Cardio vs Strength Training: What Actually Works in Midlife?
If you’re in your 40s or 50s and feel like the fitness rules suddenly changed… you’re not imagining it.
What worked in your 20s and 30s often stops working the same way in midlife. A lot of women respond by doing more cardio, eating less, and pushing harder. And instead of feeling better, they end up exhausted, frustrated, and wondering why nothing is changing.
So let’s talk about the real question I hear all the time:
Is cardio or strength training better in midlife?
Short answer? Both matter. But one matters more than the other.
Let’s talk about it.
Why Cardio Stops Working the Way It Used To
Cardio isn’t bad. Let’s get that out of the way.
It’s good for your heart, your mental health, and for a lot of women, it’s the easiest way to move their body.
But here’s where things shift in midlife.
This is what shows up over and over again:
You're doing more cardio than ever, but you're clothes fit the same and your body feels softer, not leaner
You’re eating less, skipping meals, or cutting carbs, yet you’re tired all the time and constantly thinking about food
Your workouts leave you sore for days, joints feel cranky, and recovery feels slow
The scale might drop a pound or two, then nothing changes no matter how hard you push
That whole “burn more, eat less” thing might work short term, but it usually catches up to you.
Here’s a big piece most women aren’t told:
Your body adapts.
When you do the same cardio over and over and keep calories low for too long, your body gets efficient. You burn fewer calories doing the same workouts. Your metabolism slows things down to protect you. Hunger cues ramp up. Energy drops.
Nothing is “wrong” with you. Your body is doing exactly what it’s designed to do - keep you alive, not lean.
That’s why pushing harder rarely fixes it. Workouts feel harder, energy drops, strength slips, and fat loss turns into a constant stop‑start cycle.
That’s when it starts to feel like you’re constantly trying to force results instead of your body responding.
Why Strength Training Becomes Non‑Negotiable After 40
Do I Need to Stop Cardio Completely?
Short answer: no.
And if you’ve ever thought, “If I stop cardio, I’m going to gain weight,” you’re not alone. I hear that all the time.
I'm not saying cardio is bad or that you should never do it again. It’s about understanding what actually moves the needle at this stage of life.
In midlife, strength training needs to come first. Cardio comes after.
Not because cardio doesn’t matter, but because it doesn’t do the heavy lifting your body needs to actually change at this stage.
If strength training feels intimidating or you’re unsure what’s actually safe at this stage of life, I break that down in this post: Why Lifting Heavy After 40 Is Safer Than Not Lifting at All.
Think about it like this:
Cardio is great for your heart and stress
Strength training is what changes how your body looks, feels, and functions
A good run, some biking, the odd spin class, short finishers - all of these can still have their place. It just doesn’t need to be the thing you’re doing more of when progress stalls.
Most women don’t need to cut cardio out. They need to stop relying on it to fix everything.
What Actually Works Best for Most Women in Midlife
What actually works for most women looks more like this:
Strength training 3-4 times per week.
Daily movement (100% yes, walking is underrated and really important)
Cardio used intentionally, not excessively
Eating enough food for your body to actually build muscle, recover, and respond to the work you’re doing (not starving yourself)
Adopting habits that support your recovery and consistency
If fat loss feels harder than it used to, it’s usually not because you’re not trying hard enough.
It’s because your strategy needs to change.
At some point, more cardio just stops working.
If you want a simple place to start without overhauling everything, my Fat Loss Blueprint breaks down the four fat loss fundamentals in a way that actually fits real life.
The Real Goal Isn’t Burning Calories
This is the part most women struggle with and once it clicks, everything about this process starts to feel better.
You’re not exercising to earn food. You’re not training to shrink yourself.
You’re training to build a body that supports the life you want to live.
Skinny culture is loud, outdated, and still telling women to get smaller instead of stronger.
Strength training helps you:
Carry groceries without thinking twice
Move with confidence
Protect your joints
Stay independent as long as you can
Feel capable, not fragile
Cardio supports health. Strength training changes how you age.
Let’s recap
Midlife is usually when you realize something has to change:
Doing more isn’t the answer anymore. Doing the right things, and actually sticking with them, is.
If you’re trying to figure out where to put your energy, keep it simple:
Lift weights
Move your body most days
Use cardio intentionally, not as punishment
Eat enough to support what you’re asking your body to do
Progress in midlife doesn’t come from pushing harder or beating yourself up. It comes from working with your body instead of fighting it.
That’s when things finally start to change.
If you’ve read up to here and are thinking, “Okay… but where do I even start?” this is exactly what I help women with inside my Strong & Balanced Coaching.