Why Strength Training Beats Pilates for the 40+ Crowd: The Smartest Way to Look, Move, and Feel Better
Discover why strength training is the superior workout for adults 40 and older. Learn how it builds muscle, protects your bones, boosts metabolism, and keeps you moving strong for life…from our team at BCS Fitness in Bryan/College Station.
If you’re over 40, you’ve probably heard someone say, “I just do Pilates—it’s easier on my body.”
We get it. Pilates feels good. It’s controlled, mindful, and helps improve posture and flexibility. But when it comes to aging strong, preserving muscle, and keeping your metabolism fired up, there’s no comparison…strength training takes the crown.
Here’s why.
1. Strength Training Protects Your Muscle…and Your Metabolism
Starting around age 35, we naturally begin to lose 3–5% of our muscle mass per decade. That muscle loss doesn’t just affect how strong you feel…it slows your metabolism and makes it easier to gain fat.
Strength training directly combats this by sending a clear message to your body: keep the muscle, we still need it!
Pilates challenges your control, but it simply doesn’t load the muscles heavily enough to stimulate real growth. Strength training does — and that’s the key to maintaining an active metabolism and a lean, capable body as you age.
2. It Strengthens Your Bones (and Prevents Osteoporosis)
As we age, bone density declines…especially for women post-40. The good news? Lifting weights or performing resistance training is one of the only proven ways to rebuild and strengthen bone tissue.
The light resistance and low impact of Pilates don’t provide enough load to trigger those changes. Strength training does, helping you stay upright, strong, and fracture-free for the long haul.
3. It Builds Real-World Strength, Not Just Flexibility
Being flexible is great. Being functional is better.
Strength training mimics real-life movement…getting up off the floor, carrying groceries, climbing stairs…and helps you perform those tasks with ease and confidence.
At BCS Fitness, we train our 40+ members to be strong for life. That means more golf without pain, more energy to play with kids or grandkids, and fewer “I tweaked my back” moments that slow you down.
4. It’s the Ultimate Anti-Aging Tool
Want to look younger, move better, and feel more energetic? Strength training improves insulin sensitivity, regulates hormones, and fights inflammation…the three biggest culprits behind aging.
While Pilates enhances mobility and posture, it can’t match the whole-body rejuvenation that strength training delivers.
In other words, Pilates helps you move gracefully; strength training helps you move powerfully…and that power shows up in every part of life.
5. It’s Customizable for Every Fitness Level
One of the biggest misconceptions about strength training is that it’s only for gym veterans. The truth? When guided correctly, it’s safe and scalable for anyone.
At BCS Fitness, our 1-to-5 small group personal training model allows adults 40+ to train with expert guidance in a small, supportive setting. Every session is prescriptive to your current strength, injury history, and goals.
No intimidation. No wasted reps. Just smart, sustainable progress that makes you feel confident inside and outside the gym.
The Bottom Line
If your goal is to look, move, and feel better in your 40s, 50s, and beyond…strength training isn’t optional, it’s essential.
Combine it with balanced nutrition, quality recovery, and a great coaching team, and you’ve got the secret recipe for long-term health, strength, and longevity.
Ready to see what smart, personalized strength training can do for you?
👉 Schedule your complimentary Longevity Strategy Session today at BCS Fitness and take the first step toward becoming stronger for life. 979-575-7871
Small Group Personal Training in Bryan/College Station
FAQ: Small Group Personal Training in Bryan/College Station
At BCS Fitness, we get it…starting a new fitness program comes with lots of questions. To make things simple, here are the answers to the most common questions we hear about our small group personal training in Bryan/College Station.
1. What is small group personal training?
It’s the perfect mix of personal attention and group motivation. At BCS Fitness, each session is led by a coach with no more than 5 clients at a time with a coach, so you’ll always get individualized coaching.
2. How long are sessions?
Just 30 minutes. Our workouts are designed to be efficient and effective, so you can get stronger, leaner, and more energized without spending hours in the gym. Most clients are in and out of the studio, warm up to cool down, in 35-40 minutes.
3. Do I need to be in shape to start?
Nope. Many of our clients begin after years away from exercise. Every workout is prescriptive to your current fitness level so you can progress safely at your own pace.
4. Where are you located?
We have two convenient studios in College Station & Bryan:
South Studio (3032 Barron Rd)
Central Studio (4301 S. Texas)
Both are easily accessible for Bryan and College Station residents.
5. How is BCS Fitness different from a regular gym?
Traditional gyms often leave you to figure it out on your own. At BCS Fitness, every workout is coach-guided and designed for adults who want to look, move, and feel better. You’ll never have to wonder what to do next.
6. What results can I expect?
Most clients notice:
Increased strength and stamina
Better balance and mobility
More energy during the day
Confidence in how they look and feel via a more toned body and fat loss.
7. How do I get started?
The best first step is scheduling a Strategy Session. It’s where we learn about your goals, review your movement, and build a plan that works for you.
👉 Call or text 979-575-7871 to book your session today.
Ready to Begin?
If you’ve been searching for personal training in Bryan/College Station, BCS Fitness is here to help. Your first step could be the one that changes everything.
Over 40 & Feeling Stressed? Try this out…
Ever have days when your shoulders feel glued to your ears from tension?
Or your jaw is aching because you’ve been clenching for hours without realizing it?
That’s not “just tension”...
That’s your body physically holding onto stress!
If you’re stuck in go-go-go mode, juggling work, family, and never-ending to-do lists, your body is probably struggle manifestation ...ex. carrying way more stress than you realize.
You already know it isn’t healthy to carry all that baggage, so here’s what you can actually DO about it:
Enter: “Somatic Stress Release”
It’ll help you release stress from your body instead of just trying to manage it in your head.
It might sound “woo-woo,” but it’s not, I promise.
It simply uses gentle movements and breathing patterns to reset your nervous system and build mind-body awareness.
Here are the most common places busy moms hold tension (and why it might show up!) ( do any of these sound familiar?):
Neck & shoulders: I’m carrying the weight of the world.
Jaw: Unspoken words or clenching without realizing it.
Low back & hips: Tension tied to feeling unstable or unsupported.
Chest: Shallow breathing, anxiety, or pent-up emotions.
Gut/stomach: Digestive upset or emotional overwhelm.
Below is a quick somatic release routine you can try right now.
TIP: It takes about 3-5 minutes and might look kind of weird, so you probably want to do it somewhere private.
Body scan – Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and slowly scan from head to toe. Acknowledge areas that feel tight or tense, but don’t let your brain go down the rabbit hole of judging yourself for being stressed.
Neck & jaw release – Gently roll your head side to side. Open your mouth wide like a yawn, then slowly close it. (This is one of my favorites.)
Shoulder rolls – Roll your shoulders up, back, and down 5-10 times. Breathe while you do it. (Rolling your shoulders back can also help counteract the effects of sitting all day.)
Shake it out – Literally. Stand up and gently shake out your hands, arms, shoulders, and legs.
Deep breath + sigh – Take a big inhale, and let it go with an audible sigh. Repeat a few times.
It seems simple and might feel a little strange at first, but building a strong mind-body connection can make a BIG difference over time.
Try it and let me know how it works for you!
What to do when the gym Isn’t working
A few weeks ago, a client sat down across from me with a frustrated look and said,
"Brad, the gym just isn’t working for me."
Now, I’ve heard this before. And I could tell from the tone in their voice, they weren’t just talking about dumbbells and kettlebells...they were talking about the bigger picture.
So instead of diving straight into sets and reps, I asked three questions:
How’s your sleep?
How’s your nutrition?
How’s your stress lately?
That’s when the real story came out.
They were sleeping maybe 5–6 hours a night, grabbing whatever food was quickest between meetings, and feeling like life was moving at 100 mph. The truth was… it wasn’t the gym that wasn’t working. It was that their body was too drained to take advantage of the work they were doing in the gym.
I explained that fitness is like the first domino in a long row. Push it over, and it knocks down:
Better strength → you can move more easily and avoid injury
Better energy → you can be more present with family and friends
Better mood → you show up with more patience and positivity
Better appetite control → you naturally eat in a way that supports your goals
Fat loss → the visible sign of all the invisible work you’ve been putting in
But here’s the thing: if some of the big dominoes...like sleep, nutrition, and stress...are glued to the table, that chain reaction slows way down.
If you’ve ever felt like your progress has stalled, here are a few questions you can ask yourself to find those “high-leverage opportunities” that make the biggest difference:
Am I getting at least 7–8 hours of quality sleep most nights?
Do I feel satisfied but not stuffed after meals?
Am I eating protein at most meals to help my body repair and recover?
Do I have at least one outlet for stress each day that isn’t food or alcohol?
Have I given myself space to recover between workouts?
Once my client made a few small tweaks...setting a bedtime, prepping protein-rich lunches, and carving out 10 minutes a day for quiet...the results started moving again.
Sometimes, the key isn’t pushing harder in the gym… it’s setting up the rest of your life so the gym can actually work for you.
Here’s to knocking over your first domino! If you have some dominos that seem to be glued to the table...reach out. Our team is always there to help you in any way we can!
Energetically yours,
Brad