This year, I embarked on my own strength training journey. In the past, I viewed strength training as something people did primarily because they wanted to build muscle and change their physical appearance. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, we all know how attractive a strong, muscular body can be. But I had never really stopped to understand the significance of strength training or why it might be something I should incorporate into my own life.
As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), I understand the important connection between exercise and mental health. But when we begin looking at specific types of exercise, the conversation becomes much more nuanced than simply telling someone to “exercise more.”
Strength training is a perfect example. Yes, it can make us physically stronger and change the way our bodies look, but its benefits extend far beyond muscle. Research has linked resistance training with improvements in anxiety, depression, cognition, self-esteem, and overall psychological well-being. For women in particular, and especially as we get older, strength training can become an important part of protecting both our physical and mental health.
So, if you’ve always thought lifting weights was just about building muscle, there’s much more to the story. Let’s look at what strength training can actually do for a woman’s mind and body.
The Biological Link: How Lifting Weights Reduces Anxiety and Stress
In my previous article on exercise and mental health, I explained the connection between physical activity, BDNF, neurotransmitters, and mood. When we look specifically at strength training, we can take that conversation even further.
Strength training creates a controlled physical stress on the body. During exercise, cortisol naturally rises to help your body meet the demands of the workout. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, cortisol is an essential hormone that helps regulate our stress response. Over time, regular exercise can help the body become more resilient in the way it responds to stress.
The psychological benefits matter just as much. Becoming physically stronger, learning new exercises, reaching goals, and watching yourself progress can build confidence and self-esteem. Strength training has also been associated with improvements in symptoms of anxiety and depression, cognitive function, and overall psychological well-being.
In other words, lifting weights isn’t only changing your muscles. It can influence how you manage stress, how capable you feel, and even how you view yourself.
Strength Training for Women Over 40: Muscle, Bone Health & Menopause
As women get older, strength training becomes important for reasons that extend far beyond appearance. We naturally begin to lose muscle and bone mass with age, and hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can accelerate some of these changes. We’ll explore hormones and women’s mental health more deeply in the next article in this series.
Resistance training places healthy stress on muscles and bones, encouraging the body to adapt by becoming stronger. Maintaining muscle also helps support and stabilize the joints, preserve physical function, and make everyday activities easier as we age.
Strength training is particularly important for bone health. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises can help maintain or improve bone mineral density, which becomes increasingly important for women as estrogen levels decline. Women with smaller body frames or lower body weight may have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, making prevention and healthy lifestyle habits especially important.
Certain medications and hormonal treatments can also affect bone health, which is why individual risk factors should always be discussed with a healthcare professional.
This is one reason I believe we need to change the way we think about strength training for women. Building muscle isn’t simply about looking strong. It’s about protecting our bones, maintaining mobility, supporting our joints
Building Physical Strength to Boost Mental Confidence & Self-Efficacy
For generations, women have received messages (directly and indirectly) that we are the “weaker sex.” While there are biological differences in average physical strength between men and women, repeatedly seeing ourselves as weak or incapable can influence the way we view ourselves. And that perception can affect our confidence and self-esteem.
This is where strength training can become about much more than muscle.
There is a psychological concept called self-efficacy, which essentially describes our belief in our ability to accomplish something or handle a challenge. When we aren’t sure we’re capable of doing something, fear and self-doubt can easily creep in. But when we repeatedly prove to ourselves that we puede do difficult things, something begins to change.
Strength training gives us opportunities to experience that process firsthand. Maybe you begin with a five-pound dumbbell and eventually lift ten. Maybe an exercise that once felt impossible becomes part of your regular routine. Or perhaps you simply realize you’ve remained consistent with something you once struggled to maintain.
You’re not only becoming physically stronger, but you feel stronger and more capable.
As those small victories accumulate, confidence begins to grow. You start seeing what your body can accomplish rather than focusing only on how it looks. That sense of accomplishment can positively influence self-esteem and encourage you to continue setting goals and keeping promises to yourself.
And sometimes that confidence doesn’t stay in the gym. When you begin believing, “I can do hard things,” that belief can carry into other areas of your life as well.
The transformation takes time, but becoming stronger isn’t only about changing your body. It’s also about changing the way you see yourself.
Strength Training vs. Cardio: Which Is Better for Mental Health?
Both strength training and cardiovascular exercise can positively impact mental health, but they may benefit us in somewhat different ways. I won’t advocate for one over the other because, at the end of the day, the best exercise is the one you will actually do consistently. However, understanding the benefits of each can help you make an informed decision about what belongs in your exercise routine.
How Strength Training Supports Mental Health
As we discussed earlier, one of the psychological benefits of strength training is improved self-efficacy, the belief that you are capable of accomplishing something. Watching yourself become stronger, learning new movements, and progressively achieving goals can improve confidence and self-esteem.
Research has also associated resistance training with reductions in symptoms of anxiety. There’s another aspect of lifting weights that I personally find interesting: it demands your attention. You have to focus on your form, count your repetitions, control your breathing, and pay attention to what your body is doing. In that sense, strength training can become a very present-focused activity. For someone whose mind is constantly racing, having something that requires deliberate attention may provide a temporary break from those thoughts.
Resistance exercise has also been associated with changes in factor neurotrófico derivado del cerebro (BDNF) and other processes involved in brain health, although the response can vary depending on factors such as exercise intensity, duration, and the individual.
How Cardio Supports Mental Health
Cardiovascular exercise provides its own set of mental health benefits. Activities such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, or dancing can help improve the body’s response to stress over time and support healthier regulation of the stress-response system.
Sustained aerobic activity can also influence chemicals involved in mood and pain regulation, including endorphins and endocannabinoids. This is part of the reason some people experience an improved mood or a sense of calm after a good cardio workout.
Cardio can also be helpful when you’re caught in a cycle of rumination, repeatedly thinking about the same negative or stressful thoughts. Rhythmic movement, changes in environment, and focusing on physical activity can temporarily redirect attention away from those thought patterns. Regular cardiovascular exercise can also support better sleep, which has its own significant impact on mental health.
So, Which One Should You Choose?
The answer depends partly on your goals.
If building physical strength, confidence, and a sense of mastery are important to you, strength training may deserve more attention in your routine. If you enjoy sustained movement and are looking for an activity that supports cardiovascular health, stress management, mood, and sleep, cardio may appeal to you more.
But you don’t necessarily have to choose.
The best exercise is the one you will actually do
For many women, the most well-rounded approach is to incorporate both strength training and cardiovascular activity. The goal isn’t to determine which exercise “wins.” It’s to understand what each can offer and build a routine that supports your physical health, mental health, and lifestyle.
Most importantly, choose movement you can realistically continue. A theoretically perfect workout won’t benefit you if you dread it so much that you never do it.
Overcoming Gym Anxiety: A Beginner’s Guide for Women
Some women put off strength training simply because they have no idea where to begin. Suddenly, you’re faced with what feels like a hundred questions:
What exercises should I do?
How heavy should I lift?
Which exercises target my glutes, arms, or back?
Should I join a gym or work out at home?
Should I exercise in the morning or evening?
How long should my workout be?
How many rest days do I need?
Then you turn to YouTube and discover thousands of workout videos telling you to do completely different things. Before you know it, you’re jumping from one program to another, trying to figure out which one is “right.”
It can quickly become overwhelming.
Start With a Plan
You don’t need to know everything about strength training before you begin. What you do need is a realistic plan you can follow consistently.
Start with your actual life, not someone else’s fitness routine.
Look at your schedule and determine how many days you can realistically dedicate to exercise. Then decide which days will be workout days and which will be rest or active-recovery days. Your routine should fit around your responsibilities rather than requiring you to reorganize your entire life around exercise.
Next, decide where you’re going to exercise.
If you prefer a gym, choose one that’s convenient. A beautiful gym 30 minutes away may sound wonderful until that commute becomes the reason you stop going.
If you’d rather exercise at home, that’s great too. You’ll probably need to invest in a few basic pieces of equipment, but eliminating the commute can make exercising much easier. There’s something motivating about being able to say, “I have no excuse, the gym is right here.”
But home workouts require their own kind of discipline. Your couch, television, phone, laundry, and everything else in your house are also right there. Ask yourself honestly: Do I need the structure of going somewhere to exercise, or can I create that structure for myself at home?
Create Accountability
An accountability partner can also make exercise more enjoyable. You don’t necessarily have to work out together. Challenge a friend to see who can complete their planned workouts for the week, reach a step goal, or close their activity rings.
A little friendly competition can turn exercise into something you look forward to rather than another chore on your list.
Find a System That Works for You
When I started becoming serious about strength training, I realized I needed more structure than randomly choosing a workout video every day. I used AI as one tool to help me organize a routine around the muscle groups I wanted to target and the amount of time I realistically had available. I determined my exercises, sets, repetitions, workout days, and rest days, knowing that I would start with lighter weights and gradually progress as I became stronger.
Then I made the routine almost impossible to forget.
I wrote my workouts on a dry-erase board where I could see them and programmed them into my smartwatch so I could follow along without constantly stopping to figure out what came next.
That system worked for me.
In the past, I would follow a YouTube fitness program for about a month, become bored, and eventually stop. This time, I created something that fit my schedule, my goals, and my personality, and I’ve now been able to remain consistent with it for six months.
Your system may look completely different and that’s the point.
You don’t need the perfect workout routine. You need one that you can realistically continue.
So instead of asking yourself every possible question about strength training at once, start with one:
What’s the first thing I need to do to get started?
Figure out that answer.
Then go do it!
4 Simple Strength Exercises to Boost Your Mental Well-Being Today
With hundreds of strength training exercises available, it’s easy to become overwhelmed trying to figure out which workout is best. The good news is that beginners don’t need complicated equipment or an elaborate routine to get started.
If you’re exercising at home, consider purchasing a few pairs of dumbbells in lighter weights so you can experiment and determine what feels comfortable for different exercises. Stores such as Five Below, TJ Maxx, and Ross often carry inexpensive dumbbells. If you’d rather shop online, [insert affiliate link to beginner dumbbells].
Resistance bands are another inexpensive and versatile option that can be used for many upper- and lower-body exercises. [Insert resistance band affiliate link]
Why Start With Compound Exercises?
Beginners can benefit from learning compound exercises, which involve multiple muscle groups working together during one movement. Instead of isolating one small muscle at a time, these movements allow you to build strength throughout several areas of your body while learning fundamental movement patterns.
Here are four beginner-friendly exercises to consider:
1. Goblet Squat
The goblet squat is a lower-body exercise that primarily works the quadriceps, glutes, and core. Holding one dumbbell close to your chest while squatting can help you learn proper squat mechanics while strengthening your lower body.
2. Dumbbell Floor Press
The dumbbell floor press targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Because you’re lying on the floor, the floor naturally limits how far your elbows can travel behind your body, creating a shorter range of motion than a traditional bench press. This can make it a comfortable starting variation for some beginners.
3. Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The Romanian deadlift primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes while requiring your core and back muscles to stabilize your body. Learning the hip-hinge movement used in an RDL can also improve body awareness because the exercise requires controlled, deliberate movement and attention to form.
4. Dumbbell Farmer’s Carry
Don’t underestimate this simple exercise. A farmer’s carry involves holding a dumbbell in each hand and walking while maintaining an upright posture. It works your grip, shoulders, upper back, core, and postural muscles while also challenging stability.
Because you have to focus on your breathing, posture, grip, and movement as you walk, I also like this exercise as a simple way to bring your attention into the present moment.
Beginner Strength Training Tips
Keep your routine simple. You don’t need ten different exercises. Starting with three or four movements can be enough while you’re learning.
Try 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions. This is a reasonable starting range for many beginners. For exercises such as farmer’s carries, use a comfortable time or distance instead of counting repetitions.
Start with a manageable weight. Choose a weight that allows you to complete the movement with good form. The last few repetitions should feel challenging, but you should still be able to maintain control.
Progress gradually. As exercises become easier and you can consistently complete your repetitions with proper form, you can gradually increase the resistance.
Rest between sets. Your muscles need time to recover before repeating an exercise. There is no prize for rushing through your workout.
Form comes before weight. This may be the most important rule for beginners. Learn the movement first. Increasing the weight can come later. Poor technique combined with heavier resistance increases your risk of injury and won’t help you reach your goals any faster.
Remember, your first goal isn’t to lift the heaviest dumbbell in the room. It’s to learn how to strength train safely and consistently. Strength will come with time.
In conclusion
As we explore different ways to manage our mental health, we cannot ignore the importance of prioritizing our physical health as well. When we are working to improve symptoms of depression, manage anxiety, build confidence, and protect our overall well-being, strength training is certainly worth considering.
Strength training isn’t only for people who want to look strong. It’s also for those of us who want to be strong, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Starting is often the hardest step. Continuing requires consistency and self-discipline, especially on the days when motivation isn’t there. That’s why it’s important to know your por qué. What made you want to become stronger in the first place? Better mental health? More confidence? Stronger bones and muscles? More energy? The ability to remain active and independent as you get older?
Whatever your reason may be, remember it on the days when quitting feels easier than continuing.
Strength doesn’t happen overnight. It is built one workout, one repetition, and one decision at a time. As you begin your own journey toward better physical and mental health, my hope is that one day you can look at yourself in the mirror, not simply because your body looks different, but because you see a stronger version of yourself looking back and know that all of your hard work was worth it.
