The Need for Speed: Why Women Over 40 Need to Lift Fast Too

We’ve talked a LOT about the importance of strength training as we get older.

Lift weights. Build muscle. Protect your bones.

Stay strong.

All absolutely true.

But there’s another part of the equation that gets talked about far less:

POWER.

Being strong is your ability to produce force.

Power is your ability to produce that force quickly.

And as we get older, we don’t just want to be strong — we want our bodies to be able to react quickly when we need them to.

Think about real life.

You trip and need to get your foot out quickly to catch yourself.

You need to get up from the floor.

You suddenly have to step out of the way.

You climb a steep flight of stairs.

You lift something from the floor and move it.

These movements don’t just require strength. They require your muscles and nervous system to work together quickly.

And this is particularly relevant as we get older.

Research into ageing and resistance training suggests that muscle power can decline faster than strength, which is why power training is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation around maintaining physical function as we age.

So should we all start throwing weights around?

Absolutely not!

When I talk about lifting fast, I don’t mean rushing exercises, losing control or swinging the heaviest weight you can find.

Power training is about intent.

A simple way to think about it is:

POWER UP → CONTROL DOWN

For example, in a squat you might stand up with speed and intent, then lower yourself back down under control.

With a press, you can drive the weight upwards with purpose, then control the return.

With a kettlebell swing, we’re using the power generated through the hips to move the kettlebell rather than slowly lifting it with our arms.

The weight doesn’t necessarily need to be incredibly heavy either.

Power comes from combining force AND speed.

This is why I don’t train everything at one speed

Slow, controlled resistance work is still incredibly valuable.

We need it.

I use it.

And you’ll find plenty of it in my classes.

But I don’t believe every rep of every exercise needs to be performed slowly.

Sometimes we want control.

Sometimes we want strength.

Sometimes we want mobility.

Sometimes we want balance and stability.

And sometimes we want the body to learn:

MOVE!

That’s why you’ll find different tempos and faster movements throughout my training.

You’ll find power work in my online classes too

My online classes aren’t simply about burning calories or getting sweaty.

There is a reason behind how I put the sessions together.

Bodycon online, Tabata, HIIT, Accumulators, T10 and many of the other workouts include elements where we’re asking the body to generate force more quickly.

You might be pushing out of a squat, driving a weight overhead, changing direction or moving dynamically from one exercise into another.

You may not even realise you’re training power.

But it’s there for a reason.

Bodycon — online AND in person

Body Conditioning is another brilliant way of bringing all these different elements together.

In my Bodycon online classes and my in-person Bodycon classes, we don’t just work on one component of fitness.

We can combine:

Strength.

Power.

Cardiovascular fitness.

Balance.

Coordination.

Mobility.

Core control.

Some exercises will be slow and controlled.

Others will ask you to move with more speed and intent.

Because that’s what we need our bodies to be capable of doing in real life — adapting to different demands.

And then there are the kettlebells…

Kettlebells are fantastic for combining strength and power.

A kettlebell workout doesn’t have to be frantic.

We can lift heavy and slowly.

We can work on technique and control.

But we can also use movements such as swings and other dynamic exercises to develop the ability to produce force quickly.

That’s something I incorporate into my

Tuesday Kettles class and my Sunday Double Kettles session.

Double kettles in particular give us so many options to work on strength, coordination and power together.

Why does this matter after 40?

Because we’re not training simply to be good at exercise.

We’re training for everything we want our bodies to continue doing outside the class.

Walk.

Run.

Climb.

React.

Catch ourselves.

Get off the floor.

Carry things.

Play sport.

Stay independent.

Keep doing the things we love.

Strength gives us the capacity to produce force.

Power gives us the ability to use that strength quickly when life demands it.

So yes — keep lifting your weights.

Keep working on your technique.

Keep building strength.

But every now and again…

WE NEED A LITTLE SPEED TOO.

Want to train with me?

My online membership gives you a huge variety of ways to train — including Bodycon, strength, power, mobility, Pilates, HIIT and short workouts — so you can choose what your body needs and how much time you have.

Or come and train with me in person, where Bodycon and my kettlebell sessions incorporate these principles into your training too.

Tuesday — Kettles

Sunday — HIIT Double Kettles

Bodycon — online & in person

Because training after 40 isn’t about doing less.

It’s about training smarter for the body you want in the future.

Your workout. Your time. Your future.