Benefits of strength training in menopause

Ciara Shevlin

MSK physiotherapist

18 February 2026

Strength training offers numerous benefits, including improved heart health, stronger bones, and enhanced mental wellbeing. It's especially beneficial for women, particularly those experiencing menopause and those who are post-menopausal.

We explore why strength training can help the various symptoms caused by the menopause and why it can help lessen the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, by building up bone strength and muscle mass.

What is strength training?

Strength training is an exercise that makes your muscles work harder than usual. This type of exercise helps increase muscle strength, maintain bone density and reduce joint pain, and involves using your body weight or working against a resistance.¹

This includes exercises such as:

lifting weights,
working with resistance bands,
using resistance machines,
and activities such as cycling and yoga.¹

Menopause and osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs when bone density decreases to a point when the bones become susceptible to breaks from falls or low impact force.

It is estimated in the UK there are 3.5 million people affected by it, with half of women aged over 50 years old breaking a bone because of osteoporosis.² Throughout menopause, oestrogen levels drop, the important hormone in the production and retention of bone marrow. This reduces bone strength and increases a woman's risk of fractures.³

Most people will reach their peak bone mass between the ages of 25 and 30, and by the time we reach age 40, we slowly begin to lose bone mass.⁴ However, the stronger our bones are at their peak, the greater level of protection we will have as we age. But this doesn’t mean beyond the age of 40 there’s nothing we can do.

>Our article on osteoporosis and bone health looks at what we can do at every life stage to help build up our bone strength.

It’s also worth remembering that osteoporosis isn’t always an inevitable consequence of the menopause and there are many lifestyle choices women can make to help reduce their risk and strengthen their bones.

Menopause symptoms and how strength training can help

There are many physical and mental health symptoms of the perimenopause and menopause, caused by a decrease in hormones during this time, in particular oestrogen. As mentioned above, we know that the lack of oestrogen affects bone density and strength, but it can also cause these common symptoms:

brain fog,
loss of confidence,
hot flushes,
night sweats,
vaginal dryness,
mood swings, low mood, anxiety,
joint pains,
memory loss and poor concentration,
more frequent urinary infections, urinary incontinence.

You might assume that strength training is only good for bone health, and that it can only benefit our bodies in this way. However, this type of exercise can actually help lessen the impact of menopause symptoms beyond our bones:

1) Mental health benefits

Mental health can be impacted during and after menopause. Mood swings, low mood, brain fog, anxiety and loss of confidence⁵ are common complains during menopause. Exercise, however, can be an effective way to help lessen the impact of these symptoms and help improve overall mood.

During exercise we release our feel-good hormones, endorphins – and strength training is very much included in this. Exercise can boost our mood and help manage anxiety and depression, as the brain releases these hormones that trigger a feeling of euphoria.⁶

As well as endorphins, serotonin also plays a part in helping boost our mental wellbeing. A natural way to increase serotonin is by working out. When you pedal your bicycle or lift weights, your body releases more tryptophan, the amino acid your brain uses to make serotonin. This boost in serotonin is why many people get that feeling of euphoria after a workout.⁷

2) Heart health benefits

Heart health can also be affected by the drop of oestrogen levels during and after menopause. The British Heart Foundation explain that “oestrogen has a protective effect on your heart. It helps to control your cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of fat building up in your arteries. It also helps keep your blood vessels healthy.”⁸

With menopause negatively impacting this protective effect, it increases the risk of heart problems, so lifestyle tweaks need to be implemented to help keep the heart healthy. Strength training is one of those ways. In one long-term study, researchers found that regular strength training lowered the risk of high blood pressure by 32% and the risk of metabolic syndrome by 29%.⁹

3) Social benefits

Going to the gym or taking part in classes, are great places to meet new people or to go with a friend. Not only can you reap the benefits of exercise on your body it can help your mind, your motivation and help with any feelings of isolation too.

Group exercise can be a great way to help keep your motivation up, as we are accountable to someone else, relying on us to go along. You don’t have to exercise on your own to get all these benefits and having someone cheering you on only adds to the enjoyment. In this busy period of life, it can also help to have a fixed appointment time of a class to ensure you are prioritising your health.

Strength training and bone health

We’ve looked at some of the benefits of strength training outside of bone health, but the main benefit is arguably building up muscle and boosting bone health, which is key during menopause and post menopause.

Strengthens muscles – It strengthens and maintains your muscles, making everyday tasks like lifting heavy shopping bags and carrying things up and down stairs much easier, while also protecting future muscle health.
Stronger bones – Maintaining strong bones can help slow down the rate of bone loss and build up bone density as we age. When your muscles pull on your bones it gives your bones work to do. Your bones will respond by renewing themselves and maintaining or improving their strength. As your muscles get stronger, they will pull harder, meaning your bones are more likely to become stronger.¹⁰

The Royal Osteoporosis Society advise: “To strengthen your muscles, you’ll need to move them against some resistance. Increasing muscle resistance can be done by adding a load for the muscles to work against, such as a weight in your hand, using an elastic muscle resistance band or using your body weight during a press up, for example.”¹⁰

How many times a week should I do strength training?

The NHS recommend:

doing strength-based exercise at least twice a week.
focusing on exercises that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
spreading the sessions out, allowing at least a full day’s recovery between them.
undertaking strength exercises alongside the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking.¹

Regular exercise is important at any age but during and after menopause the benefits of exercise, particularly strengthening, will reach new parameters of physical and mental health benefits.

There are lots of activities that fit into the strength training category and it’s about finding what works for you and what you enjoy.

If you are post-menopausal, or if you have suffered a fracture after a minor fall, it's always a good idea to talk to your physio or GP before undertaking any physical activity.

Discover more about the symptoms, treatments and some common myths surrounding the menopause in our women’s health hub.

References