4 Reasons Women in Menopause Should Lift Heavy Weights
Menopause – Peri Menopause and Post Menopause
Unfortunately, for many women, menopause brings a lot of changes that can feel sudden, overwhelming and it’s a time filled with uncertainty. Your energy drops, muscle tone fades, the scale starts to creep up and you start losing bone density. It feels like your body has a mind of it’s own. It’s doing all that crazy stuff, all without your permission. But there’s a way to reclaim your strength: start lifting heavy weights. Yes, you heard that right, you need to start lifting some heavy weight to combat those changes. This leads us to the importance of understanding the 4 Reasons Women in Menopause Should Lift Heavy Weights.
At Repke Fitness, we work with so many women going through menopause. And we can say with confidence: lifting weights is one of the most powerful things you can do during this time of life. There was a time when even doctors were not prescribing or recommending exercising however, that has long change. Now, one of the best thing you can do and is highly recommended is to lift weight!
This isn’t just about looking fit. It’s about feeling your best. It’s about reclaiming strength, energy, and confidence. Our certified personal trainers (with real medical backgrounds) design workouts specifically for women in this life stage. Louben Repke, personally writes and oversees all the programs at Repke Fitness. Here’s why we believe every woman in menopause should be lifting.
Understanding these reasons will empower women to embrace weightlifting during this crucial life stage.
1. Lifting Weights Fights the Muscle Loss That Comes with Hormonal Changes
When estrogen levels start to drop, your body naturally loses muscle, that’s a simple fact. That’s because estrogen helps regulate satellite cells-the cells responsible for building and maintaining muscle tissue. When estrogen dips, so does your ability to hold onto that muscle mass. So the ways you combat that is through lifting heavy weights and hormone therapy. You should not rely on hormone therapy alone. When you start losing muscle, you start feeling it. More fatigue. More weakness. Less stamina. And that’s where exercising and specifically lifting weights makes a big difference. And not just light dumbbells or machines. We’re talking about, challenging weight that signals your body to hold onto that muscle and rebuild it. We’ll meet you where you are at in your fitness journey, so don’t be scared. We have clients all across the age spectrum, our oldest client is 90 years old, find out more about their story here. If we can train a bunch of 80s and 90 year old’s, training women in menopause is nothing (and we have plenty of this clientele too).
At Repke Fitness, our personal training for menopausal women focuses on building strength in a safe, progressive way. We don’t throw you into the deep end. We teach form, build stability, and help you get strong at a pace that works for you. We can also work with you whether you’re recovering from an injury or navigating age-related changes, our private training studio is designed to meet you where you are.
2. More Muscle Means a Faster Metabolism (And Less Fat Storage)
Let’s be real. Weight gain after 40 feels completely different than in your 20s or 30s. It seems that you can eat the same things, do the same workouts, and somehow gain weight faster. There’s a reason. A study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism found that postmenopausal women burned 19% fewer calories during a 45-minute workout than premenopausal women. But the biggest difference? Muscle mass. Here’s the link to the study: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00492.2012
You probably heard by now that muscle burns more calories at rest. Yes, it’s true, so when you build more muscle, you raise your metabolism. That means more fat-burning even when you’re sitting on the couch.
And lifting weights creates what’s called the “afterburn effect.” It means exactly what is sounds like, your body continues to burn more calories for hours after your workout ends (so it’s not workout and that’s the end of it…the burn goes on). It’s why we focus so much on strength development too and not just endless cardio. In addition to studio workouts, at Repke Fitness, we offer structured workouts through our app for clients who want to keep their routine going between sessions. So yes, we’ll give you homework to do on the days you don’t train with us in person and hold you accountable.
3. Strength Training Builds Stronger Bones – Fight Menopause
This one is important. Women can lose up to 20% of their bone density during the menopause transition, which drastically increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. That 20% loss is no small thing, and it’s reason enough to start strength training to protect your bones. When you lift weights or do resistance training, your muscles pull on your bones, creating stress that encourages them to grow stronger. We see this all the time. Women come to us concerned about weak bones or early signs of osteopenia. One of our clients, Diana, is a perfect example. Before training with us, she was diagnosed with osteopenia, which is often a warning sign before osteoporosis. Since she started lifting heavy with us, her bone density has increased significantly.
4. Lifting Improves Mood, Health, and Quality of Life
Menopause isn’t just physical. There’s brain fog. Anxiety. Mood swings. Sleep disruption. And just feeling off.
Strength training can help. In a big way. Aside from all those great benefits mentioned above, here are more benefits below.
Lifting weights improves:
- Insulin sensitivity
- Blood pressure
- Immune function
- Mood and sleep quality
- Mental focus and clarity
And it reduces deep belly fat, which is linked to heart disease and other chronic health issues.
We see it all the time. When our clients start lifting, they don’t just get stronger. They feel better mentally, emotionally, and physically. Their mood improves, their thinking feels clearer, and they start to feel more in control. Just today, my client Amy came in and told me she was feeling just “okay” during our normal warm-up chat. I didn’t dig too deep because i could see she wasn’t up for talking too much at that time, just got her moving. But after her workout, as she was heading out, she looked at me and said, “I feel great. I feel way better than when I came in.” That change wasn’t random. Her endorphins kicked in, she felt proud of herself, and the workout gave her the boost she needed. It was a complete turnaround from how she felt just an hour before. This is one of the many reasons our trainers make a real difference. You show up because you’ve committed to a scheduled training session/your trainer (unlike a gym you’ll never use), we’re there to guide you, check in with you, and hold you accountable…even on your days off. We build real relationships, and we push you to do things you wouldn’t do on your own :)
Our trainers care! We update each other daily about clients, and every Friday, our entire training team meets to discuss client progress and adapt plans as needed. That’s part of our commitment to safe, effective personal training for all of our clients. You can meet the team of trainers here and read more about us if you want to see what makes us different.
How to Start Lifting Without Getting Hurt
You don’t need to walk into a gym and start deadlifting. In fact, please don’t.
At Repke Fitness, we start with the basics:
- A full consultation to understand your history and goals you can reach out to us here to schedule one or you can text or call us at 667-771-5336
- Movement assessments to see where your body needs support
- A tailored plan that builds strength and mobility gradually
And we help you track. That way, you can actually see your progress. We help you not only track your workouts but also nutrition which is very important if you want to achieve weight loss.
Did you know that every trainer on our team has either a degree in exercise science or hands-on experience in medical or therapy settings? We’re not here to push you into something you’re not ready for, we’ll take time to build you up. We’re here to guide you, step by step.
What Exactly Does “Lifting Heavy” Even Mean?
“Heavy” doesn’t mean you need to throw 200 pounds on a barbell. Heavy is relative! It means lifting a weight that’s challenging for 5 to 8 reps with good form. It should feel tough but doable. And when you start losing form? That’s your stopping point. However, we start you slow! When you first come in we start with light weight or no weight at all. Then we progressively increate the weight as you get strong aka progressive overload (which you might have heard of).
If you’re brand new to strength training:
- Begin with bodyweight exercises and resistance bands
- Focus on compound moves like squats, farmer’s carry, rows, etc.
- Rest between sets
- Train consistently 2 to 3 times per week at first but eventually getting 3 to 5 would be ideal but anting is better than nothing.
- Work with a qualified personal trainer who knows how to train women in menopause (like our team at Repke Fitness)
You Deserve to Feel Strong Again
Menopause isn’t the end of your strong years. It’s the start of something new. A time to take back control and build a body that feels powerful, capable, and alive.
At Repke Fitness, we’ve helped countless women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and even 70s lift heavier than they ever thought possible. Not for bragging rights. But for better health, stronger bones, more energy, and more confidence. AND NO, YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY! AGAIN, YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY!
Want to learn more? Call us at 667-771-5336 or reach out through our contact form. We’re here to help you feel stronger than ever.
(You might also enjoy this great article on why women need to lift heavy)
Here are some more of our blog post you might enjoy:
Personal Trainer for Seniors: Why It’s Never Too Late to Get Stronger