Strength training for women: what the evidence says, myths aside
Strength training for women follows the same rules as for men: work the major muscle groups at least twice a week, with loads that feel hard by the last repetitions, and increase the challenge over time. The World Health Organization makes no distinction between the sexes in its recommendation of muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week. Research on how women respond is reassuring. A 2020 meta-analysis by Roberts, Nuckols and Krieger compared men and women on the same programmes: relative muscle growth and lower-body strength gains were similar, and women gained more relative upper-body strength. A large meta-analysis on the menstrual cycle found only a trivial drop in performance in the early follicular phase, too small to justify a general rule. After menopause, the LIFTMOR trial showed that supervised heavy lifting improved bone density in women with low bone mass. This guide covers those findings, the precautions in pregnancy, and a simple plan to begin.
Your strength sessions this week
Enter how many strength sessions you plan each week and how long they last. The result compares your plan with the WHO's two days and with the 30 to 60 weekly minutes linked to the largest benefit.
- Strength work per week
- 60 minutes
- WHO recommendation
- Two days or more: met
- Against the 30 to 60 minutes of the pooled studies
- Within
The 30 to 60 minutes come from pooled observational studies on health. In pregnancy or after birth, follow the advice of your midwife or doctor.
Women respond to training as well as men
The idea that women gain little from lifting, or that they need a different kind of programme, does not survive the data. Roberts, Nuckols and Krieger pooled studies where young and middle-aged men and women followed the same resistance training protocol. For muscle growth, measured relative to starting size, there was no significant difference between the sexes. For lower-body strength, no significant difference either. For upper-body strength, the effect was larger in women, possibly because untrained women start further from their potential in that region.
These are relative gains. Men usually start with more muscle mass and so add more in absolute terms. A programme that gives a woman a firmer, stronger body does not turn into bulk without years of targeted training and diet, which is a reason to train with real loads rather than avoid them.
The menstrual cycle: no universal rule
Should you train differently according to your cycle? The meta-analysis by McNulty and colleagues, covering 78 studies, found a trivial reduction in performance during the early follicular phase, the days around menstruation, compared with other phases. The authors judged the effect too small and too variable to support general recommendations, and suggested a personalised approach instead.
In practice: if some days of your cycle feel harder, adjust the load or volume on those days, as you would after a bad night. If you notice no difference, there is no reason to change anything. A training log that notes how you feel makes your own pattern visible within a few months. Our guide on women executives and training covers the same evidence from the angle of a busy working week.
After menopause, strength and bone
Bone and muscle both respond to load. The LIFTMOR trial, published in 2018, randomised 101 postmenopausal women with low bone mass, aged 65 on average. One group did 30-minute supervised sessions twice a week for eight months, of high-intensity resistance and impact training: five sets of five repetitions above 85% of their maximum. Compared with a low-intensity home programme, lumbar spine bone density rose by 2.9% instead of falling by 1.2%, and every functional test improved. Only one minor adverse event was reported.
Two cautions: the training was closely supervised, and the women were screened beforehand. This is not a programme to start alone. It does show that heavy, well-coached lifting is possible and useful after menopause. Our article on strength training over 50 goes further.
Pregnancy and after birth
The NHS recommends that pregnant women aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week and include two sessions of muscle strengthening. It advises against starting new vigorous activity, against sports with a risk of falling or of a blow to the stomach, and against lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes in later pregnancy. Stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell.
In pregnancy, after birth, or with a health condition, ask your midwife or doctor how to adapt your training before you start or resume.
A two-session plan to start
Two full-body sessions a week cover the WHO minimum. Each one can include:
- A squat pattern: goblet squat or split squat. See our squat form guide.
- A hinge: Romanian deadlift or hip thrust.
- A push: push-ups at your level, or a dumbbell press.
- A pull: one-arm row, or assisted pull-ups.
- Trunk work: plank or side plank.
Two to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, finishing each set with one or two repetitions in reserve, is a solid start. Increase the repetitions, then the load, as you progress. A pooled analysis by Momma and colleagues associated 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity a week with the largest reduction in risk of death and major diseases, which two half-hour sessions reach. The calculator below shows where your plan stands. For a home version, see our dumbbell workout at home.
Start with friends, keep it going
Never Skip Club builds a guided strength session in about a minute: choose the body area, Easy, Medium or Intense, 20, 30 or 45 minutes, at home, in a hotel or at the gym. Each exercise is shown in animation and you log your sets. Training with friends helps you keep going: set up a crew of three to seven people with a target such as two sessions a week, and the ranking rewards regularity rather than volume. Create your free account, or sign in. If you want a professional to teach you the main lifts, book a coach from our network.
Questions
Will lifting heavy weights make a woman look bulky?
Not in the way the myth suggests. The 2020 meta-analysis by Roberts, Nuckols and Krieger found that women and men gained muscle at a similar relative rate on the same programmes. Because women usually start with less muscle mass, the absolute change is smaller. Large muscle gains take years of targeted training and eating, so training with challenging loads mostly produces a stronger, firmer body.
Should women change their workouts during their period?
Only if you feel the need. The 2020 meta-analysis by McNulty and colleagues found a trivial drop in performance in the early follicular phase, the days around menstruation, and judged it too small and variable for general advice. If those days feel harder, reduce the load or volume a little. If you feel no difference, keep your usual plan. Your own log is the best guide.
Is heavy lifting safe for women with osteoporosis or low bone density?
It can be, under supervision. In the LIFTMOR trial, postmenopausal women with low bone mass did supervised sets of five repetitions above 85% of their maximum, twice a week for eight months, with gains in spine bone density and function and only one minor adverse event. Participants were screened and closely coached. Ask your doctor first and learn the lifts with a qualified professional.
How often should a woman beginner do strength training each week?
Two sessions a week is the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization for all adults, and it is a good starting point. A pooled analysis by Momma and colleagues linked 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity a week with the largest health benefit, which two half-hour sessions cover. Add a third session later if you want faster progress and can recover from it.
Sources
- World Health Organization: physical activity, key facts
- World Health Organization: guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020)
- Roberts, Nuckols and Krieger: sex differences in resistance training, a systematic review and meta-analysis (J Strength Cond Res, 2020)
- McNulty et al.: menstrual cycle phase and exercise performance, a systematic review and meta-analysis (Sports Med, 2020)
- Watson et al.: high-intensity resistance and impact training in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, the LIFTMOR trial (J Bone Miner Res, 2018)
- NHS: exercise in pregnancy
- Momma et al.: muscle-strengthening activities and risk of major non-communicable diseases (Br J Sports Med, 2022)
- American College of Sports Medicine: progression models in resistance training for healthy adults (2009)