how to train women in menopause or post menopause for weight loss? client is having a difficult time losing the weight
I have 2 clients that are in a weight loss training program. 1 is IN menopause and doing well. a little at a time the other client is POST menopause and hasn’t lost anything in 10 weeks. They are both eating well and are both within their caloric daily intake. Not sure how to change up the POST menopause program. good balance of cardio, functional training but very little weights. (she doesnt like resistance training) please any advice i would be grateful for.
Hi Chris,
losing weight can become more difficult as women experience hormonal changes. One reason is the loss of muscle and often a change in recreational interest that begins to drift more to the sedentary side of life.
One recommendation would be to change the intensity of her cardiovascular programming. At least as important would be for her to change her view on weight training. As women get older, weight training becomes more and more important, not only for weight management but to offset to muscle and the consequences thereof.
If you need help convincing your client, I recommend a book by Dr. Miriam Nelson called “Strong Women Stay Young” http://www.strongwomen.com/book/strong-women-stay-young/. Even so first published in 1997, the message is still compelling.
Good luck to you and your clients.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
It’s unfortunate that your POST menopausal woman doesn’t like resistance training.
It would be great to educate her on the importance of muscle work, I believe that it would make the biggest difference in her body. The book Karin recommends is great!
Christine Nortrop also writes about this in her books about menopause.
As for caloric intake, are they tracking? Many times people over estimate portion sizes and or eat “more” because they have worked out and feel they “deserve it”.
Good Luck!!
Hello Chris Graham,
I would also explain the weight loss benefit of weight training.
Why exactly is the client against resistance work?
Maybe you could sneak some in with partner drills and games without her realizing, until she warms up to the idea of resistance training. Not to mention, there are so many new “toys” nowadays to make things very interesting and enjoyable.
Does she have a favorite song that could be played for the length of some weight work?
She definitely needs a more balanced workout, as you must already know.
Take care and have fun motivating her,
Natalie.
It may also not be how much she’s eating, but what she’s eating. Different foods can effect the body in different ways as hormones change. Dr. Christine Northup, a pioneer in women’s health, writes a lot about this.
I also had a woman who was resistant to weight training. Turns out it wasn’t strength training at all that she dislike, just lifting weights. So we started with bodyweight and pilates based movements. After 3 months, she was loving the changes she saw in her body and eager to try more! You may want to dig a little deeper to see what she doesn’t like specifically about strength training.
As a post menopausal woman myself, I know the benefits of weight training first hand.
Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which is enormously helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control. Also since post-menopausal women can lose 1-2% of their bone mass annually, it’s important to include weight bearing exercise to strengthen their bones!
A very good book to refer to is Action Plan for Menopause by Barbara Bushman, Janice Clark-Young, and the American College of Sports Medicine
http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/strength-training-during-…