Accessory Work for Strength and Hypertrophy in Women Over 40

One of the greatest rivalries I see in programming strength training for women over 40 is the battle between strength and muscle. My approach to strength training and muscle growth incorporates a cohesive and holistic approach to your programming that will help you reach your goals and incorporate these philosophies into your training program.

Key Takeaways

If You Want to Leverage Your Strength and Hypertrophy, You Should:

1. You don't have to choose between muscle or strength building; you need them both as a woman over 40, especially
2. Think about your goals and make sure your program is aligned with them
3. Use accessory work to break up the repetition and fill in the weak points of your training

Delicious Accessory Additions

I like to think of accessory work, supplementary exercises that support your main lifts, like the toppings to your delicious training burger. Accessory work can help you spice things up in your training, address imbalances, or help you understand what you want to work on. 

It is not just about strength development or muscle growth; the goal is to help you weave these things together to further enhance your strength development and hypertrophy, prevent injuries, and so much more.

Building Muscle is a Spectrum

Building muscle takes place across a spectrum. By thinking both bilaterally and unilaterally about your accessory work depending on where you are at in your program, you will be able to find your training tempo and add the necessary context it takes to reach your training goals.

I want you to be able to understand the ‘why’, the rationale. You don't need to be able to repeat it all back to me, but if you can understand the why behind your programming, you will be more likely to follow through, improve your consistency, and get better results. I want to give you the resources you need to be successful with strength training and reach the goals you are striving for.

Are you ready to get your strength training guide for women over 40? Share your hopes and expectations for the next year of training with me in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• Why accessory work is an essential part of a well-rounded strength training program (8:25)
• How to program accessory work to align with your strength training development goals (14:33)
• What is hypertrophy, and what do you need to know to build muscle (22:34)
• The importance of tempo when it comes to hypertrophy (32:20)
• Examples of what the flow of a workout should look and feel like and common mistakes (35:17)

Quotes

“I want you to walk away from this podcast feeling more informed, more educated, and like you can understand the program that is being put in front of you.” (4:14)

“We want to get in, be focused, make it count.” (24:01)

“I can't say this enough, so slow down. You might have to use less weight, but it is going to be more effective.” (32:27)

“If you are out in the world and you are looking for a program, Strong with Steph might not be for everyone, and that is totally fine. But know what your goals are.” (41:22)

“Having a structured program that is written by som