The mean age for menopause is 50, but some women enter perimenopause at 40 or even earlier.
What do the hormonal changes of menopause mean for your strength training results, muscle mass, body fat levels, and quality of life?
In this episode, we discuss a major new study comparing strength training outcomes before and after menopause, and give you our recommendations for how to strength train when affected by menopause.
After that, we dive headfirst into your topic-related questions, including one about strength training through the different stages of the menstrual cycle!
Timestamps:
- 00:00 – Today’s topic: Strength training before and after menopause.
- 18:30 – Question 1: According to my own study (myself vs guys I meet at the gym), I’m clearly stronger on reps than my 1RM suggests, while all guys I meet seem to be stronger on singles than reps. Is it just me being stubborn as a donkey and a coward when it gets heavy, or is it a real male/female difference?
- 21:45 – Question 2: I wonder what the science says about sex differences when it comes to relative progress? For the bench press, guys who started later than I did are progressing much faster, while I stay stuck at 2.5 kg plates. I understand that there are tons of individual factors at play, but it feels like a pattern, and I’m getting frustrated.
- 24:45 – Question 3: Is it true that higher reps and lower weights become less effective after menopause, compared to lower reps with heavier weights?
- 28:00 – Question 4: Not a question about menopause, but what about pregnancy: can you strength train pretty much like usual if you feel alright?
- 31:00 – Question 5: What about women who lift really heavy weights and pee themselves? Why does it happen, and is it more common than people think?
- 37:30 – Question 6: What does recent research say about strength training and strength levels during the different phases of the menstrual cycle? And how do female sex hormones affect strength and recovery?
With the player above, you can listen to the episode directly here in your browser.
You can download the episode here or use one of the links below:
Wherever you find The Strength Log podcast, don’t forget to hit the follow button. A new episode is released every Monday (or Sunday, depending on your time zone).
You can also search for The Strength Log, if you use another podcast player.
This is episode 107 of the podcast. Check out the five previous episodes below:
- Episode 106: Mailbag! The Ultimate Back Workout, and More
- Episode 105: Mailbag! How to Handle Injuries, Bulking, and More
- Episode 104: Debunking 10 Popular Bodybuilding Myths
- Episode 103: The Problem with Exercise for Weight Loss
- Episode 102: Does Intermittent Fasting Boost Fat Loss?
Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player.
You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.
To discuss the podcast with us, or to leave a question, join our Reddit community at r/strengthlog.
Further Reading
To support the pod, download our free strength training app StrengthLog. It’s completely ad-free and the most generous workout tracker app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more, even if you stay a free user for life.
If you want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.
