Strength Training: Why Building Strength During Menopause Matters

As you enter menopause, building strength is increasingly vital for health and wellness. Without intervention, aging and hormonal changes will cause steady losses in bone density and muscle mass beginning around age 50.

Strength training is the only practice that can maintain and increase bone density and muscle mass, while reducing the risk for osteoporosis. Along with improved mood, self-esteem, heart and metabolic health and improved cognition, it even increases estrogen levels in postmenopausal women.

A Boost for Bone Health

Bone health in older age is determined by the natural “bone banking” that occurs up to about age 25, as well as the exercise and nutrition habits that come after.

Bone is a living tissue that is constantly in a process of recycling and rebuilding. Exercise that creates helpful stress on bone will cause it to adapt and become denser over time.

The key is that the stress put on your bone during exercise must be more than what the bone normally experiences.

For this reason, swimming, biking and walking are not generally considered bone-building exercises. Most people need to include impact activity (hopping, jumping, running) and strength training to add significant extra weight to the body. According to research, the heavier the weight, the greater the benefit.

Weight Management

Many people assume that because aerobic exercise burns calories, it’s the best method for weight loss or weight management. However, the best exercise program to support weight loss or weight management includes both aerobic and strength training.

Engaging in aerobic exercise burns calories during the workout but also increases metabolism for about 12 hours afterward. Strength training causes the body to burn more calories for about 36 hours—but more importantly, increasing muscle mass through strength training will also result in an overall higher metabolic rate that burns more calories all day, every day.

If you are actively trying to lose weight, it’s even more important to include strength training so that your weight loss does not cause you to lose valuable muscle mass.

Where to Start with Strength Training

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all adults do at least two days per week of strength training activities for all major muscle groups, with at least one recovery day in between.

You can either aim to exercise both your upper and lower body for two days or split them up for shorter workouts over three to four days. Adequate hydration and sleep also enhance recovery between sessions.

Strength training workouts follow a few key principles:

• Uses enough resistance that you can’t do more than 6-12 repetitions before fatiguing
• Includes at least 2 minutes rest between sets
• Repeats at least 2-3 sets for each exercise

Strength training may feel different from any workout that you’ve done before. It’s a specific type of stress to the body that is different from aerobic exercise, HIIT, Pilates or yoga. Think of strength training as a few repetitions of high effort followed by rest periods, not something that will necessarily make you feel sweaty or exhausted by the end.

There are many resources available to support beginners in strength training:

• Many people choose to spend a couple of sessions with a personal trainer to get comfortable with gym equipment and learn a routine.
• Others enjoy the strength training group classes that can be found at an increasing number of gyms.
• If you prefer to work out at home, a good choice is to purchase an adjustable dumbbell that allows you to have access to a large range of weights without it taking up a lot of space.

Listen to Your Body

If you are new to strength training or are returning after a long break, start with a low amount of resistance or weight. Some exercises are appropriate to start with no resistance or just your body weight. Push-ups, planks and lunges are examples of body-weight exercises.

Learning new movement patterns can be intimidating, but practice makes perfect. It’s safe to experiment and make mistakes with lower weights. You can increase the weight as you feel more comfortable and your form feels more secure.

Starting a new exercise program is always an opportunity to feel soreness or new aches or pains. Don’t panic if you feel this as you start your strength training journey.

It’s safe to work through mild discomfort or soreness, especially as you’re learning and adjusting your workouts. However, sharp pain that continues during a workout is often a good reason to talk to a physical therapist or another rehab specialist.

Don’t Worry About the Scale

Building muscle mass is not necessarily about seeing numbers on the scale go down. It’s also important to know that building muscle and bone density takes time — think of change as happening over months and years and not weeks. Because muscle is dense and weighs more than fat, you may see no change or even an increase in your body weight over time. However, your body composition (the ratio of muscle and fat) will change over months of consistent effort. As your body composition shifts, you’ll likely see changes in how your body looks and your clothes fit.

Nutrition for Strength Training

Your body can only reap the benefits of strength training if it has adequate nutritional support. Your first goal should be to consume enough total protein during the day.

• A good rule of thumb is to get at least 0.7g of protein per pound of body weight, but more if you are actively trying to build muscle and bone mass. That means that a 150lb person should try to consume about 100g of protein per day, spread across meals and snacks.
• Carbohydrates are also important to give you the energy you need to make it through a hard workout.

Timing your nutrition around your strength training workout is another way to optimize your benefits.

• Try to eat 20-30g of carbohydrates, like a banana or oats, in the hour before you strength train.
• Having a protein and carbohydrate-rich snack within 30 minutes after your workout can also enhance your ability to build muscle mass and recover after your session.

Here are some good choices for post-workout snacks rich in protein and carbohydrates:

• Hummus with seed crackers and raw veggiesWhole grain toast with nut or seed butter
• Protein shake

If you need more guidance, a licensed nutrition professional can help you develop a meal plan that meets your activity needs.

Research consistently shows that resistance training offers some of the most significant health benefits for your efforts. Happy lifting!