Anna Knight Movement
Strength:
Beyond the Mat
A six-week strength and mobility programme, built to fit around your week, not the other way round. Plan your sessions, log your effort, and watch how consistency compounds.
Why strength training matters now
Building strength isn't just about moving heavy weights. It's about challenging your muscles and nervous system in a way that promotes growth, resilience, and long-term mobility.
As we age, our hormones change, in particular oestrogen. Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining muscle, bone density, joint health, and metabolic function. As it naturally declines through perimenopause and menopause, we don't simply "lose fitness". We lose some of the support our body used to get for free.
The most powerful, evidence-based way to replace that support is through regular strength training.
Effort & consistency = stronger with time
The greater the effort, the better the results. The more consistent the effort, the better the results. In strength training, effort is measured on a scale of 1–10, known as Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).
Aim for an effort level (RPE) of 7–8, where your last two reps feel heavier and you're moving the weight more slowly.
This is where you plan your week, track your sessions, and note your progress week by week. Start by adding your regular activities, then fit your strength sessions around those. From the recorded sessions, choose either Upper / Lower or Full Body, and repeat 2–3 times per week. You can also link an upper and lower session for a longer full-body workout.
Week 1
2 sets · foundationsPlan your days
Log your sessions
Add exercise, reps, sets and RPE: how hard did that exercise feel, out of 10?
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
|---|
Workout 2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 3
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Week 2
2 sets · habit forming- Know that sometimes you will not want to show up, and you will make excuses to yourself. It's important you get over it and show up. You won't regret it.
- Consistent small sessions beat overdoing once and not sufficiently recovering.
- Note energy levels, muscle soreness, and ease of movement.
- Prioritise recovery, sleep, and nourishment.
- Balance the sessions. If your lower body feels fatigued from the previous session, do upper body first to balance the workload.
Strength is built during recovery.
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 3
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Use this space to jot down any adjustments you made, or any questions you might have. Remember, progress takes time!
Week 3
progressingWhen it starts to feel easier towards the end of your sets, here's what to do. It might not be this week or the one after, but here's your guide on how to know what to do, and when. If you finish a set and feel like you could have done 3–4 more reps, it's a sign you're ready to progress. It's important to only progress in one way at a time.
The golden rule: form stays clean. If your form breaks, the weight is too heavy, for now.
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 3
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Use this space to jot down any adjustments you made, or any questions you might have. Remember, progress takes time.
Week 4
midpoint check- Reflect on what's working, what you've enjoyed, and how you've progressed. Check your Week 1 notes.
- Maintain consistency. It's easy to wobble. Do what you enjoy, go back to the classes you marked!
- What have you skipped? No guilt, just take a look at what those barriers were.
- Try different variations, tempos, or weights if you feel ready.
- What's your focus for the next three weeks: consistency, adding load, improving mobility, or recovery?
Recovery is crucial to maintaining quality movement. The best marker is the quality, depth, and length of your sleep. How are your energy levels and mood? What's your appetite like? Are you feeling nourished, or craving sugar and quick fixes?
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 3
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Use this space to jot down any adjustments you made, or any questions you might have. Remember, progress takes time.
Week 5
accumulatingConsistency is everything. Choose what fits in and what you like, and do that. At this stage you're no longer just learning the movements, you're accumulating meaningful training exposure. The exercises should feel familiar enough that you can focus on maintaining quality while gradually challenging the muscles.
Research in resistance training shows muscles respond best when stimulated multiple times per week rather than once. Training a muscle group at least twice weekly tends to produce better strength and development than once-weekly training, because the body receives a more regular signal to adapt.
Stay patient, stay consistent, and trust the process. Keep showing up.
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 3
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Week 6
final weekWhen it starts to feel easier towards the end of your sets, here's what to do. It might not be this week, and that's okay, but here's your guide on how to know what to do, and when. If you finish a set and feel like you could have done 3–4 more reps, it's a sign you're ready to progress. Only progress in one way at a time.
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
|---|
Workout 2
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Workout 3
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | RPE |
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Protein & Fibre
Fuelling your strength training in midlife.
Why protein matters more now. From our late 30s onwards, we naturally start to lose muscle mass and strength, a process that speeds up around perimenopause and menopause. Strength training is one of the best tools we have to fight that, but muscle needs raw material to repair and rebuild, and that raw material is protein. Getting enough protein alongside your strength work supports muscle repair, helps maintain bone density, and can help you feel fuller and steadier between meals. All things that matter more, not less, as we move through midlife.
Why fibre matters more now. Fibre often gets less airtime than protein, but it's just as important. It supports gut health and digestion, helps keep blood sugar and energy levels steadier, supports heart health, and can help with feeling satisfied after meals. Hormonal changes in perimenopause and menopause can affect digestion and gut health, which is part of why fibre-rich foods are worth paying attention to at this stage of life.
A general starting point. Public health guidance generally suggests older adults need somewhat more protein than younger adults to help maintain muscle, and that most adults would benefit from more fibre than they currently eat. Exact numbers vary from person to person depending on health, activity levels and goals, which is exactly why this isn't something that can be prescribed here. See below for protein- and fibre-rich foods you may like to consider adding.
Protein: animal-based
- Eggs
- Chicken and turkey
- Fish (salmon, mackerel, cod, tuna)
- Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese
- Milk and cheese
- Lean beef and pork
Protein: plant-based
- Lentils, chickpeas and beans
- Tofu, tempeh and edamame
- Nuts, nut butters and seeds
- Quinoa
- Protein powders, a top-up rather than a food replacement
Fibre sources
- Oats, wholegrain bread, pasta and rice
- Psyllium husk (90% fibre!)
- Beans, lentils and chickpeas
- Vegetables of all kinds, especially with skins on
- Fruit, particularly berries, apples and pears
- Nuts and seeds
You've completed the programme.
You are now ready to progress to heavier weights. Check out the Dumbbell Library for your next stage of strength training.
Explore the Dumbbell Library