From 2 videos
What are the best strength exercises for women over 50?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Nikkiey's top five for women over 50 are squats, push-ups, dumbbell deadlifts, standing shoulder presses, and lat pulldowns or dumbbell rows. These compound moves work multiple muscles at once to support muscle, bone density, balance and everyday strength. The key is getting progressively stronger at them, not just going through the motions.
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Nikkiey on why functional strength matters after 50, starting with squats
Plays from 1:32 · Video: 5 Strength Exercises for Women Over 50 and a Weekly Plan
Why light dumbbells and bodyweight workouts don't build muscle in menopause
Plays from 3:24 · Video: 6 Dumbbell Exercises to Build Muscle During Menopause
How to do a dumbbell deadlift and why it protects you from falls
Plays from 3:45 · Video: 5 Strength Exercises for Women Over 50 and a Weekly Plan
Nikkiey's simple A/B weekly plan for six dumbbell exercises
Plays from 11:48 · Video: 6 Dumbbell Exercises to Build Muscle During Menopause
The full answer
Nikkiey explains that after 50 the goal is functional strength: exercises that support daily life and lower the risk of falls and fractures. Each of her picks has a job:
- Squats: a compound movement that works against age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), and they mimic sitting down and standing up, which helps you stay independent.
- Push-ups: they engage the core for balance, and she says their weight-bearing nature can help preserve bone density in the wrists and arms. Do them against a wall or on your knees if full push-ups are too hard.
- Dumbbell deadlifts: start with light weights. They strengthen the core and train the everyday action of lifting things off the floor.
- Standing shoulder presses and lat pulldowns or dumbbell rows round out the push and pull.
In her episode on building muscle during menopause, Nikkiey adds an important point: light work is not enough. Arm circles with two-pound dumbbells, band kickbacks and bodyweight-only videos feel like exercise but, she says, don't give your body enough stimulus to build new muscle. Start light, then keep adding weight over time.
That episode offers a six-exercise dumbbell version that covers push, pull and legs: goblet squat, Romanian deadlift, bent-over row, overhead press, chest press and hip thrust. She calls the goblet squat the foundation, and says strong glutes from hip thrusts can take stress off the knees. You don't need a gym membership or all six every session. She splits them into Workout A (goblet squat, row, overhead press) and Workout B (Romanian deadlift, chest press, hip thrust), alternating Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cramming all six into one workout, she says, means too much volume, sloppy form and poorer recovery.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
Women also ask
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Strength Training for Women
Can I build muscle at home with just dumbbells?
Yes. On The WarriorBabe Show, the message is that muscle grows from the force it produces against resistance and how close you take it to failure. Gym machines and dumbbells are two delivery systems for that same signal. What matters is lifting heavy enough, resting enough, and gradually making it harder over time.
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Strength Training for Women
When should I increase the weight I lift?
Go up when you can do 12 reps with perfect form and feel like you could do more. Nikkiey's rule: the last two to three reps of every set should feel hard, not painful. When they stop feeling hard, add a small amount, two and a half to five pounds, and build from there.
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Strength Training for Women
What can I do if I can't do a full push-up?
Start with a modified push-up. Do them against a wall, counter or sturdy table, or with your knees on the floor instead of a full plank. Nikkiey favors incline push-ups for women over 40 because they ease wrist and shoulder strain while working the same muscles. Lower the incline as you get stronger.
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