How should I strength train throughout peri-menopause?

How should I strength train throughout peri-menopause? 

First of all, kudos to you for prioritizing your strength and wellbeing during this stage of life—it’s an incredible investment in yourself. 💪

Lifting heavy is important for women in perimenopause and beyond, so let’s dive into why.

Estrogen is a key driver in building and maintaining muscle mass and strength. 

As estrogen levels start to taper off, somewhat erratically, throughout perimenopause, our muscle mass and bone density become harder to maintain and start to decline. If you do nothing to prevent this, you can expect to lose up to 8% of your strength every 10 years after turning 30 and the years around menopause only make this worse 🥲

To mitigate this decline (and gain a bunch of other health benefits, including stronger bones, increased metabolic rate, better posture and more!!) experts recommend doing some form of structured resistance training. This will help you to retain and even put on more muscle mass!! WIN 💪

Exercise intensity 

Particularly around menopause, exercise intensity is important to understand, you want the exercises/movements to be hard in a short period of time, not hard because you do a lot of reps and get tired. This also goes for your cardio efforts but we might save that for another chat!

Lighter weights that you can do for 20+ repetitions will build more muscular endurance than muscular strength – this is why it is recommended to lift heavier weights for less than 8 reps, at least twice a week.

The recommendation if you only have access to lighter weights 

While 5 and 8 kg weights may not qualify as “heavy” in the traditional sense, they can absolutely be effective when used strategically. Here’s how to get the most out of what you have:

1. Slow It Down, or even stop 😉: Slow, controlled movements (like a 3-second eccentric phase, where you lower the weight slowly) or adding a pause in a tough position can make lighter weights feel significantly harder.
2. Make the exercises harder: Try unilateral exercises (like single-arm or single-leg movements) or compound exercises (e.g., squats to shoulder presses) to load more muscles at once.
3. Maximize your Bodyweight: Exercises like push-ups, step-ups, and Bulgarian split squats are fantastic for building strength—they’re tough with your own bodyweight and they don’t require any equipment.
4. Get creative: You could add resistance bands, fill a backpack with books for extra weight, or even explore affordable second-hand equipment options – a single heavy kettlebell could give you more weight for a huge range of exercises without costing anywhere near as much as a gym membership!

Consistency is key, and doing something is always better than doing nothing. However, as you progress and can afford to invest in heavier weights or gym access, that next level of resistance will help you continue building muscle and bone strength.

Keep showing up, stay consistent, and celebrate every step along the way—you’re doing amazing things for your body. 💥