Full-body strength routine for women 50+
This full-body routine from Yco uses her heavy weight, low rep approach to strength training. The routine is designed using supersets, a training style “where you perform two exercises back to back, which allows you to get more work done in a shorter amount of time,” says Yco.
You will perform 3 rounds total — two focused on upper and lower body compound movements, plus a bonus arm round — aiming for 4-6 reps per exercise. “Focus on slow and controlled movements. The goal is to lift heavier, but not max out, you want to remain about 2 reps shy of failure,” say Yco. “This approach will help you build strength safely and effectively.”
Warmup
Perform 10 reps of each exercise.
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Squats
Start with feet hips-width apart, toes turned out on a slight angle. Sit your butt down and back, as if you are sitting into a chair, to sink down into a squat. Make sure to keep the knees tracking over the toes. Push through the heels to come back up to standing. Repeat.
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Squat to stand
Start with feet hips-width apart, toes turned out on a slight angle. Sit your butt down and back, as if you are sitting into a chair to sink down into a squat. Keep the knees tracking over the toes. At the bottom of the squat, grab your toes with your hands. Keep hold of your toes as you lift the butt back up toward the sky, straightening the legs. Let your head fall toward the ground. Feel the stretch in the hamstrings. Come back down into a squat position and repeat.
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Good mornings
Start standing with your feet hips-width apart. Place your hands behind your head, with your elbows reaching out to the sides. Keep a slight bend in the knee and hinge at the hips, sending the glutes back behind you and your chest toward the floor. Be sure to keep the core engaged so there is no arch in your back. Stop when your chest is parallel to the floor and you feel a stretch in the hamstrings. Use your hamstrings and glutes to pull yourself back up to standing. Repeat.
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Child’s pose to up dog
Start on all fours on the ground. Sit your hips back to rest on your heels. Straighten your arms out in front of you and let your forehead rest on the mat in child’s pose. From here, move into up dog by scooping the chest forward and lifting the head toward the sky, straightening the legs and pressing down into both palms. Let the upper thighs rest gently on the mat, but keep your pelvis and torso elevated. Move back through child’s pose and repeat.
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Bridge
Start lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Rest your arms down by your sides. Engage the glutes and push through the heels to lift your butt off the ground and raise your pelvis toward the sky. Your body should form a straight line from your knees to your neck. Hold at the top, squeezing the glutes, before slowly lowering back down. Repeat.
Superset 1
Perform 4-6 reps of each exercise back to back. Rest for 60 seconds, and then perform a second round.
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Heels-elevated squat
Stand with feet hips-width apart. Place a dumbbell behind each heel. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Carefully step your heels up onto the dumbbells, keeping your toes on the ground. Sink down into a squat, lowering to at least a 90-degree angle at the knees, but lower if your range of motion allows. Squeeze the glutes and push through the heels to come back up to standing. Repeat.
Single arm dumbbell row.start TODAY
Single arm dumbbell row
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand. Come into a staggered stance with your left leg in front and your right leg back behind you. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and a slight bend in both knees. Lightly rest your left hand on your left knee. Let the right arm holding the dumbbell hang straight down toward the ground. This is your starting position. From here, pull your elbow straight up toward the ceiling, bringing the dumbbell to your ribcage. Lower it back down to the starting position. Repeat for 4-6 reps and then switch sides.
Superset 2
Perform 4-6 reps of each exercise back to back. Rest for 60 seconds, and then perform a second round.
Romanian deadlift.start TODAY
Romanian deadlift
Start standing with your feet hips-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of the thighs. Hinge at the hips, pushing the glutes toward the back of the room and letting the chest fall toward the ground, sliding the dumbbells down your legs. Stop when you feel a stretch in the back of the legs or if your mobility allows, when your chest is parallel to the ground and the dumbbells reach your shins. Engage the glutes and hamstrings to pull yourself back up to standing. Repeat.
Supine chest press.start TODAY
Supine chest press
Sit on the floor and place a dumbbell on either side of your body. Then, lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and bring your arms into a goal-post position with the biceps parallel to the ground and the weights pointing toward the sky. This is your starting position. Keeping the core engaged, push both dumbbells straight up over your chest. Slowly bring them back down to the starting position and repeat.
Superset 3
Perform 4-6 reps of each exercise back to back. Rest for 60 seconds, and then perform a second round.
Overhead tricep extension.start TODAY
Overhead tricep extension
Start standing with your feet hips-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Hold each dumbbell by one end and push them straight up overhead, bringing them together so they gently touch. Keeping your biceps still, bend at the elbows to lower the dumbbells down behind your head. Engage the triceps to pull them back up toward the sky. Repeat.
Standing bicep curl.start TODAY
Standing bicep curl
Start standing with your feet hips-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your biceps glued to your ribcage, bend at the elbows, pulling the dumbbells up toward your shoulders. Squeeze at the top before slowly lowering the dumbbells back down to your sides. Repeat.
This strength training workout plan for women post-menopause improves functional fitness, builds strength, muscle mass, and bone density and boosts metabolism.
