Strength training for Muslim women: modest, practical, at home or in the gym
Why strength is worth building, how to train modestly at home or in a gym, and a simple twice-weekly plan you can start this week.
The Fit Muslim4 min read
Strength training is for the life you already live: carrying a sleeping child up the stairs, the weekly shop in one trip, lifting a suitcase into the overhead locker, looking after your parents as they get older. None of that needs a gym membership or a particular look. It needs a stronger you, and a plan that fits around salah, family and modesty.
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
Looking after the body you've been given, with the right intention, is part of that good life, for women and men alike.
Movement was part of their lives
Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that she raced the Prophet ﷺ on foot during a journey and won. Some years later they raced again and he won, and he said, "This is for that outstripping" (Sunan Abi Dawud 2578). It's a small, warm moment, and a reminder that being active was simply part of life.
Modesty, practically
What to wear in front of men outside your family, and among other women, is a fiqh question with details that differ between scholars. Ask your local scholar if you're unsure. What follows is the practical side.
At home. The easiest place to start: no audience, no commute, no question about what to wear. A pair of dumbbells and two square metres of floor will take you a long way.
Women-only gyms and sessions. Many gyms and leisure centres run women-only hours or studios. Ask at the front desk; they're often not well advertised.
A mixed gym. Go at quieter times — mid-morning on weekdays is often calmest — and learn where the equipment you need lives, so you can set up quickly in a corner. Choose a longer, loose top over leggings or loose trousers, in a breathable fabric. A sports hijab that stays put without pins is safer than a scarf held with pins near your face and neck.
Photos and filming. Gyms are full of people filming themselves. You're entitled to ask someone to make sure you aren't in the background, and to tell staff if they won't.
The five movements that matter
Almost every useful strength programme is built from five patterns:
- Squat: sitting down and standing up, such as goblet squats or split squats.
- Hinge: bending at the hips with a flat back, such as Romanian deadlifts or glute bridges.
- Push: pressing away from you, such as push-ups or a dumbbell press.
- Pull: pulling towards you, such as rows or band pull-aparts.
- Carry: walking while holding something heavy, such as a farmer's carry with two dumbbells or two heavy shopping bags.
Train those five, get gradually stronger at them, and you've covered what most of daily life asks of you.
What you need
At home: a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a kettlebell, and a resistance band. If even that's too much to start, a backpack filled with books works for squats, hinges and rows.
In a gym: dumbbells, a cable machine and a bench cover everything below.
A twice-weekly plan
Do each workout once a week, with at least a day between them. Rest one to two minutes between sets.
Workout A
- Goblet squat: 3 sets of 8–12.
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 8–12.
- Push-up (hands raised on a bench, worktop or sofa as needed): 3 sets of 6–12.
- One-arm dumbbell row: 3 sets of 10 each side.
- Farmer's carry: 3 walks of about 30 seconds.
Workout B
- Split squat, holding something for balance if you need to: 3 sets of 8 each side.
- Glute bridge: 3 sets of 10–15.
- Dumbbell overhead press, seated if you prefer: 3 sets of 8–10.
- Band pull-apart or band row: 3 sets of 12–15.
- Plank: 3 holds of 20–40 seconds.
How to progress: choose a weight you could lift for two or three more repetitions than the target. When you reach the top of the rep range in every set with good form, go up to the next weight. That's the whole system. Write your numbers down so you know when it's time.
"Won't I get bulky?"
Building a lot of visible muscle takes years of deliberate training and eating specifically for it. Most women who start lifting find they get stronger, and that everyday jobs get easier, long before they look much different. If you want more muscle, you'll have to work hard for it; it won't happen by accident.
Your cycle, pregnancy and after birth
- Your cycle. Train as you feel. A lighter week is fine; so is a strong one. Keep a note of how you feel through the month and plan heavier sessions for the days you usually feel best.
- Pregnancy. Speak to your doctor or midwife before starting or continuing a strength programme, and follow their guidance on what to adapt as pregnancy goes on.
- After birth. Get your postnatal check before returning to heavy lifting, and ask about returning to exercise specifically.
- Medical conditions. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or diabetic, check with your doctor before you begin.
Fitting it around salah and family
Two sessions of about 40 minutes a week is a realistic place to start. Tie each one to a prayer — after Fajr before the house wakes up, or between Asr and Maghrib — rather than to a clock time, and they'll survive the change of seasons. Our weekly template for training around the five prayers shows how, and the 20-minute workout on your prayer mat is there for the weeks when 40 minutes isn't possible.
Start this week with Workout A. Write down what you lifted. Next week, lift a little more.
References
- Qur’an 16:97, Sahih International translation.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 2578 — Aishah racing the Prophet ﷺ.
