{"id":103691,"date":"2025-07-30T02:49:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T02:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/103691\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T02:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T02:49:10","slug":"low-risk-high-burn-workout-for-women-55","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/103691\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-Risk, High-Burn Workout for Women 55+"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you age, strength training<\/a> is the name of the game to combat sarcopenia, the loss of lean muscle. But what is the most productive way to strength train for women 55+? According to Luke Carlson<\/b><\/a>, ACSM-certified exercise physiologist, ACSM-certified cancer exercise trainer, NASM-qualified trainer, and CEO and founder of Discover Strength, you should focus on lifting and lowering weights slowly. Slower, lower-impact strength workouts<\/a> boost joint health and mitigate osteoarthritic discomfort. As a matter of fact, Luke calls strength training \u201can ideal therapy for most arthritic pain.\u201d That\u2019s why he recommends this particular low-risk, high-burn routine for women over 55.<\/p>\n

\u201cLow-risk involves minimizing momentum and external forces. We should avoid lifting a weight fast, swinging a weight of any kind, or dropping a weight,\u201d Luke explains. \u201c\u2018High-burn\u2019 is best achieved by training for momentary muscle failure\u2014defined as the point in which we can\u2019t do another rep with good form.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Low-Risk, High-Burn Workout for Women 55+<\/b><\/p>\n

Below, Luke breaks down his ideal low-risk, high-burn workout. For each exercise, complete 1 set of 8 to 12 reps, always working toward muscle failure. Lift for 2 seconds and use control to lower the weight for 4 seconds.<\/p>\n

\tLeg Press<\/p>\n

\"womanShutterstock<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Sit at the leg press machine, pressing your back flat into the pad and feet hip-distance apart on the platform.<\/li>\n
  2. Bend your knees to 90 degrees.<\/li>\n
  3. Hold the handles or sidebars for support.<\/li>\n
  4. Press through both heels to extend your legs.<\/li>\n
  5. Use control to lower.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If You Can Do This 5-Second Test at 50, You\u2019re More Flexible Than 80% of Your Peers<\/a><\/p>\n

    \tLeg Curl<\/p>\n

    \"womanShutterstock<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Sit at the leg curl machine, placing the back of your lower legs against the padded lever.<\/li>\n
    2. The thigh pad should be fitted across your upper thighs.<\/li>\n
    3. Gradually pull your heels down and back, bending your knees to curl the weight.<\/li>\n
    4. Hold at the bottom for a moment before returning to the start position.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \tLeg Extension<\/p>\n

      \"womanShutterstock<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Sit at the leg extension machine, pressing your back against the seat.<\/li>\n
      2. The pad should be resting right above your ankles.<\/li>\n
      3. Extend your legs by straightening out your knees and lifting the weight.<\/li>\n
      4. Hold at the top for a moment before lowering.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The 4 Best Exercises To Reverse Muscle Loss After 50<\/a><\/p>\n

        \tAdduction Machine<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Begin seated at the machine, inner thighs against the pads.<\/li>\n
        2. Grab the handles.<\/li>\n
        3. Squeeze your legs together, moving the pads in toward each other.<\/li>\n
        4. Hold for a moment.<\/li>\n
        5. Use control to release.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \tAbduction Machine<\/p>\n

          \"AShutterstock<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Begin seated at the machine, positioning your outer knees against the pads.<\/li>\n
          2. Make sure the seat is adjusted so that your legs start slightly inward.<\/li>\n
          3. Grab onto the handles.<\/li>\n
          4. Press your legs out against the resistance.<\/li>\n
          5. Hold for a moment.<\/li>\n
          6. Use control to release.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            If You Can Do These 4 Bodyweight Exercises After 50, You\u2019re Stronger Than 90% of Your Peers<\/a><\/p>\n

            \tShoulder Press<\/p>\n

            \"fitShutterstock<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.<\/li>\n
            2. Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are completely extended.<\/li>\n
            3. Use control to lower the weights to shoulder level.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              \tLat Pulldown<\/p>\n

              \"matureShutterstock<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Begin with a gentle load.<\/li>\n
              2. Sit at the cable machine.<\/li>\n
              3. Grab the handle using a pronated, supinated, or neutral grip.<\/li>\n
              4. From fully extended arms overhead, pull the bar toward your chin.<\/li>\n
              5. Use control to release.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                RELATED: Women 50+ Are Swearing by This Reverse Diet Method to Drop Stubborn Fat<\/a>6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

                \tChest Press<\/p>\n

                \"machineShutterstock<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Lie flat on your back on a workout bench.<\/li>\n
                2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand just outside your chest.<\/li>\n
                3. Keep your feet flat on the ground and maintain an engaged core.<\/li>\n
                4. Press the dumbbells over your chest until your arms are extended but not locked out.<\/li>\n
                5. Use control to lower the weights.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  \tRoman Chair Low Back Extension<\/p>\n

                  \"FitnessShutterstock<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Situate yourself at a Roman chair, feet secured and hips positioned right above the pad.<\/li>\n
                  2. Cross your arms in front of your chest or hold onto a weight for extra resistance.<\/li>\n
                  3. Keep your body in a straight line, then lower your upper body by hinging at the hips until your torso is approximately 90 degrees to your legs.<\/li>\n
                  4. Activate your buttocks and lower back to raise your torso to the start position.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

                    \t\tAlexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As you age, strength training is the name of the game to combat sarcopenia, the loss of lean…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":103692,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[15998,1728,1198,210,34630,67,132,68,16966,9008],"class_list":{"0":"post-103691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-belly-fat","9":"tag-exercise","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-how-to-lose-body-fat","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us","16":"tag-women","17":"tag-workouts"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114939911616480429","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}