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15 Benefits of Strength Training for Women (and Why It's Critical)

By Ethan Boldt

May 22, 2025

When it comes to women’s health, including healthy weight management and even longevity, you can argue that there’s no more overlooked or underused factor than strength training. According to 2020 research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 27 percent of American women over the age of 18 engage in muscle-strengthening physical activity at least twice a week.

That means that a large part of the adult female population is missing out of the many benefits of strength training, such as a boosted metabolism, improved bone and joint health, better moods and so much more (see the full list below), including healthy longevity.

While many women are more likely to engage in cardiovascular exercise and hesitate to lift weights, evidence increasingly points to a combination of both types of exercise being very important for overall health.

Learn why strength training is different for women, the many benefits women can look forward to, and how exactly to embark on a strength training program.

Why strength training for women is different than for men

1. Lifting weights won’t bulk you up

First, let’s get a myth out of the way: Lifting weights is very unlikely to make you bulky if you’re a woman. This myth is why so many women are so reluctant to strength train and even when they do, they often only use light weights when they can lift heavier.

But women are unlikely to build excessive muscle because of lower levels of testosterone compared to men. In addition, to achieve significant muscle growth for a woman, it requires very intensive training, eating a lot of calories (including high amounts of protein) and often the use of certain supplements. This does not apply to most women.

2. Women don’t need to exercise as much as men for the same benefits

Meanwhile, it’s important to state that to receive benefits from strength training, women don’t need to exercise as much as men. In fact, according to a study that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, women can exercise much less yet achieve nearly the same health benefits as men. To experience the same reduced chance of death, women only needed to exercise around 140 minutes per week compared to 300 minutes for men.

Why is this? Compared to men, women possess less muscle and aerobic capacity yet also tend to have a higher capillary density per unit of muscle area than men. This difference in capillary density may be related to the female ability to change their baseline of cardiovascular and muscular strength with less output compared to men.

The capillary difference may also be related to muscle fiber type and size variations between women and men. Men typically have larger type II muscle fiber while women possess a higher proportion of type I fibers (which are smaller than type II). It’s another reason why women can’t get as muscular as men.

3. Ideally, start strength training before menopause

The sooner you begin strength training, the better. One, you’re able to build lean muscle more easily when you’re younger. Two, because you will face some muscle loss as you get older, it’s very helpful to have built up a reservoir of muscle and strength for your older years.

Adequate muscle development can help prevent falls and help everyday actions that, ideally, we can perform our whole life — from carrying groceries, gardening and opening up a jar of pasta sauce to walking without assistance, climbing up a flight of stairs and getting out of a chair easily. Not to put too fine a point on it, but our muscles are a big part of what may prevent us from ending up in an assisted living facility in our old age.

4. Weight training and your menstrual cycle

Just as there are certain foods better suited for each phase of your menstrual cycle, the same is true with strength training. After all, you want to work with your body and not against it.

During the menstrual phase, it’s best to avoid high-intensity training and weightlifting. But once you get to the follicular phase, your body is ready for strength training and serious cardio.

During the ovulation phase, which may only be a couple of days, the female body produces more of the anabolic hormones estradiol and testosterone. Your body is ready for high-energy exercise.

Lastly, as your period approaches during the luteal phase, you may want to slowly wind things down. Moderate cardio and strength training can still work, but don’t overdo it.

Benefits

Strength training and muscle development play a much more important role in the human body than what most of us may think. Here are just some of the benefits:

1. Support healthy longevity

A major 2024 American-Chinese study (referenced above) — that involved over 400,000 people and gathered information between 1997 and 2019 — revealed a strong link between weight training and longer life expectancy in women.

Notably, women who strength trained two to three days per week were more likely to live longer and have a lower risk of death from heart disease, compared to women who didn’t lift weights. In fact, women who strength trained reduced their cardiovascular mortality by 30 percent.

2. Increase lean muscle and strength

According to the Office on Women’s Health, the body naturally begins to lose 3 to 5 percent of muscle mass per decade, starting as early as age 30. The rate of muscle decline can accelerate around age 60, unless you address it with strengthening exercises and nutrition.

Any loss of muscle mass is of concern since there’s a strong relationship between muscle mass and strength. According to a Stanford Center on Longevity article, as one ages, the decline in muscle strength is more dramatic — it can be 2 to 5 times greater than the decline in muscle mass.

When it comes to addressing normal muscle loss, resistance exercise is the best remedy. In fact, research has shown that a program of progressive resistance training can begin to make a difference in as little as two weeks.

For example, in studies resistance exercise has been shown to even improve muscle strength in very elderly adults. In fact, a study of 85-year-old weightlifters showed they possessed similar power and muscle mass as 65-year-olds who didn’t engage in regular training.

Performing physical tasks like lifting, pulling, pushing and carrying becomes easier when your muscles can generate more force.

3. Burn calories and boost the metabolism

While aerobic exercise like running or bicycling will usually burn more calories during the workout than strength training, studies show that a strength training session can more significantly affect your metabolic rate for the next 48 hours, compared to just two hours for aerobic exercise.

Muscles, by definition, are metabolically active tissue. The more you have of it, the more calories you burn at rest.

4. Improve athletic performance

Sports performance will also usually improve with better strength, power and function, all of which can be developed in a strength training program. Stronger muscles also provide better support for the joints and back, thus lowering the chance for injury during exercise.

5. Better stability and balance

For proper posture, balance, coordination and stability, strength training can play a significant role. Not being stable or coordinated can put one at risk for a fall and risk injury, potentially setting off a series of unwanted health impacts.

6. Better joint support

Besides the bulking myth, another is that strength training can tax your joints. It’s the opposite. Lifting weights with proper technique both supports and stabilizes joints. Strong muscles actually result in less stress throughout the body when using the joints, such as during a sport or any activity.

7. Promotes bone health

Strength training stimulates both bone growth and density, which can help keep bones strong as one ages. This can be particularly beneficial for women as they approach menopause, as bone density naturally decreases during this phase.

With the risk of enduring a bone fracture nearly three times higher among women than men, strength training can be a vital preventative measure.

8. Strengthens the back

According to the CDC, more adult American women (41 percent) than men (37 percent) report experiencing back pain. Indeed, multiple studies show that back pain is more common among women than men and that it often increases with age, especially in the 45 to 65 age group.

Fortunately, strength training offers many benefits for the back, including increased spinal stability, improved posture, lower risk of injury and pain relief. Rather than allow back pain to put you on the sidelines, participating in the right kind of strength training, such as with a certified trainer, can be critical in reducing that pain.

9. Improve the physique

Over time with regular strength training, the body can become more muscle-toned and defined. Consistent weightlifting can gradually shape the body, giving it more of a sculpted appearance. This may also boost self-esteem.

Note that you may appear leaner even though your number on the scale stays the same because muscle weighs more than fat. Because it’s more dense, it also takes up less space on the body than fat.

10. Improve energy levels

Strength training releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters and can help you feel more energetic throughout the day, so beyond the workout itself.

11. Assist cardiovascular health

Weight training can help support normal blood pressure levels, heart health and circulation.

Strength training can also support healthy inflammation and cholesterol levels.

12. Support healthy blood sugar levels (already in the normal range)

Roughly one-third of American adult women are prediabetic. More muscle tissue can help promote normal, healthy blood sugar by using glucose for energy. In fact, a study found strength training can be even more effective than cardiovascular activity in supporting healthy blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

13. Support mental health and boost mood

An underrated benefit of strength training is how it can affect mood, including reducing anxiety. A 2018 analysis of 30 clinical trials found that mood improved in individuals who trained with weights at least twice a week.

14. Immune system support

Weight training supports the immune system by improving its function and can also help reduce water retention.

15. Improve sleep

Engaging in strength training can improve sleep quality, in terms of duration, quality and efficiency, according to research. The metabolic changes that happen after strength training may help the body fall asleep more easily at night.

How to strength train

A minimum of two days of resistance training per week is recommended to slow down normal, age-related muscle loss or even build muscle, in addition to regular aerobic exercise.

If you’re new to strength training, it’s advisable to get a trainer to help you develop a regular weightlifting program as well as develop proper exercise form. Not following a balanced exercise program or using bad exercise form can cause injury and also prevent progress.

While a gym is the best place to experience all the benefits of strength training, you can also work out at home, such as with resistance bands and dumbbells. At the gym, you will also have access to machines and free weight apparatus.

Ideally, you want to target most of your major muscle groups, in particular your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, upper abs, lower abs, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves.

The most fundamental strength training exercises for each of these muscle groups are the following:

• Chest: bench press

• Back: back row or lat pull

• Shoulder: shoulder press

• Biceps: curl

• Triceps: triceps press

• Upper abs: crunch

• Lower abs: knee-up

• Quadriceps: lunge

• Glutes: butt lift

• Hamstrings: leg curl or stiff-legged deadlift

• Calves: calf raise

You can do all of those exercises in two separate workouts a week, for example. After a cardio warmup, aim for 2 to 3 sets of each exercise, 8 to 12 reps.

For each set to be effective, you want to go to near muscle failure, so your last rep is literally the last rep you can perform for that set. Rest around 30 seconds to a minute between each set. For each given exercise, put on a little more weight with each set.

Once you get familiar with strength training, you can graduate to two different lifting days, such as chest/back/shoulders on day 1 and legs/arms on day 2. Aim for 3 workouts per week. You can train the core on most days, as the abdominal muscles recover very quickly.

For aerobic exercise options, movements like walking, including on hills, or cycling — outside or on indoor exercise machines — are excellent for bone health and can build muscle in your lower body.

Balance and core training, such as yoga and Pilates, can also improve overall strength, flexibility and balance.

In order to avoid risk of injury, please seek advice directly from your physician, especially if you have existing medical issues, before beginning any exercise program.

Ethan Boldt is a vice president at Ancient Nutrition, where he oversees content. He’s also a former NSCA certified trainer and co-author of books like 5-Factor Fitness.