Most active women love to move. Whether it’s running, riding, swimming, lifting, yoga, or simply chasing your kids around, we love to break a sweat and feel the physical and mental benefits that come from that. But there’s one form of training that too often gets overlooked: power training.
Whether it’s due to outdated myths (“I don’t want to bulk up”), lack of time, or just not knowing where to start, resistance training—especially power-based training—is missing from many women’s routines. And that’s a problem, because power is one of the fastest-declining physical attributes with age, and one of the most critical to performance, vitality, and longevity.
I’ve been advocating the importance of LHS (“Lifting Heavy Shit”) for years—and now there’s plenty of science to support it. We’ve known for a while that resistance training helps maintain muscle mass and strength. But now we’re seeing clear evidence that power training—the ability to move weight quickly—has an even stronger impact on long-term health outcomes for women.
Strength vs. Power: What’s the Difference?
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Strength is your ability to exert force—think deadlifting a heavy barbell off the ground.
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Power is how quickly you can apply that force—like jumping, sprinting, or doing a fast kettlebell swing.
Power declines faster than strength as we age, which is why it’s crucial to train it early and often. And recent research backs this up: A large-scale 2024 study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that women who performed resistance training emphasizing power had significantly lower all-cause mortality, independent of total exercise volume. In short, moving weight fast matters more than how much you lift or how long you train.
For Endurance Athletes: Power Is Performance
As women, we’re naturally efficient endurance machines—we recover quickly, can train more often, and oxidize fat more effectively. But that same endurance-focused physiology makes it easier to lose muscle and power if we don’t actively train it.
Power training can improve your:
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Running economy and cycling efficiency
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Explosive strength and sprint capacity
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Neuromuscular coordination and fatigue resistance
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Injury prevention by building joint and tendon resilience
It also supports better form under fatigue, so you’re not just strong—you’re strong when it counts. If strength training is your armor, think of power training as your edge.
Power Training = Brain Training
In my recent newsletter on high-intensity interval training (HIIT), I highlighted research that shows how HIIT and SIT (sprint interval training) can improve brain health and cognitive function. Power training is definitely a part of this.
Power-based resistance training boosts levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a key molecule in brain plasticity, learning, and resilience. It improves:
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Cognitive function
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Mood and emotional regulation
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Reaction time and balance
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Memory retention and focus
This becomes even more critical during perimenopause and menopause, when neuroprotective hormones like estrogen decline. Power training helps compensate, keeping your brain sharp and stress-resilient. (And if you’re keen to learn more about training and thriving through menopause, check out my Menopause 2.0 course).
Train for Healthspan, Not Just Lifespan
As we age, we naturally experience sarcopenia—loss of muscle mass and strength. But we also lose reactive power, which is directly linked to falls, fractures, and loss of independence.
Resistance training—especially power-based protocols—helps:
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Maintain muscle and bone mass
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Improve balance and coordination
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Preserve metabolic health
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Reduce chronic disease risk
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Increase lifespan and healthspan
Put simply: if you want to move well, think clearly, and stay strong into your 50s, 60s, and beyond, train for power now.
How to Start (or Resume) Power Training
You don’t need Olympic lifts or advanced equipment and it doesn’t need to be complicated. Here’s how to start or restart your power training:
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Aim for 2–3 resistance training sessions per week
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Include power-focused moves: jump squats, kettlebell swings, med ball throws, band-assisted pogo jumps
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Prioritize quality over quantity, moving with intent: 3–5 reps of fast, explosive movements
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Rest 60–90 seconds between sets
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Consider pairing power moves with heavy strength work (e.g., squats, rows, deadlifts) using the Contrast-Training method
Safety First:
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Because of the speed, power training has the potential to cause injuries, so always be sure to warm up well.
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If you’re new to lifting, work with a certified trainer to ensure your technique is sound before lifting heavy.
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Start slowly: remember it takes time for the tendons and ligaments to adjust to this type of training.
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Always do power training first, when you’re fresh and well-fueled.
Remember that power isn’t just for sprinters or elite athletes—it’s for every woman who wants to move through life with strength, speed, and confidence. It’s one of the most potent tools we have to increase performance, preserve cognitive function, and extend our healthspan.
So yes, lift weights. But don’t stop there. Move the weight fast. Be intentional. Take up space.
IN OTHER NEWS…
Power Up Your Training
Keen to add power to your weekly workouts but not sure how? This is something I talked about on the Mel Robbins Podcast earlier this year. Check out this section: Everything You Need to Know For Your First Time at the Gym. You'll hear me mention a few different resources that can be helpful for those looking for complete programs that have power and strength components, including Loretta Loves Lifting and Hailey Happens Fitness.
Strength Training: How to Build Strength & Power After 40
Learn more about how the right lifting strategy can preserve muscle quality, support nervous system function, and prevent early loss of strength in perimenopause and beyond.
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It’s Not About How You Look
In this Instagram reel with Loretta, we discuss the importance of building a healthy body from the inside out, not the other way around. I get a lot of questions about aesthetics and how to look lean, so let me be clear: I’m all about helping active women build a strong, healthy, stress-resilient body that will enable them to keep doing all the things they love well into old age. If you look after your body, the aesthetics are a bonus. Plus, if Loretta’s still going to be surfing in her 80s then I don’t want to miss out on this! 😉
Women’s Health Roundtable
I’m excited to share that I recently recorded another podcast for the Diary of a CEO Podcast with Steven Bartlett—this time as part of a women’s health roundtable alongside Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Vonda Wright, and Dr. Natalie Crawford. You’ll be the first to know when it drops! (And ICYMI here’s the show with Steven from earlier this year).
In strength & power,
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