Caroline Idiens says strength training has left her ‘more confident than ever’ at 53

Caroline Idiens, the 53-year-old personal trainer who became a social media sensation during the COVID-19 lockdown, says she feels "more confident in my shape now than ever before" and credits strength training for the change. Idiens, whose online workout series attracted more than two million Instagram followers, told Women's Health UK that lifting weights transformed not only her physique but also her posture and confidence.

Idiens said a Les Mills Body Pump class in her late 20s sparked a lifelong passion for weight training. "It was the first time I'd lifted weights and the thing I loved wasn't just how it changed my physique, but the feeling that I got from being stronger – the sheer confidence it gives you in what your body is capable of," she recalled. She described midlife as a period when many of her followers are focused on preserving muscle, protecting joints and balancing cardio with strength work.

Her community, largely women in their 40s and 50s, often approaches exercise with concerns tied to menopause, Idiens said. She said many participants want to address weight gain linked to hormonal change and to consider bone health, noting that osteoporosis is characterised by thinning and weakening of bone often associated with the drop in oestrogen during menopause. "A lot of them are hugely frustrated by weight gain in menopause," she said, adding that strength training can help counteract muscle loss and support overall function.

Idiens also said she is encouraged that younger women are beginning to "future proof" their bodies through strength work. She described watching teenage athletes performing strength and conditioning exercises before matches and said the conversation about preserving skeletal muscle is now reaching a broader age range.

When the pandemic closed gyms, Idiens moved her classes online. She said she taught herself how to use social platforms to reach an audience that might feel intimidated by commercial gym environments. Her sessions, known as Caroline's Circuits, are filmed in her family living room rather than a studio; she said viewers value that intimacy and the sense of having a personal trainer in their own sitting room. Her informal production style — sometimes with her dog visible in the background — is a deliberate contrast with polished studio content and, she said, helps participants feel supported.

Idiens previously worked in advertising and said she had to learn social media quickly after lockdown began, including basic features such as hashtags. She told Women's Health UK that her long experience working with midlife clients helped her build an online community that responds to realistic messaging about hard workouts and recovery.

The interview appears in the October issue of Women's Health UK. Idiens said she wants women of all ages to understand the potential benefits of strength training for posture, function and confidence, and to consider starting earlier rather than later to maintain muscle and bone health as they age.