New Approach to Resistance Training for Menopausal Women

Member Exclusive Content

Sign up to be a member to access this content.

Join now!

Already a member? Login

Many assume that menopausal women will respond differently to a resistance training program than younger mid-life women. New research suggests that body weight and resistance band exercises can improve muscle mass, strength, balance and flexibility in healthy women regardless of pre-, peri- or post-menopausal status, as reported in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

University of Exeter researchers in Exeter, United Kingdom, conducted a research trial that divided 70 healthy adult women between 40 and 60, not taking hormone replacement therapy, into either a habitual physical activity group or a four day weekly supervised resistance exercise program over 12 weeks.

The supervised resistance program group members gained 2% in lean body mass, increased hip strength and improved dynamic balance and flexibility, regardless of menopausal status. The exercises, led by group fitness instructors trained in the Pvolve Method, included those with resistance bands at the hips, arms and ankle; hand weights; internal and external hip rotations with bands; and simple balance exercise props.

“The great thing about these simple resistance exercises is they can easily be performed at home,” says principal investigator Francis Stephens, PhD, professor of exercise metabolism and physiology at the University of Exeter Medical School. “We’ve now shown they’re effective at improving strength and balance in women during and post-menopause. In fact, some measures of balance appeared to increase to a greater degree in post-menopausal women, suggesting that these exercises are not hindered by the menopausal transition.

To see exercises included in the study as shown in Figure 3, click here.