By Coach Shellie Wingate | Strength & Health Coach for Women 40+
Yes! And if you've been putting off strength training because you can't commit to working out four or five days a week, I've got some good news for you.
You don't have to live in the gym to get stronger.
Two strength training sessions a week can help you build strength, maintain and build muscle, and make everyday activities feel easier.
That doesn't mean two workouts are always better than three or four. But it does mean you can stop thinking of two workouts as somehow falling short.
Especially if the alternative is doing nothing because you can't fit more into your schedule.
Let's look at what the research says and how to make those two workouts count.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults perform muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week, working all major muscle groups.
And that's not just a recommendation for younger adults. It applies to women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.
Research consistently shows that resistance training improves muscular strength. It can also increase muscle size, even when training is performed just twice a week.
Here's something worth understanding: How often you train matters, but so does how much work you do during those sessions.
Research comparing different training frequencies suggests that when total weekly training volume is similar, spreading that work over more days doesn't necessarily produce substantially greater muscle growth.
In other words, you don't automatically get better results just because you show up at the gym more often.
For someone who is new to strength training or returning after time away, two well-planned workouts can be an excellent place to start.
As we get older, maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important.
Muscle mass and strength tend to decline with age, although the rate varies considerably from person to person. Physical activity, nutrition, health, and other factors all play a role.
The hormonal changes associated with menopause can also affect body composition, including how much muscle and fat we carry.
But here's what I want you to understand: Getting older doesn't mean you're destined to become weaker.
Your muscles can still respond to strength training.
And the benefits go well beyond how you look.
Strength training can help you:
Build and maintain muscle strength.
Support bone health.
Improve your ability to perform everyday activities.
Maintain physical function and independence as you age.
Feel more confident doing things that require strength.
Think about carrying groceries, lifting a heavy suitcase, getting up from the floor, or picking up a grandchild.
Those are pretty good reasons to get stronger.
And none of them require spending five days a week in the gym.
If you're only training twice a week, I generally recommend full-body workouts.
That means including exercises that work your major muscle groups during each session rather than dedicating an entire day to just your arms or legs.
A simple workout might include:
1. A squat or squat variation
Examples: Chair squats, goblet squats, or step-ups.
2. A hip-hinge movement
Examples: Glute bridges or dumbbell Romanian deadlifts.
3. An upper-body pushing movement
Examples: Wall push-ups, incline push-ups, or dumbbell chest presses.
4. An upper-body pulling movement
Examples: Resistance-band rows, suspension-trainer rows, or dumbbell rows.
5. A core or carrying exercise
Examples: Dead bugs, bird dogs, or farmer's carries.
You don't need to do every variation. Choose one exercise from each category.
For many beginners, one or two sets of each exercise is a reasonable starting point. You can gradually add sets or resistance as you get stronger.
And you don't need an elaborate home gym. A pair of dumbbells, a resistance band, and a little floor space can go a long way.
Yes, it can be.
But there's an important distinction between simply doing an exercise and challenging your muscles enough to encourage them to adapt.
If you always use the same light weights and finish every set feeling like you could easily do 15 more repetitions, you may eventually stop making progress.
That's where progressive overload comes in.
It sounds technical, but it simply means gradually increasing the challenge as you become stronger.
You might:
Increase the weight you're lifting.
Perform an additional repetition or two.
Add another set.
Choose a slightly more challenging exercise variation.
Improve your range of motion or control.
You don't have to increase something every workout. Progress isn't always that predictable.
The goal is to give your muscles a reason to adapt over time.
And remember, recovery is part of the process. Your muscles need time between challenging sessions.
Scheduling your workouts on nonconsecutive days, such as Monday and Thursday, is a practical way to allow that recovery.
Possibly!
Depending on your goals, experience, and how your workouts are structured, a third strength training session may help you make additional progress.
It can also allow you to spread your training across more days rather than trying to fit everything into two longer workouts.
But more isn't automatically better.
If you're struggling to complete two workouts consistently, adding a third probably isn't the first thing I'd recommend.
I've coached women who start with big plans to exercise nearly every day. They're motivated, excited, and ready to make changes.
Then life happens.
Work gets busy. Someone gets sick. Sleep is terrible. A schedule changes.
And suddenly, missing a few workouts feels like failure.
That's one reason I encourage women to start with a schedule they can realistically maintain.
Two workouts you actually complete are more useful than five workouts that only exist on your calendar.
You can always add more later.
One of the biggest challenges I see in coaching isn't that women don't know exercise is important.
It's figuring out how to keep doing it when life doesn't cooperate.
Here are a few things that can help.
Choose specific workout days.
Instead of telling yourself you'll exercise twice this week, decide when those workouts are most likely to happen.
Have a backup plan.
If your usual 40-minute workout isn't possible, could you do 20 minutes instead?
A shorter workout may not provide the same training stimulus, but it can still be worthwhile.
Track what you're doing.
Write down your exercises, weights, and repetitions. This helps you recognize progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Stop treating a missed workout like a failed week.
If you miss Tuesday, you haven't ruined anything.
You can work out Wednesday, Thursday, or whenever your schedule allows.
You don't need to start over every Monday.
And perhaps most importantly, give yourself time to get comfortable with strength training.
You don't need to master every exercise in the first week. Learning how to move, choose appropriate weights, and challenge yourself safely is part of the process.
Yes, especially if you're new to strength training. Shorter sessions can be effective when they include exercises that challenge your major muscle groups.
As you gain experience, you may need to adjust the amount of training you do to continue progressing.
You need weights that are challenging for you, and that will change as you get stronger.
You don't have to start with heavy dumbbells. You can begin with bodyweight exercises or lighter weights and gradually increase the challenge.
Both lighter and heavier loads can help build muscle when sets are sufficiently challenging, although heavier loads generally produce greater improvements in maximal strength.
Walking is excellent for your health, and I encourage it.
But walking and strength training provide different benefits.
Walking supports cardiovascular health and overall physical activity. Strength training provides the resistance your muscles need to become stronger.
Ideally, your routine includes both.
If you've been waiting until you have more time, more motivation, or a less hectic schedule to start strength training, you might be waiting a while.
And you don't need to.
Start with two workouts a week.
Learn the exercises. Find weights that challenge you. Pay attention to how you're progressing.
And when life gets messy, adjust instead of quitting.
You can build a lot of strength by doing the basics consistently.
You don't need a perfect workout schedule. You need one that works with your life.
I created StrongHer for Life for women 40+ who want to get stronger, improve their health, and build habits they can actually maintain.
The program includes structured strength workouts with options for training two or three days per week, along with coaching and support to help you find an approach that works for your life.
You don't need to be in shape before you start. That's kind of the point.
Learn More About StrongHer for Life
Coach Shellie Wingate is a certified health coach, personal trainer, and menopause specialist who helps women 40+ build strength and healthier habits without extreme diets or unrealistic workout schedules.
Through her StrongHer for Life coaching program, she combines evidence-based coaching with practical strategies that fit real life.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Physical Activity Guidelines. View guidelines
Currier, B. S., et al. (2023). Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine. View research
Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2019). How Many Times per Week Should a Muscle Be Trained to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Studies Examining the Effects of Resistance Training Frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences. View research