40 Min Athletic Strength & Conditioning Workout for Women Over 40

This 40-minute strength and conditioning workout for women over 40 is one of the best ways you can spend 40 minutes, and I mean that.

It’s genuinely athletic, and I don’t use that word lightly. We’re combining bilateral strength, unilateral stability work and athletic conditioning moves that challenge your power, coordination and agility all in one session. We work in every plane of motion. Nothing is wasted.

The combination of bilateral with unilateral and then conditioning is what makes this workout so fun. You build a strength foundation with your bilateral lifts, then immediately challenge your stability and coordination with unilateral work on each side, and then close each block with a conditioning move that’s genuinely athletic. Think Skater Hops, Commando Plank Sprawls, Russian Dancers.

You’re going to leave this one feeling like an absolute boss.

What You’ll Gain From This Workout

✔️ Build full body strength through bilateral compound movements

✔️ Improve balance, stability and coordination with unilateral work

✔️ Develop real athleticism: power, agility and speed

✔️ Challenge your body in every plane of motion

✔️ Burn ~285 calories in 40 minutes

✔️ Finish feeling powerful, capable and genuinely athletic

Workout Overview

Why This Format Is So Effective for Women Over 40

Bilateral Then Unilateral: The Smart Way to Build Strength

Each block opens with a bilateral strength exercise, both legs or both arms working together with a heavier load. This is your foundation set, where you can lift the most and create the biggest strength stimulus.

Then we immediately move into the same movement pattern on one side at a time. The unilateral work reveals and corrects the imbalances that bilateral training can hide, challenges your stabilising muscles, and demands far more from your core than the bilateral version ever could.

It’s one of the most efficient training combinations in existence, and it’s underused in most home workout programs.

Athletic Conditioning That Actually Challenges You

The conditioning moves in this workout aren’t just heart rate fillers. Skater Hops, Commando Plank Sprawls, Pausing High Knees, Bear Hold Shoulder Taps, Russian Dancers. These are moves that challenge your power, your coordination, your agility and your athleticism in ways that traditional cardio simply doesn’t.

Working in multiple planes of motion (forward and back, side to side, rotational) is exactly what functional fitness looks like. And it’s the kind of training that makes you feel genuinely capable in your everyday life.

Why This Matters So Much for Perimenopause

During perimenopause, hormonal changes can affect balance, coordination and reaction time, things that aren’t always talked about but genuinely matter. Training that specifically challenges these systems doesn’t just make you fitter. It protects you.

Unilateral strength work and athletic conditioning are two of the most powerful tools we have for maintaining the kind of physical capability that keeps us active, independent and strong for the long term.

The Workout

Block 1: Lower Body + Agility

1️⃣ Suitcase Squat | 45s work / 15s rest

2️⃣ SL Deadlift Knee Drive (L) side | 30s work / 15s rest

3️⃣ SL Deadlift Knee Drive (R) side | 30s work / 15s rest

4️⃣ 3 Skater Hop Jump | 30s work / 15s rest

Repeat x 2

Block 2: Upper Body + Core

1️⃣ Rotating Bentover Row | 45s work / 15s rest

2️⃣ Balancing SA Press (L) side | 30s work / 15s rest

3️⃣ Balancing SA Press (R) side | 30s work / 15s rest

4️⃣ Commando Plank Sprawl | 30s work / 15s rest

Repeat x 2

Block 3: Posterior Chain + Power

1️⃣ RDL | 45s work / 15s rest

2️⃣ Staggered Squat Pulse (L) side | 30s work / 15s rest

3️⃣ Staggered Squat Pulse (R) side | 30s work / 15s rest

4️⃣ Pausing High Knees | 30s work / 15s rest

Repeat x 2

Block 4: Full Body Power + Stability

1️⃣ Alt Thruster | 45s work / 15s rest

2️⃣ SA Row to Snatch (L) side | 30s work / 15s rest

3️⃣ SA Row to Snatch (R) side | 30s work / 15s rest

4️⃣ Bear Hold Shoulder Tap | 30s work / 15s rest

Repeat x 2

Block 5: Glutes + Coordination

1️⃣ Glute Bridge + 2 sec pause | 45s work / 15s rest

2️⃣ SL Glute Bridge Drive (L) side | 30s work / 15s rest

3️⃣ SL Glute Bridge Drive (R) side | 30s work / 15s rest

4️⃣ Russian Dancer | 30s work / 15s rest

Repeat x 2

Finisher | 2 Rounds | 20s work / 10s rest

1️⃣ Burpee

2️⃣ Mt Climbers

3️⃣ Pushups

4️⃣ Weighted Sit-up

🔥 Workout Complete · Burn ~285 Calories

Trainer Tips

✔️ On the bilateral exercises, choose a weight that genuinely challenges you. These are your heaviest sets of each block.

✔️ For the unilateral work, resist the urge to rush. Slow controlled reps on each side will do far more than rushing through.

✔️ The athletic conditioning moves are meant to be powerful. Commit to them. That’s where the fun is.

✔️ The Balancing SA Press is harder than it looks. If you need to tap your foot down between reps to start, that’s completely fine.

✔️ On the finisher, go hard. It’s only 20 seconds. Everything you have left.

Who This Workout Is Perfect For

This strength and conditioning workout for women over 40 is ideal for:

• Women who want to feel genuinely athletic, not just fit
• Anyone in perimenopause looking to maintain coordination, balance and power
• Women who are bored of traditional strength training and want more variety
• Anyone who wants to challenge themselves in every plane of motion
• Women who want to finish a workout feeling like a complete boss
• Intermediate exercisers comfortable with dumbbells and unilateral work

Save This Workout

Want a fully interactive workout card with every exercise and fillable weight tracking fields for this strength and conditioning workout for women over 40?

👉 40 Minute Athletic Strength & Conditioning Workout Card | Interactive PDF

What To Try Next

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this strength and conditioning workout suitable for perimenopause?

Yes, and it’s particularly well suited to it. The combination of bilateral strength, unilateral stability and athletic conditioning addresses the areas most affected by hormonal change in perimenopause: muscle mass, bone density, balance, coordination and reaction time. This isn’t just a calorie-burning session. It’s genuinely functional training.

What’s the difference between bilateral and unilateral exercises?

Bilateral exercises use both limbs at once, both legs in a squat or both arms in a row. Unilateral exercises work one side at a time, like a single leg deadlift or single arm press. Unilateral work reveals strength imbalances, challenges your stabilising muscles far more, and demands more from your core. The two complement each other beautifully in the same session.

What weights should I use?

I used 7kg/15.5 lbs and 10kg/22 lbs. Go heavier on the bilateral exercises (Suitcase Squat, RDL, Glute Bridge) and lighter or the same for unilateral work. If you’re new to single leg or single arm training, start conservative. Balance and control matter more than load.

What does “athletic conditioning” mean in this context?

The conditioning exercises in this workout (Skater Hops, Commando Plank Sprawls, Pausing High Knees, Bear Hold Shoulder Taps, Russian Dancers) are designed to challenge speed, agility, power and coordination. They’re not just cardio. They require your brain and your body to work together, which is exactly what makes them so effective.

Can beginners do this workout?

This one is best suited to intermediate exercisers who are comfortable with dumbbells and have some experience with unilateral movements. If you’re newer to training, try a few of the movements without weight first to get comfortable with the balance requirements.

How many calories does it burn?

Approximately 285 calories. Set your watch to “Traditional Strength Training” or “Functional Strength Training” for a personalised reading.

How often should I do this workout?

Do this strength and conditioning workout for women over 40, once a week works well as your main conditioning session. It pairs well with a pure strength day and a lower impact session on other days.

Drop a 💪 in the comments when you finish. I read every single one.