{"id":399244,"date":"2026-01-10T12:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/399244\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T12:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:49:13","slug":"menopausal-women-increased-their-lower-body-strength-by-19-with-resistance-training-including-these-3-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/399244\/","title":{"rendered":"Menopausal women increased their lower-body strength by 19% with resistance training, including these 3 moves"},"content":{"rendered":"

For women between the ages of 40 and 60, hormonal changes related to menopause<\/a> can cause a significant decline in skeletal muscle mass, which can lead to reduced strength and function and may even raise the risk of disability later in life. But a recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise<\/a> emphasises that this isn\u2019t inevitable. In fact, resistance training can have a notable \u2013 if not major \u2013 preventative effect. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the study discovered \u2013 and what it means for runners who want to stay strong, healthy and happy through menopause and beyond.<\/p>\n

What did the study involve?<\/p>\n

Researchers looked at 72 active women \u2013 all of whom were aged between 46 and 57 and not taking hormone replacement therapy \u2013 and randomised them into two groups.<\/p>\n

The women in one group continued their usual physical activity, consisting of whatever moderate exercise they preferred, such as walking<\/a> or running. The women in the other group completed a supervised, low-impact resistance exercise<\/a> plan focusing on strength at the hip and shoulder, dynamic balance and flexibility. They used Pvolve<\/a>*, which is an exercise programme that uses resistance bands and weights around the hips, wrists and ankles. They also lifted dumbbells of various loads and did three simple but effective bodyweight exercises: squats<\/a>, lunges<\/a> and planks<\/a>. <\/p>\n

After 12 weeks, those in the resistance group showed a 19% increase in hip function and lower-body strength, a 21% increase in full-body flexibility and a 10% increase in dynamic balance. Those in the usual activity group did not show any significant improvements in these areas.<\/p>\n

While previous studies have assessed the decline in leg strength and flexibility during menopause, this is the first study to compare the effect of resistance training on muscle strength and mass before, during and after menopause, according to lead study author Francis Stephens<\/a>, who is a professor at the University of Exeter. This was done by including participants in different phases of menopause \u2013 not by following the same participants over a long timeframe.<\/p>\n

\u2018These results are important because women appear to be more susceptible to loss of leg strength as they age, particularly after menopause, which can lead to increased risk of falls and hip fractures,\u2019 he told Runner\u2019s World. <\/p>\n

\u2018This is the first study to demonstrate that a low-impact bodyweight and resistance band exercise training program with a focus on the lower limbs, can increase hip strength, balance, and flexibility,\u2019 he added. \u2018Importantly, these improvements were the same in peri- and post-menopausal females when compared to pre-menopausal females, suggesting that changes associated with menopause do not mitigate the benefits of exercise.\u2019<\/p>\n

What this research means for women<\/p>\n

Although the resistance training group in the study used Pvolve equipment, Stephens said that any progressive resistance exercise training that\u2019s focused on lower-body strength is likely to yield the same results. <\/p>\n

\u2018The important point is for an individual to find a type of exercise \u2013 modality, location, time of day and so on \u2013 that is enjoyable, sustainable and improves everyday life,\u2019 he noted. \u2018The participants in the present study reported an improvement in \u2018enjoyment of exercise\u2019 and some are still using the program since the study finished.\u2019<\/p>\n

Mindset is a crucial aspect here, particularly because some women may see menopause as an end point, where it\u2019s \u2018too late\u2019 to make notable physical changes, added Kylie Larson<\/a>, a women\u2019s health and fitness coach and founder of Elemental Coaching. She was not involved in the recent study, but told Runner\u2019s World that the results are compelling. <\/p>\n

\u2018This is particularly exciting for those that tend to think of menopause as \u2018the end\u2019,\u2019 she said. \u2018The study proves that if you incorporate strength training you can still make improvements to your muscle mass and strength, which will also have a positive effect on your ability to manage your body composition. In addition, staying flexible and being able to balance are both key to a healthy and functional second half of life.\u2019<\/p>\n

Although the participants in the study did four classes per week, for 30 minutes each session, Larson said that even half that amount of strength training<\/a> can go a long way toward making a significant change. This is particularly the case if you emphasise progressive overload, which means gradually increasing muscle challenge through more weight.<\/p>\n

\u2018Gradually increasing the challenge is what drives real change,\u2019 said Larson. \u2018Lifting heavier over time is what builds strength, protects your bones and keeps your body resilient through menopause and beyond.\u2019<\/p>\n

*Although one of the researchers is on the Pvolve clinical advisory board, the research team emphasised that the company neither sponsored the study nor influenced its results.<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For women between the ages of 40 and 60, hormonal changes related to menopause can cause a significant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[4059,337,97,10822],"class_list":{"0":"post-399244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-core","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-service"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}