Strength Training for Menopause

What you will be able to do

• explain why muscle and bone change around menopause and what the US activity guidelines advise.
• check whether you should get advice from a health professional before starting.
• lift in a pelvic-floor-friendly way, breathing out on the effort.
• perform squat, hinge, lunge, step, push, pull, press, carry and core moves with good form.
• choose the right weight using the effort scale and progress one step at a time.
• follow and adapt an 8-week, two-session plan around menopause symptoms.
• plan meals with protein, calcium and vitamin D in line with US advice.
• prepare questions for your doctor about bone health and menopause.

1. 1Why strength matters around menopause

   Understand what happens to muscle and bone in midlife, what the US guidelines ask of you, and which myths are worth letting go of.

   • What changes in your muscles and bones
   • What the US guidelines and health agencies say
   • Myths that hold women back

   Menopause strength workout log

2. 2Getting ready safely

   Check whether you should speak to a health professional first, learn how to adapt if you have low bone density, and lift in a way that protects your pelvic floor.

   • Who should check first
   • Low bone density, osteoporosis or a past fracture
   • Lifting with your pelvic floor in mind

   Am I ready to start? Menopause strength readiness checklist

3. 3The moves

   Learn the core movements of your plan: squat, hinge, lunge and step for your legs and hips; push, pull and press for your upper body; and carries, core work and impact for bone.

   • Lower body: squat, hinge, lunge and step
   • Upper body and back: push, pull and press
   • Core, carries and impact for bone

   Menopause strength exercise cards

4. 4How hard, how heavy and how to progress

   Find the right effort level, choose a starting weight, and learn the safe ways to make exercises harder over time, at home or in a gym.

   • Effort: the 'two or three reps left' rule
   • Progressing safely, at home or in a gym

   Menopause strength workout logMenopause strength exercise cards

5. 5Your 8-week plan, alongside menopause symptoms

   Follow a two-session weekly plan with an optional third, adapt it on difficult days, and track progress in ways that matter more than the scale.

   • How the 8 weeks work
   • Training on hot-flash, poor-sleep and achy days
   • Measuring progress without the scale

   8-week menopause strength planMenopause strength workout log

6. 6Food and recovery for muscle and bone

   Eat enough protein spread across the day, get calcium and vitamin D in line with US advice, and use rest and sleep to help your body recover.

   • Protein through the day
   • Calcium, vitamin D and bone-friendly eating
   • Rest, sleep and soreness
7. 7Keeping strong for life

   Turn your 8 weeks into a lifelong habit and prepare for a useful conversation with your doctor about bone health and menopause.

   • Making it stick
   • Talking to your doctor about bones and menopause

   8-week menopause strength planAm I ready to start? Menopause strength readiness checklist

• CheckerAm I ready to start? Menopause strength readiness checklistA short set of questions to help you decide whether to start the plan now or speak to your doctor, nurse practitioner or a physical therapist first.
• CardsMenopause strength exercise cardsPrintable cards for the 17 moves in your 8-week plan, each with how to do it, an easier and a harder version, and a bone or pelvic floor tip.
• Planner8-week menopause strength planPlan and adjust your two weekly strength sessions, an optional bone-focused third session and your weekly focus over 8 weeks.
• TrackerMenopause strength workout logRecord each session, your weights and effort, and how symptoms, joints, sleep and your pelvic floor felt, over the 8 weeks of the plan.