Strength Training for the Female Athlete Over 35: What the Science Says

Coach Dave
6 days ago
3 min read

The athletic journey doesn’t end at 35—but it does change. For female athletes, this shift can feel frustrating: longer recovery, slower gains, and unexpected plateaus. But what you’re feeling isn’t failure—it’s physiology. And the most powerful tool to keep performing at your best? Strength training.

Whether you're a recreational competitor, elite Masters athlete, or simply serious about your sport, strength work isn’t optional—it’s performance-preserving, injury-preventing, and career-extending.

Why Strength Training Becomes Essential After 35

After 30, women begin to experience declines in muscle mass (sarcopenia), strength, and power—even with regular training. Hormonal changes, particularly around perimenopause, accelerate this process by reducing estrogen and growth hormone levels, both of which play a role in muscle recovery and bone health.

For the female athlete, this means:

Longer recovery times
Greater risk of overuse injuries
Declining power output and explosiveness

But studies consistently show that well-designed resistance training offsets and even reverses these declines. In fact, it can unlock performance gains that sport-specific training alone can’t provide.

A 2019 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine concluded that resistance training in adult female athletes significantly improved sprint speed, jump height, change-of-direction ability, and sport performance—even in trained populations.

Lifting Heavy Is Performance Training—Not Just “Fitness”

Let’s be clear: lifting weights isn’t just about “toning up.” It’s about maintaining the neuromuscular qualities that underpin your sport.

The LIFTMOR trials in Australia showed that postmenopausal women who lifted at 80–85% of their 1-rep max:

Gained lean muscle
Increased spinal bone density
Improved explosive strength
Had no increase in injury risk

And they weren’t elite athletes—just motivated women. For trained athletes, heavy resistance training offers even more: it maintains fast-twitch fiber function, improves connective tissue resilience, and increases neural drive—all critical for sprinting, jumping, and agility-based sports.

Recovery: The New Competitive Edge

As athletes over 35 know, the biggest challenge isn’t motivation—it’s recovery.

Strength training supports this too. Here’s how:

Builds stronger connective tissue, reducing injury risk
Stimulates anabolic hormones (like IGF-1 and GH), aiding repair
Supports hormonal balance when paired with nutrition and sleep

A 2021 study in Frontiers in Physiology found that athletes who incorporated 2–3 weekly resistance sessions recovered faster from both training and competition, particularly during high-stress periods (like travel or taper).

The bottom line: You’ll train harder, recover faster, and compete longer.

Program Priorities for the Female Athlete 35+

If you’re training to perform—whether on the field, in the pool, or on the track—your strength program should do more than keep you active. It should elevate your game.

Focus on:

2–3 strength sessions per week, ideally in the off-season and pre-season
Compound lifts (squats, hinges, presses, rows) with progressive overload
Plyometric and power work (e.g., jumps, medicine ball throws, Olympic lift variations)
Core and hip stability to support rotational control and injury prevention
Intelligent recovery: sleep, nutrition, deload weeks, and stress management

Women in this age group also benefit from cycling intensity to match hormonal phases or energy availability, especially during perimenopause.

Reframe the Narrative

You’re not “fighting age”—you’re training smarter with it.

Strength training isn’t just something to add when injuries start piling up. It’s a strategic investment in your long-term performance. It helps you do more than stay in the game—it helps you stay sharp, powerful, and confident in your sport.

Ready to Level Up?

Want strength training designed specifically for female athletes 35+? Reach out, and we’ll help you build a program that fits your sport, schedule, and goals—without sacrificing performance or recovery.

Strong isn’t just a phase—it’s your performance edge.

COACHING OPTIONS

References

Mitchell, W. K., et al. (2012). Sarcopenia, dynapenia, and the impact of advancing age on human skeletal muscle size and strength; a quantitative review. Frontiers in Physiology, 3, 260.https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2012.00260
Howe, T. E., et al. (2011). Exercise for preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 7.https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000333.pub2
Watson, S. L., et al. (2015). High-intensity exercise attenuates bone mineral density loss in older women with low bone mass: the LIFTMOR randomized controlled trial. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 33(2), 211–220.https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3284
Grgic, J., et al. (2019). Effects of resistance training on muscle size and strength in very elderly adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sports Medicine, 49, 1089–1101.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01025-z
Gordon, B. R., et al. (2018). Resistance exercise training for anxiety and worry symptoms among young adults: a randomized controlled trial and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(6), 567–576.https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4653
Rønnestad, B. R., et al. (2019). Strength training improves performance and pedaling characteristics in elite cyclists. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 29(6), 1007–1018.https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13419
Monteiro, G. A., et al. (2021). Physiological responses to strength training in female athletes: a systematic review. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, 643488.https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.643488
Tenforde, A. S., & Kraus, E. (2016). Bone stress injuries in female athletes: diagnosis, management, and prevention. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 27(1), 157–173.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2015.08.002