Key Takeaways
Menopause comes with a variety of physiological changes. One surprising intervention that can help optimize your health during menopause? Weight training.
Weight training helps make bones and muscles strong, which has a cascade of positive effects on your metabolic health, mental health, sleep and mobility that can improve quality of life in major ways.
But we’re not really talking about bulking up and bench pressing hundreds of pounds. Any resistance-type exercise, including yoga, free weights, bodyweight exercises, and using resistance bands, is a way to gain the benefits of strength training.
Beginning (or continuing) a weight training regimen can be a powerful tool for maintaining health during menopause. Increasing the strength of bones and muscles and optimizing metabolic health can make a significant difference in how you feel and function throughout midlife and beyond.
We all know calcium is essential for bones, but resistance training can support bone health, especially as we age. Resistance training plays a crucial role in keeping bones strong for people navigating menopause.
During menopause, decreasing levels of estrogen lead to a loss of bone mineral density. In fact, the average person loses around 10% of their total bone density in the first years after menopause.
Mary Claire Haver, M.D., FACOG, MSCPa menopause society-certified practitioner, says, “Weight-bearing exercise is one of the most powerful, accessible tools we have to slow this decline and preserve skeletal integrity.”
Haver notes that during exercise and strength training, “we create mechanical stress on our bones. That stress sends signals to our bone-forming cells [osteoblasts] to strengthen the bone matrix. This process, known as bone remodeling, helps maintain or even increase bone mineral density.”
Consistent resistance training can help slow the natural decline in bone density that occurs during menopause, which could pay dividends in reducing the risk of fracture and osteoporosis in later life.
Strength exercise is foundational to maintaining muscle mass. Haver says, “During menopause, estrogen’s protective effects on muscle start to wane, and without intervention, we see a sharper decline in lean muscle, which is often replaced by visceral fat.”
This process of losing muscle mass as you age, medically known as sarcopenia, can lead to decreased quality of life down the line. According to Alina Shirley, PT, DPTan orthopedic and neurological physical therapist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, “As people get older, their strength and balance declines with a decrease in global skeletal muscle mass (also known as sarcopenia), and other sensory changes that can lead to an increased risk of falls.”
“Experiencing a fall and/or a fall- injury can be damaging for someone’s functional mobility and their mental health, as they may avoid activities and environments in which they might fall,” she says.
Strength training has the power to improve your quality of life during the menopause transition and beyond.
As we age, fat begins to accumulate in the abdomen, surrounding vital internal organs like the liver, pancreas, and intestines. This type of fat, known as visceral fat, is metabolically active and linked to an increased risk of chronic conditions, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
At the same time, that loss of muscle mass involved in sarcopenia can further disrupt metabolic health by slowing down the body’s ability to process glucose efficiently.
Weight training plays a key role in supporting metabolic health. “Regular strength training helps our muscles become more efficient at glucose uptake, which can significantly reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes,” Haver says.
Weight training is about more than building muscle and bone. It also offers powerful benefits for your brain, mental health, sleep and overall well-being. Regular strength training, in addition to other types of exercise, is linked to enhanced cognitive function, improved mood and better sleep quality.
Exercise, and weight training in particular, is not only good for your physical health, but it is also good for your brain. Research increasingly points to a connection between weight training and improved cognitive health. This includes a reduced risk of conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Exercise can have a profound effect on mental health. According to Haver, “perhaps one of the most underappreciated effects [is] the psychological empowerment that comes with getting stronger. I see it time and again in my patients—confidence grows, self-esteem improves and that sense of autonomy over their own bodies returns. For women navigating the uncertainties of midlife, this is transformative.”
Exercise also contributes to improved sleep. Many people experiencing the menopause transition will say that interrupted sleep is a top concern. “Without adequate sleep and emotional balance, even the best nutrition or exercise plan can fall flat,” Haver says.
All types of exercise, including weight training and aerobic exercise, can help improve insomnia. However, weight training enhances sleep outcomes even more than aerobic exercise, according to some research.
Make sure to prioritize safety when starting a new weightlifting routine. Check in with a health care provider to ensure you are a good candidate for this new type of exercise.
Shirley says, “When putting together a weight-bearing exercise routine, it is recommended to target larger groups of muscles to help support bones with an emphasis on functional fitness.”
Some of Shirley’s favorite exercises include:
Menopause brings inevitable changes, but it can also be an opportunity to take charge of your health in new, empowering ways. The good news is you don’t need to spend hours in the gym or buy expensive equipment to make meaningful progress. As Haver says, “You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. But you do need to start—start small, start where you are, and build.”
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