Jennifer Aniston Says This Is The Fitness Mistake Women Over 50 Need To Stop Making

Since her earliest moments of stardom, Jennifer Aniston has been a source of inspiration to women all over. Whether it was her sought-after shag (courtesy of longtime collaborator Chris McMillan, of course) to her go-to salad order, we all wanted what she was having. And Aniston’s workout habits are no exception. Her dedication to staying active has been consistent through all the different stages of her life and at 55, she’s in the best shape of her life. Luckily, just as you can get her favorite collegen powder and approved haircare products, now you can follow her go-to fitness routine to a T thanks to the latest in her ongoing partnership with fitness studio Pvolve.

Aniston’s official involvement with Pvolve began in 2023, but she was a fan well before then. After being introduced to the low impact, resistance equipment-focused program by a friend during lockdown, she was amazed at how it transformed her body — inside and out — and the partnership formed organically. Now, a year later, the pair is celebrating their anniversary by launching a limited edition product bundle and accompanying monthly workout calendar (designed by Aniston and her trainer Dani Coleman) that lets anyone get as close to her typical workout as possible.

So what makes this method different from the fitness habits she’s followed in the past? While Pvolve is designed for all different ages and body types, the brand has spent considerable time (and money) to create something that benefits pre- and postmenopausal women whose needs change over time. And for Aniston, the difference was remarkable. “I used to come from the philosophy of ‘cardio, cardio, cardio’,” she tells TZR. “That you’ve got to do 45 minutes to an hour of cardio otherwise you’re crap. And that’s absolutely incorrect information.”

Instead, her workouts are focused on functional movements that build strength, allowing you to move through daily life with more ease. “We lose our muscle as we get older, all these wonderful things start to happen,” she jokes. “But strength training not only helps maintain your muscle, it helps with avoiding osteoporosis in the future. Our bones have to stay strong because as we get older we fall over, [and] we can’t get up. And then you break a hip or you break a shoulder and that can lead to all sorts of stuff.”

And yes, there is scientific data to back up these claims. For example, a 2020 study showed that while physical activity in general helps to prevent the development and/or progression of osteoporosis, this benefit substantially increases when the fitness routines include resistance-based movements and a variety of exercises — two of the main factors in Pvolve’s method.

Another thing Aniston says makes her current workouts different? The focus on core strength, which she mentions is crucial to avoiding back injuries in the future. “Over time, our spines do degenerate, I hate to say it,” Aniston says. “That lends itself to back issues, which is another wonderful bit of information you start to get at the doctor’s office when you get older. ‘Natural degeneration.’ What? Please can you just give us a heads up that these things are coming so we’re not just getting sucker punched with this awful information?” Thankfully, she explains, Pvolve was literally designed to help prevent injury.

For her, the power of prevention lies in these functional moves that work muscle groups she never even knew she had — which after decades of experience with various workouts is truly saying something. “You’re not just working those big muscle groups that you normally think to do,” she shares. “A crunch for your core, lifting 8 to 10 pound weights. These pieces of equipment and this workout target muscles that you didn’t even know existed. You’re literally strengthening all of the different layers of your muscle. After this workout, I will have that great [type of soreness] the next day that’s like, ‘Where did that come from?’”

Aniston also tells TZR that Pvolve’s research into the needs of women over 40 made it a game-changer. In a clinical study, their workouts proved to increase energy levels, lower blood lipids, improve balance and mobility, and increase lean muscle (compared to moderate cardio and traditional strength training) in women 40 to 60 years old.

“Perimenopause, post-menopause, this is all a new topic,” she says. “Your body just changes and no one is informing us women as we get to 30, 35, 40 that these physical changes are going to start to happen.” That’s why one of Aniston’s biggest fitness tips for women over 50 is simply finding a doctor you trust and asking questions. “Information is everything, right? You need to have the information so you can prepare yourself for it. And understand what your hormone levels are — not all hormones are created equal. It’s like a moving target. That’s going to affect your energy levels, your motivation. No matter what workout you have, if it’s the most incredible interesting thing in the world, there are going to be physical changes that you need to address in order to continue optimal physical activity.”

Ready to follow in Aniston’s fitness footsteps? Her limited-edition Essentials Bundle ($349.99) is available as of May 1 and it includes the P.ball, P.band, P.3 Trainer, Slant Board, Heavy Ankle Band, and Gliders. It also unlocks three months of Pvolve’s streaming membership, which normally goes for $14.99 per month. You can also take it a step further by participating in Aniston’s Spring Challenge, which invites participants to complete 12 classes in 30 days. Those who take on the challenge automatically enter to win a trip to LA for a training session with Coleman. Now that’s some serious Jen-spiration.