Strength Training During Perimenopause and Menopause: What Actually Matters
If you're going through perimenopause or menopause, fitness advice can suddenly get very complicated. You may hear that you need to lift extremely heavy, stop doing cardio, change your workouts around your hormones, or completely rethink how you've always exercised.
You don't need a special "menopause workout." But this is a stage of life when maintaining strength, muscle, bone health, and a routine you can recover from becomes especially valuable. Here's what actually matters and how to approach it without making training more complicated than it needs to be.
How should you strength train during perimenopause and menopause?
You don't need a completely different strength-training program during perimenopause or menopause. The fundamentals still work: train your major muscle groups consistently, gradually increase the challenge, and give yourself enough recovery between workouts. For many women, 2-3 full-body strength workouts per week is a practical starting point. What may change is how you adjust training around sleep, energy, symptoms, health history, and how you're feeling on a particular day.
You also don't need to suddenly become an advanced lifter. Start at a level you can control, then gradually build from there.
Does menopause change your ability to get stronger?
No. Women can continue getting meaningfully stronger before, during, and after menopause.
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 126 resistance-training studies involving 4,019 women. Resistance training improved strength in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, with no significant difference in the strength response between the groups.
That's important because a lot of menopause fitness content makes it sound like the basic rules suddenly stop working.
They don't.
You still get stronger by:
Training consistently
Practicing the movements
Using an appropriate amount of resistance
Gradually increasing the challenge
Recovering well enough to repeat the process
Menopause changes some of the context around your training. It doesn't eliminate your ability to adapt.
If you want a broader guide to training through midlife, read Strength After 40.
Why does strength training matter during menopause?
Strength training helps maintain and build strength, supports muscle, and can play an important role in bone health as you get older.
Those benefits matter for things well beyond the gym:
Getting up and down from the floor
Carrying groceries
Climbing stairs
Hiking
Traveling
Playing with kids or grandkids
Staying active as you get older
The goal isn't just to lift heavier weights.
It's to keep your body capable of doing the things you want it to do.
What does the research say about bone density?
Bone health is one of the biggest reasons strength training is discussed during menopause, but the research deserves some nuance.
A 2025 systematic review specifically looked at exercise during perimenopause and early post-menopause. Only six studies met the researchers' criteria, and the overall quality of the evidence was low.
In the small number of studies involving women in perimenopause, strength training, endurance training, and Tai Chi did not show improvements in bone mineral density or lean mass.
The early postmenopausal studies were more encouraging. Strength training was associated with improvements in bone density at several sites, while walking showed benefits at the hip.
That doesn't mean strength training isn't worthwhile during perimenopause. The benefits for strength and physical function are much better established, and the broader evidence around resistance training and bone health remains encouraging.
It does mean we should be careful with guarantees.
There isn't currently one proven exercise formula that will prevent bone loss for every woman going through the menopause transition.
If bone health is a major concern, especially if you've been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, talk with your healthcare provider alongside your training.
Do women need to lift really heavy during menopause?
Not right away.
You'll sometimes hear that women in menopause must lift heavy weights for strength training to "count." That's too simplistic.
Challenging your muscles matters, and your training should gradually become more demanding as you get stronger. But "heavy" is relative to the person.
If you're new to strength training, a weight that requires real effort while still allowing you to move with control may already be plenty challenging.
Over time, you can progress by:
Adding weight
Adding reps
Improving your control
Increasing your range of motion
Moving to a more challenging exercise variation
You don't need to jump straight into heavy barbell training because you reached a certain age.
Start where you are and build.
How often should you strength train during perimenopause or menopause?
For many women, 2-3 full-body strength workouts per week is a practical place to start.
You don't need to strength train every day. Two days can be enough to build meaningful strength, while a third day can work well if you enjoy training, recover well, and have room for it in your schedule.
The best frequency is one you can repeat consistently.
If two workouts fit your life well, start there. If you're recovering well and want another day later, add one.
For more on choosing your frequency, read How Many Days a Week Should Beginners Strength Train?.
What if your energy or recovery changes from week to week?
Adjust the workout rather than assuming every day needs to look the same.
Sleep disruption, hot flashes, stress, work, nutrition, and normal life can all affect how ready you feel to train.
That doesn't automatically mean you need to skip the workout. It may simply mean changing it.
For example:
Use a little less weight
Reduce the range of motion
Choose a more comfortable exercise variation
Take longer rest periods
Stop a set with a little more left in the tank
Keep the workout productive without trying to set a personal record
On another day, you may feel great and be ready to move the weights up.
Good training doesn't require ignoring how you feel. It gives you a plan and enough flexibility to adjust that plan when needed.
Does strength training replace cardio during menopause?
No. Strength training and cardio do different things, and you don't need to choose between them.
Strength training helps develop strength and supports muscle and bone. Aerobic activity supports cardiovascular fitness and overall health.
That doesn't mean you need hours of formal cardio workouts every day.
Walking, hiking, biking, running, recreational sports, and other activities you enjoy can all contribute.
For many busy adults, a realistic week might include 2-3 strength workouts plus walking and whatever other activities fit their life.
Will strength training prevent menopause weight gain?
Strength training can support body composition, but it isn't a menopause weight-loss hack.
Body weight and fat distribution can change through midlife for several reasons, including aging, activity, sleep, nutrition, and hormonal changes.
Strength training is still useful because it supports strength and lean tissue while you're managing those other factors.
The 2026 review found improvements in strength and modest improvements in body composition in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
What strength training can't do is target belly fat, "reset" your hormones, or guarantee weight loss.
Be skeptical of any workout or program that reduces midlife body-composition changes to one hormone and promises a specific exercise formula to fix them.
Focus on what training can reliably give you: more strength, greater physical capacity, and support for maintaining muscle as you get older.
What this looks like at bStrong
At bStrong in Bellevue and Redmond, we work with many women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are either starting strength training for the first time or coming back after years away.
Most aren't looking for an extreme program. They want to feel stronger, keep their body capable, and have someone help them figure out what appropriate training looks like now.
We don't use a separate "menopause workout."
Instead, the workout is planned and your coach adjusts it to the person in front of them.
When you come in, you'll see your workout on the TV. Early on, we'll help you choose smart starting weights and learn the movements.
As exercises come back, we track your working weights and reps and give you useful starting targets based on what you've done before. That also gives you another way to see progress besides watching the scale.
If you slept terribly, feel unusually run down, or something doesn't feel right that day, the target isn't a rule. We can adjust the weight, range of motion, exercise, or pace.
If you're moving well and ready for more, we gradually move things forward.
That's what progressive strength training should look like: challenging enough to help you improve, but flexible enough to work with real life.
How should you get started?
If you're new to strength training or coming back after a long break, keep the first few weeks simple:
Strength train 2 times per week.
Use full-body workouts that include a squat, hinge, push, pull, and core work.
Start with weights you can control.
Finish most sets with a couple of good reps still available.
Keep walking, hiking, cardio, or other activities you enjoy.
Add weight gradually as the exercises become more comfortable.
You don't need to prove anything during the first week.
The goal is to build a routine you'll still be following six months from now.
If you're completely new to lifting, our Beginner Strength Blueprint goes deeper into how to start.
When should you talk to a healthcare provider?
Strength training is exercise, not medical treatment. Some questions belong with a healthcare professional rather than a coach.
Talk with your healthcare provider if you have:
Osteoporosis, osteopenia, or a history of fracture and aren't sure what types of exercise are appropriate
Questions about hormone therapy or other medications
Persistent or unexplained pain
Symptoms that are significantly affecting your sleep, mood, or daily life
Medical restrictions that may affect how you exercise
If you've already been given exercise restrictions or recommendations, bring that information to your coach so your training can work within them.
Want help starting strength training during perimenopause or menopause?
If you want to get stronger but aren't sure where to start, our 3-week trial is a good way to experience coached strength training without having to figure everything out yourself.
You'll get:
An intro consultation
An optional Intro / Ramp-Up workout
6 coached Small Group Personal Training workouts
An InBody scan
Practical nutrition resources
Coaching and adjustments throughout the trial
The InBody scan gives you an estimate of body-composition measures such as lean mass and body fat, which can provide another way to follow trends over time besides scale weight alone.
We'll help you choose an appropriate starting point, learn the movements, and gradually build from there.'
Sources
It's never too late: The impact of resistance training on strength and body composition in females across the lifespan - A systematic review and meta-analysis (2026), Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(26)00096-4/abstract
Does exercising during peri- or early post-menopause prevent bone and muscle loss: A systematic review (2025), Bone
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S8756328225002625
Mayo Clinic: The reality of menopause and weight gain
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menopause-weight-gain/art-20046058