Strength training vs swimming – which is best after 45?

Author

Wellbeing Team

13 September, 2026
Strength training vs swimming – which is best after 45?

Wondering if those daily laps of the pool are enough to keep you strong as you age? Liz discusses the benefits of swimming for cardiovascular fitness and mobility – but explains why adding strength training to your routine is key for muscle maintenance and bone health.

Plus: Treating hormonal breakouts, HRT and breast cysts, ways to improve the appearance of loose skin and why a low-histamine diet might help with itchy skin after menopause.

Stream the episode below, or download the recording via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

 

Choosing the best exercise routine for a strong, healthy midlife

If you like to keep fit by getting in a few lengths at the swimming pool, you’ll certainly be reaping plenty of health rewards. But once you reach your 40s and beyond, your body will also benefit from adding in some strength training.

Swimming works lots of muscles at once, helps build endurance and mobility, and is a brilliantly low-impact form of exercise – particularly useful if you have joint problems or bladder weakness. But as Liz explains, our muscles need a little more of a challenge to keep us strong as we get older.

Why strength training matters

When you swim, your body is supported in the water. In contrast, lifting weights, using resistance bands or doing bodyweight exercises challenges your muscles more, allowing you to progressively increase the load as you become stronger.

This is known as progressive overload, which Liz describes as “a particularly powerful stimulus for maintaining and building muscle as we age.”

Strength training also has an important role to play in bone health. Because swimming isn’t a weight-bearing exercise, it doesn’t stimulate our bones in the same way as lifting weights on dry land.

You don’t need hours in the gym

If the thought of lengthy gym sessions puts you off, Liz says that just two full-body strength sessions a week are more than enough alongside any regular swimming or walking you already do. Liz’s own weight sessions sometimes take just 10–15 minutes.

Think simple movements that work the major muscle groups, such as squats, lunges, step-ups and push-ups, which can all be done from home. “You can do hammer curls with dumbbells for your biceps, and tricep dips on the edge of your sofa or bed,” says Liz. The key is to gradually increase the resistance or weight as you get stronger.

Women shouldn’t be afraid of lifting reasonably heavy weights, she says, as long as they’re exercising safely to avoid injury.

Watch Liz’s easy, equipment-free workout

Exercise should complement rather than compete

Rather than wondering whether swimming or strength training is better, Liz suggests thinking about different types of exercise as being complementary to each other.

“Swimming, walking and strength training are all doing slightly different jobs,” she explains. Swimming is excellent for cardiovascular and muscle endurance; walking provides weight-bearing movement, while strength training helps maintain and build the muscle we gradually start to lose – and need to protect – as we get older.

Also in this episode:

  • Advice for treating hormonal acne
  • How can I help my loose, crepey skin after weight loss?
  • Why has menopause triggered itchy skin and hay fever?
  • Should I be worried about HRT causing breast cysts?
  • Does swimming count as resistance exercise?

Links in this episode:

Get in touch with a question for Liz:

More from Liz:

Some links may be affiliate links, which help support the show at no extra cost to you. Read our Affiliate Policy for more information.