Fitness

Why jump training is ‘the most effective form of longevity training for women’ – and how to do it right

Published

1 year ago

March 24, 2025

Why jump training is ‘the most effective form of longevity training for women’ – and how to do it right

As you age, you might think low-impact exercise is the safest route for long-term health. But according to leading physiologist Dr Stacy Sims, this mindset could be holding women back. In fact, incorporating impact-based training – specifically, jump training – could be the key to building strength, resilience, and longevity well into later life.

‘If you’re looking at what you want to do when you’re 80 or 90, you want to be independently living, you want to have good proprioception, balance, you want to have good bones, and you want to be strong,’ says Dr Sims. ‘This is where you should look at ten minutes, three times a week of jump training. We have to turn our brains away from everything that’s been predicated before to this point.’

Her advice comes on neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s podcast, Huberman Lab, in which he says: ‘One of the most common questions I get is what is the most efficient way for a woman older than 50 to train for the maximum healthspan and lifespan benefits.’

On Instagram, Dr Sims writes: ‘Jump training and plyometric exercises involve explosive movements, such as jumping, hopping, and bounding, that help to improve muscle power, speed, and agility. Women often look aghast when they see that I put plyometric training front and centre in my “Menopause for Athletes” programming. We’ve been taught that we should be taking it down a notch when we get older, not turning it up. But that is just not true. Women of all ages benefit from including plyometrics in their training.’

It makes sense that the older you get, the more apprehensive you feel about impact training like plyometrics (another name for jump training), but Dr Sims is adamant you’re missing out on some big benefits. Here’s how to do it.

What is jump training?

Dr Sims explains: ‘[Jump training] isn’t your landing softly on your knees, this is like impact in the skeletal system. A colleague and a friend of mine Tracy Kissel did a PHD and post research on this, and is developing an app on it to show women how to jump to improve bone mineral density. Over the course of four months of this, women have gone from being osteopenic to normal bone density, so it’s a different type of stress. It’s ideal if your concern is decreasing bone density – which a lot of women do have as a concern because they lose about one third of their bone mass at the onset of menopause.

‘If you don’t do something as an intervention – so we see a lot of women are like, “Oh I’m going to go on menopause hormone therapy to stop bone loss.” Yeah, this can be a treatment, but I always look at an external stress that we can put on the body that is going to invoke change without pharmaceuticals – so, jump training.

Jump training benefits

‘And just to drive home that point about all ages: a systematic research review of the recent literature on plyometrics and older adults aged 58 to 79 reported that plyometrics often improved muscular strength, bone health, body composition, posture, and physical performance. None of the studies reported increased injuries or other adverse events from plyometric exercises among participants. The researchers concluded, “Plyometric training is a feasible and safe training option with potential for improving various performance, functional, and health-related outcomes in older persons.”‘

Jump training exercises – and how to get started

NIKOLA ILIC PR AGENCIJA ZA DIZAJN STUDIOTRIPOD SURCIN//Getty Images

Jump training can include jumping jacks

‘Plyometric exercises involve explosive, high-intensity movements, so it’s important to do them correctly to do them safely.

‘Let me also be clear that, unless you’ve already been engaged in some form of plyometric training, I’m not going to recommend that you start doing lots of bounding or jumping right out of the gate. You need to build up to it and establish good form. And always warm up beforehand so your muscles and connective tissues are ready to go.

‘To get the form down and condition your connective tissues to start jumping, you can start by simply bouncing up onto your toes and dropping into a squat. Start by standing with your legs hip to shoulder-width apart, feet flat on the floor. Bend your knees slightly and immediately straighten them again, bouncing up onto your tiptoes. Pause, then lower back down, dropping into a full squat, making sure that your knees track over your feet and don’t cave in. That will be your landing position when you start jumping.

amriphoto//Getty Images

Bounding is an effective form of jump training

‘Once you’re comfortable there you can do a depth drop, or reverse plyo drop. This is where, instead of jumping up onto a box or step, you start on a raised platform and step off to land on the ground. To do it, start on a step or box about 12 inches off the floor. Step off and land softly, immediately dropping into a squat position, again, keeping your knees straight ahead and not caving in toward each other. You can do 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 drops.

‘As you get comfortable absorbing the force of landing, you can start on the floor and do squat jumps. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width, feet turned out a little. Extend your arms straight in front of you. Squat down until your butt drops below knee level. Quickly extend your legs and jump into the air. Land softly, immediately dropping into another squat. Repeat 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 jumps, working your way up to one to two sets of 8 to 10 jumps. (Burpees are also a good way to sneak in squat jumps!)’

Once you’ve built up a solid and safe foundation, Dr Sims advises including the following exercises:

Squat jumps
Jump lunges
Burpees
Box jumps
Tuck jumps
Broad jumps
Plyo push-ups

Forms of training to practice alongside jump training

‘Jump training, heavy resistance training and sprint interval training are the three key things from a training standpoint,’ Dr Sims says.

Heavy resistance training

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Heavy weight lifting should be reserved for compound lifts (using multiple muscle groups at once) to avoid injury, says Dr Sims

On Instagram, Dr Sims explains how to do heavy resistance training:

How many reps to go for: ‘Heavy lifting is defined as lifting 6 reps or less with as much weight as possible. It’s obviously not something that you jump straight into without building up to it, especially if you’re new to resistance training.
Best exercises to lift heavy: ‘A little goes a long way! You should not be lifting heavy for every single exercise. Instead, you want to reserve lifting heavy sh*t (LHS) for big, compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and chest presses, which spread the load across multiple large muscles. That way you’re not overstressing any single muscle or joint.
Safety tips: ‘Safety is paramount here. Make sure you get expert instruction on load and technique. If you are new to lifting, book a few sessions with a trainer to learn proper technique and nail that down before adding weight.
How to progress with reps and sets: ‘LHS will not happen overnight. It can take months to build up to heavy loads if you are new. Expect to start with more moderate loads, lifting 2-3 sets of 8-15 reps to build a foundation and muscular endurance.
When to increase the weight you’re lifting: ‘After four to six weeks, you can bring the weight up and the repetitions down, so you’re lifting 5 sets of 5 reps. When that becomes comfortable, you can aim for 4 to 6 sets of 3-5 reps.’

Sprint interval training

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Sprint interval training (SIT) can enhance the benefits of jump training by boosting your metabolism

Benefits of sprint interval training: ‘For menopausal women, high-intensity sprint interval training sessions can provide the metabolic stimulus to trigger the performance-boosting body composition changes that our hormones helped us achieve in our premenopausal years. One of the biggest benefits of SIT training is improvement in body composition (and cardiovascular health). SIT training increases lean muscle mass and reduces fat mass in a relatively short period of time. In a 2019 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers had a group of postmenopausal women, ages 47 to 59, perform 20-minute bouts of SIT – alternating eight seconds of sprinting on a stationary bike at about 85% of their maximum heart rate with 12 seconds of easy pedaling – three times a week for eight weeks. By the study’s end, the women had lost fat, regained lean muscle mass, and improved their aerobic fitness by 12% after what amounted to only eight hours of exercise over eight weeks.
Heart rate zone to aim for: ‘The key here is INTENSITY. In high-intensity interval training, alternating short bursts of hard exercise are followed by relatively short recovery periods. So, if you’re using heart rate as a guide, anything that sends your heart rate above about 85% of your maximum is high intensity. When you reach your menopausal years, it’s very important to incorporate the shortest, sharpest form of HIIT: sprint interval training.
Duration of sprint intervals to aim for: ‘As the term indicates, SIT sessions include super-short, 10- to 30-second sprint-style efforts. They are extremely beneficial for both peri- and postmenopausal women.

Nutrition tips for women over 50

‘From a nutrition standpoint, protein is so important. When you start telling women they need to look at around 1-1.1g per lb which is around 2-2.3g per kg per day, they’re like, “Whoa, that’s a lot of protein!” It is, because you haven’t been conditioned to eat it. It doesn’t all have to be animal products; you can also look at all the different beans.

‘In order to build the muscle and to keep the body composition in a state that we want it to keep going for longevity, those are the big rocks: sprint interval training, heavy resistance training, jump training and protein.’

As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director (and a qualified yoga teacher), Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!. Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red.

Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, where we showcase the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise. She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how.

Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.

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Fitness

Does Medicare Help Pay for Gym Memberships?

Published

11 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Does Medicare Help Pay for Gym Memberships?

Almost all Medicare Advantage members (98 percent) were in plans that covered some fitness benefits in 2022, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study. These benefits take several forms, including membership in the popular SilverSneakers program for people 65 and older or its competitors Renew Active and Silver&Fit.

SilverSneakers provides access to more than 15,000 fitness locations across the country; online dance, exercise, meditation, stretch and yoga classes; and an on-demand video library of prerecorded workouts. A free SilverSneakers GO fitness app for Apple and Android phones is also available. Other Medicare Advantage plans also offer free gym memberships with access to a nationwide network of health clubs and exercise locations, personalized fitness plans and on-demand workout videos.

In addition to gym access, many plans provide incentives to stay active, such as a free fitness tracker every two years, discounts on a smartwatch or exercise equipment if you meet activity goals, or gift cards if you take certain healthy actions, such as exercising or getting a flu shot.

How do I find Advantage plans with fitness benefits?

To find Medicare Advantage plans with fitness benefits in your area, go to the Medicare Plan Finder, type in your zip code and choose Medicare Advantage Plan for the search. It will prompt you to put in your medications, but you can bypass that.

Next, you’ll see a list of Medicare Advantage plans available in your area. The Plan Benefits summary for each option will have a green check mark if the plan has vision, dental, hearing, transportation to and from a medical appointment, or fitness benefits. Click on the Plan Details button and scroll down to Extra Benefits for a summary of fitness benefits available. To learn more details beyond “Not covered” or “Some coverage,” you can contact the plan at the phone number at the top of the Plan Details web page or read plan documents on the insurer’s website, linked at the top of the page.

Do Medigap plans offer fitness benefits?

Even though Medicare supplemental plans, also known as Medigap, don’t include fitness benefits as part of their standard coverage, you may find they include gym membership as well as discounts for dental, hearing, and vision services at no additional cost. Some plans offer low-cost packages to add these benefits.

Here, too, you can use Medicare’s Plan Finder tool to learn more about Medigap plans in your area.

Fitness

Quarantine Fitness Trends & Top Exercises During COVID-19

Published

23 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

How to stay active and motivated during quarantine

When your daily routines are disrupted, finding the motivation to exercise can be a challenge. The key is to build a new structure that works for you. Schedule your workouts as you would any important appointment to create commitment and turn intention into action.

Focus on consistency rather than intensity, especially when adapting to a new environment. Setting small, achievable goals—like a 20-minute walk or a short bodyweight circuit—can build momentum. Remember that any movement is better than none, and establishing a regular habit is the most important first step.

At-home and outdoor exercise ideas

You don’t need a fully equipped gym to maintain your fitness. Many effective workouts can be done with minimal or no equipment, either in your home or safely outdoors.

Bodyweight training: Exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, and planks are foundational movements that build strength using your own body as resistance.
Yoga and mobility: Focusing on flexibility and movement quality can reduce stress and improve recovery. Many free resources are available for guided yoga flows and mobility routines.
Outdoor cardio: If you can do so safely, activities like walking, running, or cycling are excellent for cardiovascular health and provide a much-needed change of scenery.

The most popular quarantine exercises, according to WHOOP data

A recent study examined data from 50,000 WHOOP members between January 1 and May 15, including over 4.9 million workouts. This comparison captured exercise behaviors before and during social distancing, using March 9 as the cutoff—the week the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic and the US declared a national state of emergency.

The study tracked the six most popular exercises: running, functional fitness, weightlifting, cycling, swimming, and walking. It measured the relative frequency of each activity on a daily basis. As you can see in the graphic below, there was a significant uptick in running, cycling, and walking once social distancing began.

QUARANTINE EXERCISE MODALITIES WITH BIGGEST INCREASE

Walking took the biggest jump, followed by running and cycling. The spikes on the graph show increased participation in all three activities on weekends, which continued during quarantine. However, with running in particular, the frequency of weekday and weekend participation became more similar—a lack of commuting gave runners more opportunity to get outside during the week.

The quarantine workouts that decreased

The three activities people started doing more of are all individual forms of exercise that happen outdoors—a needed break from being stuck inside. Functional fitness, which for many members was already a solo at-home workout, saw little change. Weightlifting and swimming saw significant decreases, coinciding with the closures of gyms and athletic facilities.

Other trends in quarantine exercise: Increased frequency and intensity

The sample of 50,000 WHOOP members exercised 1.1% more often once quarantine began. With many social activities unavailable, people turned to working out to pass the time. Exercise modalities like running and cycling require a high cardiovascular load, and members spent 1.8% more time working out in their three highest heart rate zones during quarantine.

The study also discovered improvements in several key physiological markers that WHOOP tracks, including sleep, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability.

Understand your body’s response to new routines

Adapting your fitness routine is the first step. Understanding how your body responds to those changes is the next. Are your new workouts building fitness without compromising recovery, and are you getting enough sleep to support your efforts?

WHOOP quantifies the impact of your daily behaviors on your body. By monitoring your Sleep, daily Strain, and Recovery, you get personalized insights to help you train smarter, recover faster, and build healthier habits.

Frequently asked questions

Does exercise help fight a virus?

Regular, moderate exercise can support your immune system. Physical activity helps promote good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently. However, it’s important to balance activity with recovery, as overtraining can place stress on the body.

Does exercise speed up COVID-19 recovery?

The relationship between exercise and COVID-19 recovery is complex and depends on the individual. Some research suggests that light physical activity during and after the illness may help with certain symptoms, particularly mental and neurological ones. It is critical to listen to your body, avoid strenuous activity while sick, and consult with a healthcare professional before resuming exercise after an infection.

How does WHOOP measure the intensity of a workout?

WHOOP measures the intensity of your activities by analyzing your heart rate. The Strain score quantifies the total cardiovascular load you experience throughout the day, whether from a specific workout or other daily stressors. By tracking how much time you spend in elevated heart rate zones, WHOOP gives you a clear picture of how hard your body is working.

Fitness

I’m a fitness writer and these are the 44 best deals I’ve found in the Amazon Big Spring Sale

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

I’m a fitness writer and these are the 44 best deals I’ve found in the Amazon Big Spring Sale

Lou Mudge is a Health Writer at Future Plc, working across Fit&Well and Coach. She previously worked for Live Science, and regularly writes for Space.com and Pet’s Radar. Based in Bath, UK, she has a passion for food, nutrition and health and is eager to demystify diet culture in order to make health and fitness accessible to everybody.

Multiple diagnoses in her early twenties sparked an interest in the gut-brain axis and the impact that diet and exercise can have on both physical and mental health. She was put on the FODMAP elimination diet during this time and learned to adapt recipes to fit these parameters, while retaining core flavors and textures, and now enjoys cooking for gut health.