The Menopausal Transition and Resistance Training Benefits

Written By Meaghan Sutter

Tanya Miller, Registered Kinesiologist & Personal Trainer

If you are reading this blog, you are most likely familiar with the term menopause, but may be wondering exactly what the menopausal transition is, how it relates to menopause, and what resistance training has to do with it?

Let’s start by defining the following terms: perimenopause, or the menopausal transition, menopause and post menopause. Perimenopause, also described as the menopausal transition, means around menopause and is the transitional time before menopause occurs (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.).
The menopausal transition usually starts in a person’s 40’s, with an average length of 4 years, but can last up to 10 years (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.). In contrast to perimenopause, menopause is one moment in time – it is when you have gone one full year without a menstrual cycle (Menopause Foundation of Canada, n.d.). The average age for menopause in Canada is 51 years (Menopause Foundation of Canada, n.d.).
Finally, post menopause refers to the time after menopause (that singular point in time) and lasts for the rest of your life (Menopause Foundation of Canada, n.d.). It is important to note that the menopausal transition leading up to menopause is a natural process that occurs in all menstruating individuals.

Body composition (i.e., fat mass, lean mass) changes occur as we age, however; the menopausal transition has a negative influence on body composition independent of age related changes (Greendale et al., 2019). This is due to fluctuations, and eventually decreases in the hormone’s estrogen and progesterone during the menopausal transition. The decrease in estrogen and progesterone can lead to many body composition changes such as increased fat mass as well as decreased muscle mass, strength and bone mineral density (Capel-Alcaraz et al., 2023 & Greendale et al., 2019). Findings from one study conducted on individuals during the menopausal transition found that the rate of fat mass gain doubled at the onset of the menopausal transition and that lean mass declined, and that this acceleration was due to the menopausal transition and not age related changes (Greendale et al., 2019). Decreased muscle mass and strength means decreased performance in everyday activities along with increased falls and fracture risks. Increased fat mass may lead to serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis (WHO, 2025). Additionally, decreased bone mineral density, which causes your bones to become weaker, can lead to osteoporosis and increased fracture risk. One of our main goals as we age is to preserve muscle mass, as it is important for our muscle, bone, tendon and joint health. This is where the benefits of resistance training come in! 

Studies have shown that progressive resistance training exercise during the menopausal transition can lead to increases in strength, muscle mass, and bone mineral density, as well as decreases in body fat (Isenmann et al., 2023). This translates to better health outcomes such as increased performance in daily activities and reduced falls and fractures risk. It can also improve your mental well-being, which means you will be better able to deal with all of the changes being thrown at you! Now you might be thinking… what exactly is progressive resistance training? This type of training involves steadily increasing the load you are lifting, changing the number of reps and sets you complete, and/or increasing the time your muscles spend under tension as you get stronger. This is in contrast to lifting the same amount of weight, for the same number of reps, at the same speed, session after session. Muscles must be challenged, that is, progressively overloaded, for adaptations to occur! This is especially true during the menopausal transition (and beyond) because as estrogen decreases, the ability of our muscles to contract also decreases. Due to this change, the muscle needs a greater stimulus (i.e., increased load) to evoke muscle recruitment for strength gains. 

So, what is the effective recommended dose for the resistance training benefits mentioned above? It is recommended to complete a minimum of two resistance training sessions per week, with an aim of three to four sets and ten repetitions per exercise, at 75% of your one repetition max (Isenmann et al., 2023). Further, it is suggested that the last set of each exercise be taken to failure – failure is when you can no longer complete the repetition with good form. The focus should be on performing multi joint exercises such as squats, bench presses, lunges and bent-over rows (Note: this is not an exhaustive list of exercises). Additionally, the load you are lifting should be increased by about 2.5 to 5% per week to sufficiently overload your muscles to generate the adaptations discussed above, such as increased strength, muscle mass and bone mineral density as well as decreased body fat (Isenmann et al., 2023).

If you are new to resistance training or have not trained consistently in the past few months, you may want to start out with the help of an exercise professional. They will be able to teach you proper exercise form, tailor a program to your specific needs and ensure you are progressively overloading your muscles for maximal adaptations. Contact one of our qualified and experienced coaches at https://www.peaktrainingwhistler.com for your personalized program to make sure you are doing the most beneficial exercises for the current stage of your life!

Stage of Menopause

Perimenopause/Menopausal Transition —>The transitional time before menopause occurs. —> Starts in your 40’s and can last up to 10 years. 

Menopause —> When you have gone one full year without a menstrual cycle. It is one day in time. —> Occurs around age 51. 

Post Menopause —> The time directly after menopause. —> Lasts the rest of your life. 


Influences on Body Composition

  • Increased Fat Mass

  • Decreased Strength

  • Decreased Muscle Mass

  • Decreased Bone Mineral Density



Progressive Resistance Training Benefits

  • Increased Strength

  • Increased Muscle Mass

  • Increased Bone Mineral Density

  • Increased Mental Well-Being

  • Decreased Risk of Fall & Fractures

  • Decreased Body Fat


Resistance Training Recommendations During the Menopausal Transition 


References

Capel-Alcaraz, A.M., García-López, H., Castro-Sánchez, A.M., Fernández-Sánchez, M., & Lara-Palomo, I.C. (2023). The efficacy of strength exercises for reducing the symptoms of menopause: A systematic review. J Clin Med, 12(2):548. https://doi: 10.3390/jcm12020548. PMID: 36675477; PMCID: PMC9864448.

Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Menopause. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21841- menopause

Greendale, G. A., Sternfeld, B., Huang, M., Han, W., Karvonen-Gutierrez, C., Ruppert, K., Cauley, J. A., Finkelstein, J. S., Jiang, S.-F., & Karlamangla, A. S. (2019). Changes in body composition and weight during the Menopause Transition. JCI Insight, 4(5). https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.124865 

Isenmann, E., Kaluza, D., Havers, T., Elbeshausen, A., Geisler, S., Hofmann, K., Flenker, U., Diel, P., & Gavanda, S. (2023). Resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause - A 20-week control trial. BMC Womens Health, 23(1):526. https://doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02671-y. PMID: 37803287; PMCID: PMC10559623.

Menopause Foundation of Canada. (n.d.). What every woman should know about menopause. https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/resources/menopause- what-everyone-should-know/

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Obesity and overweight. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and- overweight#:~:text=Obesity%20can%20lead%20to%20increased,such%20as%20sl eeping%20or%20moving. 

Meaghan Sutter https://www.peaktrainingwhistler.com
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