When you hear “total body workout,” do you picture bouncing from squats to push-ups to burpees to stair sprints… all in one exhausting circuit?
For years, that’s how I approached training and how I thought it was supposed to be done. The goal was to cram as much movement as possible into one workout. Keep your heart rate high, barely rest, and leave the gym drenched.
It’s the same mentality so many of us bring to life: try to do it all, all at once, every single day. And if you’re anything like me, that approach eventually caught up to you.
In your 40s, especially during perimenopause, your body’s needs shift. Piling intensity on top of everything else you’re juggling isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a fast track to stalled progress, nagging injuries, and feeling more drained than energized.
A total body workout shouldn’t be a punishment or a race to fit “everything” into 45 minutes. It should be a targeted, efficient session that meets you where you are right now; building strength, mobility, and resilience while leaving room for recovery.
If this shift in thinking resonates, you might also enjoy my article on Fitness for Women Over 40 – Why It’s Time to Change the Conversation.
Why Cramming Everything Into One Workout Backfires in Midlife
If your old “do it all” style workouts aren’t delivering results anymore, it’s not because you’ve lost discipline. It’s because your body has changed. Here’s what happens when you keep trying to cram it all in:
1. You spike stress hormones (and not in a good way).
Those high-intensity, non-stop circuits may have felt effective in your 20s and 30s, but now they can keep cortisol elevated long after your workout ends. Chronic stress from training + life makes it harder to recover, build muscle, and manage weight .
2. You can’t focus on quality movement.
When you’re rushing from exercise to exercise, there’s no time to work on form or progressive overload; the very things that actually make you stronger.
3. You increase your injury risk.
Fatigue + complex movements + less recovery time between sets = more strain on joints, tendons, and muscles. For women navigating perimenopause, hormonal shifts can already make tissues more sensitive to injury .
4. You burn out faster.
Mentally and physically, constant “go, go, go” training leaves you wiped out instead of energized, making it harder to stay consistent long-term.
Instead of measuring a total body workout by how out of breath you are, start asking: “Did this session give my body what it actually needs to perform, recover, and adapt?”
For more on why sustainable structure matters, see my article From Resolution to Results: Building a Plan You’ll Actually Stick To.
What a Total Body Workout Should Actually Do for You After 40
In your 40s, your total body workout should be less about “how much can I pack in” and more about “how can I move in a way that supports strength, mobility, and recovery.”
Here’s what that means in practice:
1. Build strength that lasts.
Include enough load (weight) and structure to challenge your muscles and bones because maintaining lean muscle and bone density becomes even more important during perimenopause and beyond .
2. Improve mobility and stability.
Move your joints through their full range of motion and strengthen the muscles that keep you balanced and pain-free. This is the foundation that keeps you training for decades.
3. Support metabolic health.
Strength training boosts your metabolism long after you leave the gym . Pair that with a smart finisher or moderate cardio, and you’ll support both strength and cardiovascular endurance without tipping into burnout.
4. Leave you feeling energized, not wrecked.
You should be able to walk out of a total body workout and feel like you have more in the tank for your day; not like you need to crash on the couch.
The Strength & Longevity Method Framework for Total Body Training
Here’s how I structure total body sessions for women in their 40s—efficient, effective, and adaptable to how you feel that day.
1. Mobility Warm-Up (5 minutes)
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Dynamic stretches + activation: cat-cow, bridging, prone extension, world’s greatest stretch, bodyweight squats.
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Prepares joints, activates key muscles, and signals your body it’s time to work.
2. Main Strength Lifts (20–25 minutes)
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4–6 moves hitting upper, lower, and core:
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Squat variation (e.g., goblet squat)
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Hinge variation (e.g., deadlift)
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Push (e.g., bench press or push-up)
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Pull (e.g., row or pull-up)
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Carry or anti-rotation core move
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Rest 60–90 seconds between sets to maintain form and power.
3. Optional Metabolic Finisher (5–7 minutes)
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Low-impact, high-output: sled pushes, kettlebell swings, farmer carries (go hard for 30 seconds and then fully recover for 1-3 minutes; 3-4 rounds is perfect).
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Enough to feel challenged, not so much that you tank recovery.
4. Cool Down (3–5 minutes)
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Static stretching + breathwork to shift into recovery mode.
This format checks all the boxes for strength, mobility, and metabolic health; without the chaos of trying to “do it all” in one exhausting circuit.
Making Your Total Body Workout Work for You
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Adjust based on recovery. On days you’re sore or low energy, cut sets or replace the finisher with extra mobility work.
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Progress gradually. Add weight or reps every 2–3 weeks, not every session.
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Match your season of life. Travel week? Shorten your workout and focus on big lifts only. High-stress week? Prioritize mobility and moderate strength work.
The Bottom Line
When you stop trying to cram everything into your total body workouts, you make space for what matters: building strength that lasts, moving with confidence, and recovering well enough to do it all again tomorrow.
If you want a smarter, simpler way to train for the body you have now (not the one you had in college) let’s map out your next steps together.
📅 Book your free Fitness Roadmap Session here: https://calendly.com/lizrodriguezcoaching/fitnessroadmapcall
🎥 Or watch my 10-minute masterclass, “The Fitness Rules You’ve Been Sold Are Wrong” here: https://lizrodriguezcoaching.com/masterclass/
References
https://doi.org/10.1586/17446651.1.6.783
https://doi.org/10.1249/JES.0000000000000024
