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Strong beats skinny: how women can build stronger bodies for a longer life

Many women overlook resistance training in favour of other forms of exercise and so miss out on its many benefits for long-term health and fitness. Women’s training and hormone health expert Victoria Felkar reveals how both pre- and post-menopausal women can build stronger and more resilient bodies to improve body composition, enhance brain and bone health, and safeguard against age-related injury and illnesses so you can live the fitter, healthier and longer life you want
Victoria Felkar
Victoria Felkar

Victoria Felkar is an interdisciplinary researcher and instructor working across the fields of kinesiology, medicine, critical studies and the humanities. Here specific research focus explores women’s health and female hormone manipulation within sport and medicine. Follow her on Instagram. Visit victoriafelkar.com.

How women should train for greater strength

When you’re young it’s impossible to imagine ever struggling to carry a bag full of groceries, or pick up a kid that needs a cuddle, or walk up a flight of stairs without having your legs shake.

These everyday tasks, often taken for granted in youth, can become daunting with age if muscle strength is not maintained, and these scenarios highlights a crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of women’s health: the importance of building and preserving muscle strength throughout their lives.

Victoria Felkar, a renowned strength coach and researcher, offers invaluable insights on how women of all ages can train to build muscular strength and sheds light on the crucial importance of muscle strength for women’s health and longevity.

For pre-menopausal women, muscle strength can enhance metabolic rate, improve body composition, and boost bone density, which is essential in preventing osteoporosis later in life. Strong muscles also aid in better posture, reduce the risk of injuries, and enhance physical performance in daily activities and sports.

As women transition into menopause, maintaining muscle mass becomes even more critical. Post-menopausal women face a higher risk of sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. This decline can lead to frailty, reduced mobility, and a higher risk of falls and fractures. Strength training is a powerful tool to combat these issues, helping to maintain muscle mass, preserve metabolic health, and ensure independence and quality of life in later years.

Muscle strength also has profound implications for hormonal health because resistance training can help regulate insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels, reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes. It also positively influences mood and mental health by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural stress relievers.

In our exclusive interview Felkar reveals the effective strategies for women to build and maintain muscle strength throughout their lives, both pre and post-menopause, to ensure you can live the healthier, stronger and more active life you want.

Listen to the full Unfiltered podcast with Victoria Felkar on Spotify

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