Author: Caroline's Circuits

Let’s talk strength training for women, why it is key to fitness, health and wellbeing and how you can do it easily at home. 

Cardio and running have always been at the forefront of the media and therefore everyone’s minds when it comes to fitness whilst strength training has often been overlooked. However, just 30 minutes of resistance training three times per week is one the best things you can do for your health and fitness.

Back to basics

Strength training which is also called resistance training or weight training is basically just using your body weight and/or some kind of resistance ie bands or weights to add load to your workout. Weight training has always conjured up the image of bodybuilding and bulging muscles but this cannot be further from the truth and its time to dispel the myth.  Over time you may decide to gradually increase the weights or the number of reps – this is called progressive overload and will help you get stronger and fitter. The increased load and demand on the muscles forces them to adapt and grow. But the benefits of strength training do not just stop at the muscular system – stick with me and read on!

So, what are some of the key benefits of strength training for women? 

1. Weight training increases bone density: with the drop in oestrogen post menopause women are more at risk of osteoporosis – training with weights stimulates new bone growth and reduces risk of fractures etc
2. Weight management – you build lean muscles using weights which in turn increases your metabolism, burning more calories over the course of the day post workout.
3. Lifting weights will tone and not build bulk, contrary to the myth! And the results are tangible!
4. It’s a huge mood booster. Not only will exercise release endorphins which help with anxiety/stress, you will feel more confident too.
5. It will improve your strength/agility/ endurance in so many other sports ie running tennis etc as well as your overall posture & stability. You’ll have less back pain as a result. 
6. It will reduce your risk of heart disease & diabetes – weight training can help to improve cardiovascular health. 

So here’s just a few benefits! Have you noticed any of these in your training?

The next question is how to strength train and how often?

Research has shown that 30-60 minutes one to three times a week is ideal. Strength training three times a week for 30 minutes gives your body enough time to recover between sessions whilst still challenging it enough to see the results. If you’re new to fitness and training you definitely need to start gently and build up gradually over time using light weights/bodyweight. I have long since been an advocate of strength training, particularly for women, and with this in mind I built my platform – Caroline’s Circuits. My workouts are 3 times a week for just 30 minutes. They focus on strength based circuits which work different muscle groups and challenge the body, keeping the heart rate moderate to high with passive or active rest – they give the perfect mix of strength and cardio for the best results.

The workouts are Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9am (they are all recorded and available to you on demand within an hour of the session if you can’t make the live). Classes have been specifically designed to suit all fitness levels and create fitness habits which last & which produce results.

Intrigued to know more or have a go? Try a class for free here or read more about the platform here.

If you have any questions please do get in touch.

For more workout ideas and to find out a bit more about me check out my Instagram.

Caroline x

I don’t know about you but there is something about packing a bag, commuting to the gym, communal showers and queues for the weights that is enough to put me off the idea of a workout. However, let’s reframe that for a minute – you walk downstairs, in your own home, play your own music, have the doors open for some fresh air and you can jump into your own shower afterwards – now that sounds a LOT more appealing to me when it comes to working out.

Although when the pandemic hit in 2020 we were forced into a world of home workouts and closed gyms, many of you have stuck with it and haven’t returned to gym, preferring instead to take advantage of home working and home working out. It’s a shift we certainly didn’t see coming but it definitely has its benefits. To name just a few:

• Firstly to stress that you don’t need to worry about making a gym class/being on time – as they are all recorded they fit around you not the other way around. This is extra important in August when we may be juggling kids, school holidays etc.
• 30 minutes really does mean just 30 minutes – no time wasted at all
• Whether you’re new to exercise or a seasoned pro the gym can be busy and daunting – at home there’s no need to feel that pressure, you can work at your own pace without worrying about who’s looking at you.
• You have all your equipment (if you’re using it) on hand and ready to go. And to make it even better, you really don’t need lots of equipment – one set of dumbbells (make sure they are a challenging weight) and one resistance band is all you need. We also use chairs, steps and the wall! No high tech gadgets required!
• Saves you money – scrap that gym membership fee!
• Flexibility – you can do it as and when you please. Pre work, mid morning, squeeze it into a lunch break or as soon as you’re finished for the day. It’s totally up to you!
• Convenient – it’s right there, ready to go and we all know when it comes to fitness consistency is key.

So I asked my members just what is that works for them when it comes to online classes and home workouts and this is what they had to say:

I have been doing Caroline’s leg classes now for 8 months and have never felt stronger in all my years at a gym!! Every class is different, keeping you challenged and Caroline is amazing at what she can fit in to those 30 minutes. Have a go and you will not look back!!

Caroline’s workouts set you up perfectly for the day, getting the mind engaged and the body active. I hadn’t tried online fitness classes before Caroline’s circuits and found that the sessions really helped me in my other daily sports, building on my strength levels and challenging me in new areas. I have now done them for 6 months & find the 30 minute sessions fit perfectly into the day.

I have always done Caroline’s classes on record when I get in from work in the evening as I cannot join them live. I genuinely look forward to doing them as I know that I will feel 100% better afterwards! I laugh, I shout and I feel so much better for challenging myself. And the best bit? I’m now seeing the results!

These positive responses really mean so much as this platform is not only my career but passion. So what are you waiting for come and join us for some fun, action packed online classes here!

Caroline x

For those of you who are new to the platform and don’t know me yet let me give you a little bit of background about me! I’m Caroline, I am 50, a mum of two and personal trainer/fitness coach specialising in women’s fitness, specifically strength training. I have always loved sport and exercise and decided to make my passion a career in 2001 by training as a PT. I started my business in London and built up a base of clients before my family and I moved to the countryside and I started local group circuit classes – so Caroline’s Circuits was born. 2020 changed everything for everyone and I took the classes online creating my platform of online, at home, strength workouts – I now feel I am part of something much bigger than before.

So why does strength training help me and my clients feel fit and fab at 50?

I found that lots of my clients were focussing heavily on trying to do lots of cardio but very much neglecting their strength training. It is so important as we get older to use weights and resistance bands to build strength both in muscles and bones as well as the mind. Increasing bone density and muscle mass (which both naturally decrease as we age) will help us to stay injury free, reduce the risk of falls and fractures and help us feel fantastic. Now when I say strength training I do not mean body building and heavy weights I mean small dumbbells – 3-5kg. All you need is a little extra resistance to see some pretty epic results.

I have been strength training all through my 40s and now into my 50s and I feel stronger, fitter and healthier than I did in my 20s and 30s. I am so passionate about the benefits this type of strength training can bring to women – I just want to spread the word!

Without wishing to labour the point just some of the benefits include:

• Enhanced bone density
• Increased muscle mass
• Reduced risk of falls and fractures
• Improved sleep
• Boosted immunity
• Better weight management
• Greater cardio fitness
• Improved mood
• And of course that feel good factor!

Speaking from personal experience I know for sure that I always feel 100% better once I have done a workout – even if its just 30 minutes! That leads me onto why my workouts are always just 30 minutes. If you can get all of these great benefits from a 30 minute workout why spend much longer? You can almost always find 30 minutes in the day to fit it in and its done before you even realise! So what are you waiting for – why not come and join me in feeling fit and fab at 50 – join me. Have a go at one of my classes for free and see what it is all about here.

Caroline x

Strength training can help you achieve so much both physically and mentally; one of the key physical benefits of strength training, that supports us as we age, is an improvement to bone density.  By stressing your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Most of us know that strength training (with weights, weight machines, or resistance bands) can help build and maintain muscle mass and strength. What many of us don’t know is that strong muscles lead to strong bones which, in turn, can help minimise the risk of fracture due to osteoporosis and the development of other degenerative bone conditions.

The other week I received the most incredible message from a client that is absolutely a testament to the power of strength training and to her hard work and commitment to her long term health.

My bone density has been gradually declining and as been in the osteopenia range for over 5 years. In the 12 months since working out 2x per week with Caroline the bone density in my hip has improved. This is the only major lifestyle change I have made during the year so I can honestly say that her workouts are excellent for bone strength and I hope to see further improvement with increased exercise.

I’ve read & researched so much in the past 5 years on bone health & the correlation with strength training but to see the results first hand in this way are incredible; proof displaying in this client’s bone density scans.

We all lose bone density from the age of 30 onwards, especially women post menopause as a result of the natural decline in hormones.  Resistance and strength training really can benefit our bone health by slowing the loss & even stimulating new cell growth reducing the risk of osteoporosis, whether it be from using weights or weight bearing exercises with impact (ie running) or both

My client has stayed consistent with her exercise for a whole year – never missing her 2x weekly PT with me even during holidays. The results really are a testimony to her commitment & they can only improve as she continues this routine of strength training to improve her bone density.

If you want to find out more about my online strength training classes, follow this link: https://carolineci-08283ad4cf-hfd4hchkb6g4gudz.a01.azurefd.net/online-classes/

Recent research has highlighted some of the incredible benefits of strength training.  According to a review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, regularly adding 30 to 60 minutes of strength training to your week may be associated with a 10% to 20% decrease in the risk of early death.

This is such exciting initial research; I’ve long advocated for the power of strength training so I absolutely welcome this review and the main learnings that have been shared from it.  The objective of this research was to quantify the associations between muscle-strengthening activities and the risk of non-communicable diseases and mortality in adults independent of aerobic activities. Working with adults of varying ages without severe underlying health conditions, the research and indicative statistics found that adding just 30-60 minutes of strength training to your week can cut your risk of early death from conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes by up to 20%.

So, what is strength training and why does it have this power to keep us healthy through life?

Strength training is any physical exercise which is designed to improve our strength as well as our endurance. It is usually exercises performed with weights or bands but it can also be activity using our body weight as resistance such as squats, press ups, sit ups, hill climbing, dance etc.

So why should we do it and what are the benefits of strength training?

1. For me the number one benefit would be muscle mass. We lose muscle mass naturally as we age and using weights or resistance training will ensure that we maintain our muscle tissue and stimulate growth.
2. Strength training obviously keeps us strong for long term health – we will naturally be able to perform everyday activities with ease, preventing further injuries as we age and keeping our bodies in the best shape possible.
3. Bone health! A huge benefit! As with muscle mass we also lose bone density from age 30+ and it is imperative that we lay down new bone tissue to avoid osteoporosis and fractures as we age. Strength training loads the bones putting stress on them which in turn stimulates new growth. Especially key pre and post menopause when we can see bone density drop as estrogen levels decrease.
4. The benefits are as much mental as physical. Strength training is a huge mood booster – I see this every week in my classes – people feel energised, less stressed and anxious. Even 30 minutes can really help lift the mood and the effects can last for hours after a workout.
5. Weight management. Strength training helps with weight loss – as we increase muscle mass we thereby increase the number of calories we burn at rest. The after burn is also a huge factor – with resistance exercise we continue to burn calories after the workouts as the muscles recover and grow. Combined with a healthy diet, strength training plays a huge role in maintaining a healthy weight.

As mentioned above as we age it is vital we incorporate strength training into our workouts.  I recommend to my clients to do 3 sessions a week.  Losing muscle mass and bone density as we age is something we need to focus on and only strength training can really help the body stay healthy and strong and combat weakness and frailty associated with age. Injuries are much more common in old age and strength training can hugely impact on this. Building muscle also helps with our overall balance, reducing the risk of falls and injury.

Who should not strength train?

As with any exercise program you should always consult a doctor or qualified fitness professional if you are starting exercise for the first time. If you have heart or kidney disease or type 1 or 2 diabetes you should consult with your doctor before starting a strength training program. Similarly if you have arthritis, being treated for high blood pressure or undergoing cancer treatment you should also consult your doctor.

If you want to find out more about my online strength training classes, follow this link: https://carolineci-08283ad4cf-hfd4hchkb6g4gudz.a01.azurefd.net/online-classes/