Women are powerful. Despite the sexism and gender gaps that still exist in the world, they show up every day as daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmas, bosses, friends, and more. But while we’re often used to leaning into our mental resilience, not enough of us tap into our physical resilience and the capacity all women have to tackle power training.
If you like hitting the gym, you might have dipped your toe in—or built a consistent routine around—strength training. We know strength training is beneficial for all women as a means to support our bodies, particularly as we age. Power training is different from other types of gym workouts in that the focus is on “developing explosive strength,” says Melody D., a women’s health and wellness expert.
Power is what you use when you catch yourself from falling, or when you need to stand up after a long day sitting in your office chair. And incorporating it into your fitness routine—something that initially feels intimidating for many women—can help you stay strong, agile, and healthy throughout life. It’s one of the most important ingredients for aging well.
But what workouts actually help you develop maximum power? And what are the specific (and impressive) evidence-backed benefits of power training, especially for women? We dive into the answers to some of these questions below.
What Is Power Training?
To understand what constitutes power training, it’s important to differentiate it from other workouts. Strength training offers excellent anti-aging and health benefits, but it focuses more on lifting heavy weights slowly, to develop maximum strength, says Melody. If you’re engaging in hypertrophy training (you may be without knowing it—learn about hypertrophy here), you will lift moderate weights at higher reps, to increase your muscle size, she adds.
We also can’t forget other beloved strength-based workouts like Pilates or Yoga. While these can help you develop flexibility, core strength, endurance, and body awareness, they don’t offer the same benefits of power training.
Power training centers around explosive movements. The biggest focus will be power-focused exercises like box jumps, medicine ball slams, kettlebell swings, and Olympic lift variations like cleans and snatches. It could also integrate foundational strength movements like squats or deadlifts with a focus on explosiveness.
“It combines both strength and speed, aiming to improve how fast you can exert maximum force,” Melody says. “Key characteristics of power training include short, intense efforts with fewer reps, where the goal is to perform movements as quickly and forcefully as possible.”
Why Should Women Power Train?
Don’t think about it too much—the best time to start power training is now.
Why? Speed and power are the first things to go as we age, which makes power training akin to an anti-aging drug. Research published in 2022 found that power was more effective than strength training in helping older people improve their daily physical function. The sooner you start, the more those benefits will compound before you even reach a more mature age.
Women, especially, can benefit from power training—mainly for hormonal reasons. Women’s hormonal changes during their monthly cycle, and menopause which happens later in life, can each impact the “force and speed with which we can move in space,” says Melody.
As we age, we all lose muscle mass (and women lose it faster than men). This especially applies to us as we go through menopause. During menopause, the amount of estrogen in a woman’s body declines—which can cause muscle mass and strength to decline with it. Women might also become less physically active at this point in their lives. While muscle strength declines during this period, muscle power—that force that allows you to catch yourself from falling—actually deteriorates more rapidly.
The good news is that while we all will inevitably lose some muscle mass, we can slow down the process significantly (or halt it altogether) with the right workouts, especially power training. In addition to building back lean muscle mass, it also supports bone health by stimulating bone growth and increasing bone density, boosts metabolism to help burn more calories at rest, and improves connective tissue strength which helps you move without pain or discomfort.
“It is imperative to incorporate some form of power training as early on as one can, and to continue training for power throughout one’s lifespan,” says Melody.
How to Start Power Training
Overall, Melody recommends strength training at least two to three times per week, for at least 30-45 minutes per session. Power training can be included as part of those sessions (think: 50% of the workout is focused on traditional strength exercises, and 50% on power exercises), or in place of one. For example, you may do one strength-focused and one power-focused workout class a week. Remember: it’s always better to have some power training in your routine than none at all.
In general, a solid power workout might look like this:
- Begin with a dynamic warmup.
- Do 3-5 sets of 3-6 reps for each power-focused exercise.
- Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.
- Finish with a cooldown.
And no, you don’t have to design it on your own. At obé, we have hundreds of on-demand Power workouts to choose from, ranging from beginner to advanced fitness levels.
If the types of movements mentioned above seem intimidating, there are other ways to ease power training into your workout routine. If you’re already familiar with strength training, for example, you can always choose one move during your session—like a squat—to move more explosively. There’s truly something within this category for every fitness level.
“Power training doesn’t have to be complicated or high-impact either,” Melody says. If you’re looking for more simple, yet equally effective movements, she recommends exercises such as step-ups, power skips, pogo hops, broad jumps, medicine ball slams, and push presses.
“These provide excellent power training benefits without the complexity or high risk of advanced movements,” she says.
The Bottom Line
Power training is all about quick, powerful movements that build strength and speed. Though we often perceive it as a “man’s exercise,” it’s particularly important for women because it helps keep bones strong, supports hormones, lowers osteoporosis risk (a bone disease 4 times more common in women), and maintains muscle mass, which can all maintain your health and boost longevity as you get older. Plus, power training boosts your metabolism and is great for your heart, making it a key part of staying healthy long-term.
A well-rounded workout routine should include both strength and power training, along with cardio and mobility work like Yoga and Pilates. This combination will set you up for success in the long run—so you can live a healthier and happier life.
If you don’t know how to start power training, use obé’s Power class type filter to explore your options. You can also filter by duration, fitness level, body focus, impact, and equipment to find your perfect match.
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