If someone had told me in my 30s or 40s that I’d one day become a certified Les Mills BODYPUMP instructor, confidently lifting weights in front of a class, I might have laughed. Not because I didn’t think I could do it but because I didn’t see women like me doing that. Fitness, especially strength training, always seemed like it belonged to younger people. I thought I had missed my window.
But something changed in my 50s. I left my husband and became the cliche of a woman who transforms her body and mind. Maybe it was a growing desire to feel strong – not just fit, but truly strong, inside and out. Whatever it was, I walked into a gym one day and picked up a barbell. That simple act quietly transformed my life.
Now, years later, I’m teaching BODYPUMP classes, feeling stronger than I ever thought possible, and advocating for more women, especially older women, to pick up weights and reclaim their power.
The Turning Point: Starting Strength in My 50s
For most of my life, my relationship with exercise was polite. I enjoyed walking, dabbled in fitness classes now and then, and occasionally tried a bit of cardio. But weight training? That always felt out of reach. I had internalized the message so many women do: that lifting weights wasn’t feminine, that it was intimidating, that it might make me bulky or that I was too old to start.
But as I entered my 50s, I noticed changes in my body. I was overweight and more tired, and less connected to my physical self. I also started reading about how strength training could help with bone density, muscle mass, metabolism, and even mood. The science was compelling, but more than that, something in me wanted to feel capable again. Lockdown was the perfect opportunity for me to start my weight training journey as I looked at online workouts.
Then when we emerged from the pandemic, I joined a strength-based fitness class. It was BODYPUMP, actually, my first introduction to Les Mills. I stood in the back, uncertain and nervous. But I also felt excited and once the music started and the instructor began leading us through barbell squats and presses, something clicked.
I wasn’t just moving – I was lifting, I was feeling strong. And I loved it.
Rewriting the Story About Aging
Starting weight training later in life isn’t just a physical transformation, it’s a mental one. We live in a world that often sends the message that women over 50 should take it easy, or that we’re past our prime. But I’ve found the opposite to be true.
I’m in my prime now.
I’ve never felt stronger, more resilient, or more in tune with what my body needs and what it can do. I love seeing the muscle definition in my arms and thighs. Lifting weights has helped me rewrite the story I tell myself about aging. It’s not about decline. It’s about empowerment. And once I embraced that mindset, everything changed.
The Science of Strength for Women Over 50
There are plenty of reasons to lift weights as we age, and it’s not just about looking good in sleeveless tops though that’s a nice bonus! Strength training is one of the most effective ways to:
- Preserve and build muscle mass. After age 30, we naturally lose muscle each year. Weight training helps reverse that trend.
- Improve bone density. Especially important for women, who are at increased risk of osteoporosis after menopause.
- Boost metabolism. More muscle = more calories burned, even at rest.
- Support joints. Strong muscles help stabilize and protect the joints, reducing injury and pain.
- Enhance mental health. Strength training has been linked to improved mood, confidence, and even reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Improve posture, balance, and mobility. All essential for maintaining independence and quality of life as we age.
For me, it’s not about chasing youth. It’s about investing in longevity, vitality, and independence. I want to feel strong and capable well into my 70s, 80s, and beyond, and I want to be able to keep up with my kids. I don’t need them to carry my shopping bags. Weight training gives me that foundation.
Becoming a Les Mills BODYPUMP Instructor
Once I’d been attending BODYPUMP classes for a while, I realized I was falling in love with the format. I loved the music, the energy, the community but most of all, I loved the challenge. I had a short relationship with a fitness instructor who told me I wasn’t good enough and my technique was wrong, and his belittling made me want to prove to myself that he was wrong.
I wasn’t a lifelong athlete, and I didn’t fit the mold of what I thought a fitness instructor was supposed to look like. But then my instructor in my gym suggested I train to become one and it hit me, maybe that was the exact reason I needed to do it. She saw something in me that I didn’t.
Representation matters. I wanted women to walk into class and see someone they could relate to. Someone who had started later in life, who had faced fears and pushed through self-doubt, and who showed up anyway.
Becoming certified wasn’t easy, it required real training, learning the choreography and studying the science. But it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Now, when I stand in front of a class, I don’t see judgment or doubt. I see community. I see women pushing themselves, building strength, and rewriting their own stories just like I did.
What I’ve Learned (and What I Want Other Women to Know)
Here’s what I’ve learned from lifting weights and becoming a BODYPUMP instructor later in life:
You’re Never Too Old to Start
The biggest hurdle is often mental. You don’t need to be fit to begin, just willing.
Progress Is Powerful
Watching yourself grow stronger, week by week, is incredibly motivating.
Strength Training Is Self-Care
It’s not punishment or vanity. It’s about investing in your health and your future.
You Don’t Have to Fit a Mold
The fitness world needs more diversity in age, body type, and experience. Your voice and your presence matter.
Confidence Comes with Action
You don’t wait to feel confident before doing the thing – you do the thing, and confidence follows.
Lifting as Liberation
Weight training didn’t just change my body, it changed my relationship with myself. I stopped shrinking and started expanding. I stopped apologizing for taking up space. I became stronger, inside and out.
If you’re an older woman reading this and wondering if it’s too late for you to start: it’s not. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. And don’t be surprised when you fall in love with your own strength.
Because once you feel it, you’ll never want to let it go.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
In what ways do you think strength training is empowering? Have you done any strength training after 50? Are you persisting with it?
