5 Must-Do Compound Exercises for Women Over 40
Want to take your body to the next level and burn fat like never before? Do NOT skip out on these compound exercises you can do with a barbell. These movements build total-body strength, sculpt lean muscle, and support your metabolism—especially during perimenopause and beyond.
Why Compound Exercises Matter More as We Age
One of the biggest mistakes I see women over 40 making in the gym is spending too much time on isolated movements and not enough on the foundational lifts that actually change their bodies. I want to change that for you.
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work multiple muscle groups at once. Think of them as the biggest bang-for-your-buck lifts. These moves don’t just tone one area—they strengthen your whole body while improving coordination, boosting metabolism, and helping with real-world movements like lifting, carrying, and getting up off the floor with ease.
They also help offset some of the hormonal changes that come with aging. During perimenopause and menopause, our ability to maintain and build lean muscle decreases. Prioritizing compound lifts is one of the best ways to stimulate muscle growth, maintain bone density, and keep your metabolism humming.
Whether you’re brand new to lifting or looking to refine your routine, these five exercises are the ones I personally do each week—and that I coach hundreds of women through in my online fitness programs. Let’s dive in.
#1 Compound Exercise for Women: Back Squat
The back squat is a lower-body powerhouse that strengthens your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core. It’s also incredibly functional. Every time you sit down, stand up, or lift something off the floor, you’re mimicking this movement.
Key Cues:
- Set the barbell at shoulder height.
- Step under the bar, placing it across your upper back (not your neck).
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly turned out.
- Lower down, keeping your chest lifted and core braced.
- Drive through your heels to return to standing, squeezing glutes at the top.
Avoid: Letting your knees cave in, rounding your back, or lifting your heels off the ground.
Pro Tip: If you struggle with balance or posture, start with the Smith machine. It keeps your form tight while still building serious strength.
#2 Compound Barbell Exercise: Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Deadlifts are a top-tier compound exercise for your posterior chain (backside of your body). Romanian deadlifts, specifically, target your glutes and hamstrings while reinforcing hip-hinge mechanics that protect your lower back.
How to Do It:
- Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, feet hip-width apart.
- Soften your knees and hinge at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- Lower the bar down the front of your legs, stopping at mid-shin.
- Squeeze your glutes and return to standing.
Common Mistakes: Rounding the back, bending the knees too much, or using momentum instead of muscle engagement.
Why It’s Essential: RDLs help improve posture, reduce back pain, and give your glutes that lifted, toned look.
#3 Compound Exercise for Women: Barbell Bench Press
Most women skip this one—and they’re missing out. The bench press strengthens your chest, shoulders, triceps, and even engages your core. It’s a fantastic upper-body compound lift that helps balance out lower-body-dominant routines.
Proper Form:
- Lie on a flat bench with feet planted firmly.
- Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Lower the bar to your chest, keeping elbows at a 45° angle.
- Press the bar up to the starting position with control.
Safety Tip: Use a spotter or a Smith machine if you’re new to the movement.
Added Benefit: Stronger upper body = better posture and more defined arms and shoulders.
#4 Compound Exercise for Women: Bent-Over Barbell Row
This compound back movement is one of my go-to’s for sculpting lean, defined shoulders and a strong upper back. It’s also a fantastic core stabilizer and posture corrector.
How to Row:
- Hinge forward at the hips with a flat back, holding a barbell with an overhand grip.
- Pull the bar toward your lower ribcage, squeezing shoulder blades together.
- Lower the bar with control.
Focus On: Keeping your wrists straight, core tight, and elbows close to your body.
Mistakes to Avoid: Shrugging the shoulders, rounding your back, or using too much weight.
Trainer Tip: Try a thumb-over grip if you tend to overuse your biceps—it helps engage your lats more effectively.
#5 Compound Exercise for Women: Barbell Thruster
This is the ultimate full-body move. It combines a front squat with an overhead press, making it both a strength and cardiovascular challenge.
Why I Love It: Thrusters train your legs, glutes, core, shoulders, and even your coordination—all in one move. They’re a favorite of mine from my CrossFit days, and I still include them in my own workouts.
How to Perform:
- Start with the bar in a front rack position (elbows high).
- Squat down until thighs are parallel to the floor.
- As you stand up, drive the bar overhead in one fluid movement.
- Lower the bar back to the front rack and repeat.
Key Tips:
- Keep your chest lifted and core tight.
- Don’t let the bar drift too far in front of your body.
- Start light to learn the movement before adding load.
How to Add These to Your Routine
You don’t need to do all five every workout—but including 2–3 in each training session (or rotating them across the week) is a great way to maximize your results.
Here’s a simple weekly layout idea:
- Day 1: Squats + Bench Press
- Day 2: Deadlifts + Bent-Over Rows
- Day 3: Thrusters (as part of a full-body circuit)
Aim for 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps, depending on your goal. Always warm up, start light, and focus on mastering form before adding heavy weight.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Kind Of Barbell Is Best for Women?
When you’re just starting out with barbell training, it’s important to choose equipment that fits your body and experience level.
Women’s barbells are slightly shorter and lighter than standard men’s barbells. A typical women’s Olympic barbell is:
- 6.5 feet long
- 15 kg (33 lbs) in weight
- 25mm in diameter (easier to grip with smaller hands)
This barbell is ideal for most women because it’s easier to handle, especially during lifts like cleans, thrusters, or overhead presses.
If you’re training at home or just getting started, you might also look into:
- Technique barbells (15–25 lbs): Great for learning form before adding weight.
- Standard barbells (1-inch sleeves): Compatible with common home-gym weight plates.
- Olympic barbells (2-inch sleeves): More stable and durable, best for serious lifting and progressive overload.
Bottom line: Start with a barbell that allows you to train safely and focus on proper technique. As you build strength and confidence, you can progress to heavier loads with the right form.
How often should women do compound barbell exercises?
For most women, performing compound barbell exercises 2 to 4 times per week is ideal. These lifts are more taxing on the nervous system and require more recovery than isolation movements, so spacing them out through the week is important. You might incorporate 2–3 compound lifts per session across 2–4 workouts, depending on your goals and experience.
If you’re doing full-body workouts, aim for 3 sessions per week. If you’re doing a split routine—like upper/lower body or push/pull—you can increase frequency slightly while targeting different muscle groups.
Just as important as frequency is recovery. Listen to your body, prioritize rest days, and don’t be afraid to scale back if you feel overly fatigued.
Can compound exercises help with fat loss?
Yes—compound exercises are one of the most effective tools for fat loss. Because they engage multiple muscle groups at once, they require more energy, burn more calories, and elevate your heart rate more than isolation movements. Over time, this helps increase your metabolism and promotes greater fat loss—even outside of your workouts.
For women over 40, compound lifts are especially helpful because they support lean muscle development, which is key to maintaining a healthy metabolism as hormone levels shift during perimenopause and menopause.
Pairing compound barbell lifts with a protein-rich, whole-food nutrition plan and moderate cardio will give you a well-rounded fat-loss strategy that doesn’t require extremes.
Should women over 40 lift heavy barbells?
Absolutely—lifting heavy can be a game-changer for women over 40. As we age, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass (a process called sarcopenia), and strength training with progressively heavier weights is one of the best ways to counteract that.
Lifting heavy doesn’t mean maxing out every session. It means gradually increasing the load you use over time as your form improves and your body adapts. Compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and rows are particularly beneficial because they help build bone density, joint stability, and muscular strength—all of which become even more important after 40.
Of course, proper form and smart programming are essential. Start with lighter loads, nail your technique, and progress gradually with a focus on control.
Are compound exercises better than isolation exercises?
Both compound and isolation exercises have a place in your workout routine, but if your goal is fat loss, strength, and efficiency, compound movements should be your priority.
Compound exercises—like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses—recruit multiple muscle groups at once. This leads to a higher calorie burn, stronger hormonal response, and better real-world strength. In contrast, isolation exercises—like bicep curls or leg extensions—target a single muscle group and are often used to fine-tune or “polish” areas after your foundational lifts are complete.
For women over 40, time and energy are valuable. Compound lifts give you more benefit in less time and help preserve muscle and function long-term. Use isolation work as a supplement, not the base of your plan.
The Bottom Line
These five compound exercises are non-negotiables in my book. If you want to build lean muscle, boost your metabolism, and age with strength and grace, they belong in your routine—no matter your experience level.
