Why Strength Training Becomes Essential in Perimenopause and Beyond
For many women, their 40s feel like a turning point.
The routines that once worked stop delivering results. Energy fluctuates. Recovery feels slower. Weight shifts despite “doing all the right things.” And often, no one explains why. This phase isn’t a failure of discipline. It’s biology. Perimenopause marks a period of significant hormonal change and strength training becomes one of the most powerful tools women have to protect their health, confidence, and long-term wellbeing during this transition.
Muscle loss accelerates during perimenopause
From our 30s onward, women naturally lose muscle mass, a process known as sarcopenia. But during perimenopause, this decline accelerates due to falling estrogen levels. According to the National Institutes of Health, estrogen plays a key role in:
Preserving muscle mass
Supporting muscle repair and recovery
Regulating inflammation
As estrogen declines, women are at greater risk of muscle loss unless resistance training is intentionally prioritised. Why this matters - Muscle is not just about strength, it’s metabolically active tissue that supports blood sugar regulation, joint stability, posture, and independence as we age.
Bone density depends on resistance, not rest
Bone loss also accelerates during perimenopause and early menopause. The International Osteoporosis Foundation reports that women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in the years surrounding menopause if protective strategies aren’t in place. Strength training is one of the most effective interventions available because bones respond to load.
When muscles contract against resistance, they stimulate bone remodelling, signalling the body to maintain or increase bone density. This is why resistance training is consistently recommended for women over 40 as a frontline strategy against osteoporosis and fractures.
Strength training improves insulin sensitivity in midlife
Perimenopause is often accompanied by changes in body composition and insulin sensitivity, even without changes in diet or activity levels. Research shows that resistance training:
Improves insulin sensitivity
Increases glucose uptake in muscle tissue
Reduces visceral fat accumulation
The World Health Organization explicitly recommends muscle-strengthening activities at least twice per week for adults, with increasing importance as we age, to reduce the risk of metabolic disease.
For women in their 40s, this isn’t about weight control alone. It’s about protecting metabolic health for the decades ahead.
Strength protects joints, balance, and confidence
Joint pain, stiffness, and injury anxiety often increase during perimenopause, leading many women to reduce movement rather than support it. Well-coached strength training does the opposite. It improves:
Joint stability
Balance and coordination
Neuromuscular control
Confidence in movement
Studies consistently show that resistance training reduces fall risk and injury rates in midlife and older adults — especially when programmes are progressive, personalised, and not overly aggressive.
More isn’t better during perimenopause — smarter is
One of the most common mistakes women make in their 40s is responding to hormonal change by doing more — more cardio, more intensity, less recovery. This often backfires. During perimenopause:
Recovery capacity may decrease
Stress tolerance can fluctuate
Sleep disruption impacts training response
Strength training should adapt accordingly. Effective training during this phase prioritises:
Progressive but manageable loads
Fewer, higher-quality sessions
Adequate rest and recovery
Consistency over intensity
Calm, intelligent strength is far more effective than extremes.
Strength training supports mental resilience during transition
Beyond the physical benefits, strength training has a profound impact on mental health during perimenopause. Research links resistance training to:
Reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms
Improved self-efficacy
Greater sense of bodily control during change
At a time when many women feel disconnected from their bodies, strength training helps rebuild trust and confidence, not by forcing outcomes, but by reinforcing capability.
Strength is how women protect their healthspan
Perimenopause is not the beginning of decline. It’s an opportunity to build resilience. Strength training supports healthspan, the years you live with strength, mobility, and independence, not just lifespan.
At Infemniti, this is why strength training is not framed as a phase or a fix. It’s a foundation.
A way to support your body through change.
A way to age with confidence.
A way to stay capable, grounded, and strong, long term.
Final thought
You don’t need to train harder in your 40s. You need to train differently. With intention. With support. With strength as the priority.
