f you’re in perimenopause, you’ve probably noticed changes in your sleep, mood, or energy. What’s easy to miss is that it can also affect your muscles and bones, and strength training can play an important role in supporting both. This guide covers what’s actually happening in your body during this stage, what to do in your first weeks of training, and how to choose the routine and support that fit your life. Let’s start with what perimenopause actually is.
Note: This article provides general information informed by kinesiologist Elisa Hemmati. It is not intended to replace an assessment, diagnosis, or recommendations from a qualified healthcare professional. For guidance based on your individual health, goals, and needs, speak with a kinesiologist, physiotherapist, or another appropriate healthcare professional.
Understanding perimenopause
Perimenopause is the transitional period leading up to menopause, when the body’s hormone levels, particularly estrogen, begin to shift and decline. It typically begins in a woman’s 40s, though it can start earlier or later, and can last anywhere from a few months to a decade or more before menopause is reached. Common symptoms include irregular periods, disrupted sleep, mood changes, hot flashes, and changes in muscle and bone strength that often go unnoticed until later in this stage.
How perimenopause affects your muscles and bones
Perimenopause is defined by declining estrogen, and that decline is what drives the changes you feel in your muscles and bones. Estrogen plays a direct role in keeping both strong. It helps muscle fibres contract efficiently and supports how quickly the body repairs and builds muscle tissue. So as estrogen declines, muscles naturally become harder to build and maintain, needing more deliberate effort, like resistance training, to get the same results that used to come more easily.
Estrogen also regulates bone remodelling, the ongoing process of breaking down and rebuilding bone tissue. As estrogen drops, that balance shifts and bone is broken down faster than it’s rebuilt. As women approach menopause, bone loss can increase to about 2–3% per year.
The joint and muscle symptoms no one warns you about
Sometimes these changes in muscle and bone go a step further, showing up as things you can actually feel, like joint pain or stiffness. This is common enough that it now has its own clinical term: musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Some research suggests as many as 7 in 10 women experience some form of it during this transition. It can include:
- Joint pain and stiffness, sometimes with no clear structural cause
- Frozen shoulder, more common in women during this stage than at other life stages
- Muscle loss (sarcopenia), a gradual decline in muscle mass and strength
- Increased risk of osteoarthritis, as estrogen’s protective effect on cartilage declines
The 3 types of training that help most
Not all exercise affects your muscles and bones the same way. Three particular types of training stand out for building strength and supporting bone health at this stage: lifting heavy weights, training in short, powerful bursts, and adding impact through movement.
- Strength training: Lift heavy weights in a 6 to 8 rep range, with enough rest between sets to recover for the next one.
- Sprint interval training: short, high-effort bursts (for example, a 20-second sprint followed by 90 seconds of rest) on a bike, treadmill, or similar.
- Plyometrics: any impact-based movement, like hopping, jump rope, dancing, or a sport that involves jumping, which helps support bone strength.
This combination is often referred to as the “big three,” a framework popularized by exercise physiologist Dr. Stacy Sims in her book Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond.
Why strength training is the answer
Strength training builds the muscle and bone strength that estrogen alone can no longer maintain. It supports the muscles, joints, and bones that change during perimenopause, making it one of the most effective ways to protect your strength at this stage.
Is it too late to start?
If you’re wondering whether you’ve missed your chance, you haven’t. Many women who start or return to strength training during this stage go on to build real strength and confidence, and many find they have more time and energy for themselves now than in earlier decades, when caregiving responsibilities or other competing priorities may have taken up much of their time. Whether you’re just noticing the first changes or further along in the transition, the benefits are just as real. What matters most is starting.
What “lifting heavy” actually means
One thing that often slows people down before they even start is a common hesitation: fear of injury, or a lingering worry about “getting bulky.” Neither should hold you back. Lifting a genuinely challenging weight with good form is an effective way to build strength and support body recomposition—building muscle while reducing body fat—without the dramatic increase in muscle size that some people worry about.
A useful rule of thumb: aim for reps where, after the final one, you feel like you could have done two or three more. This “reps in reserve” approach lets you push meaningfully without training to failure, and your confidence and capacity can build from there.
Getting started: day one to month one
Knowing that strength training helps is one thing; knowing where to actually begin is another. The next few sections walk through what to focus on in your very first session, how to establish a rhythm in your first week, and how to make progress by the end of your first month and beyond.
Day one
Day one is about learning how your body moves, not about how much weight you can lift. The goal is simply to get comfortable with the basic movements you’ll build on from here.
- Focus: learning the movement patterns, not the load
- Warm-up: a few minutes of dynamic movement, like gentle spinal rotations, hip openers, or a short walk or bike ride
- Reps and sets: light, comfortable reps (around 6 to 10), 1 to 2 sets per exercise
- Session length: 15 to 30 minutes is plenty
- Cool-down: a few minutes of easy, gentle stretching
Week one
Once the movements from day one start to feel familiar, week one is about turning that into a routine you can actually repeat.
- Focus: building a repeatable, full-body rhythm across the week
- Warm-up: the same dynamic movement as day one, a few minutes before each session
- Reps and sets: moderate reps (8 to 12), 2 to 3 sets per exercise
- Session length: 30 to 45 minutes, aim for 2 to 3 non-consecutive days (Monday/Wednesday/Friday works well)
- Cool-down: a few minutes of static stretching to help your body shift into recovery
Month one
By month one, your body has had time to adapt to the basics, which means it’s ready for a bit more challenge.
- Focus: progressing toward heavier weight, and layering in sprint and plyometric training
- Warm-up: the same dynamic movement, though it may take slightly longer as your sessions get more intense
- Reps and sets: heavier weight, lower reps (6 to 8), 3 to 4 sets per exercise
- Session length: 45 to 60 minutes
- Cool-down: static stretching, with extra attention to recovery given the added intensity
Your routine beyond month one
Getting through the first month is one thing. Making this routine a permanent part of your life is another, and that comes down to small, sustainable habits more than motivation alone.
- Pair it with something you already do. Schedule your workout right after your morning coffee, or block it on your calendar the same way you would a meeting, so it fits with a habit you’ve already built.
- Lower the barrier to starting. Lay out your clothes or pack your bag the night before, so there’s one less decision to make when the moment actually comes.
- Track it somewhere visible. A calendar, an app, even a simple checklist. Seeing a streak build can be more motivating than the workout itself.
- Aim for consistency over intensity, especially early on. A lighter session still counts, and showing up matters more than any single workout.
- Build in real recovery, not just rest days. Rest is part of how progress actually happens, not time off from it. On weeks where sleep, energy, or symptoms are harder to manage, scaling back rather than pushing through isn’t a setback—it’s part of the process.
- If you track your cycle. You may notice you feel strongest in the first half—a good time to push a little harder. During tougher weeks, continue your routine while listening to your body and adjusting as needed.
- Track progress with more than the scale. Photos or measurements taken consistently over time tend to tell a clearer story of how training is actually going than a number that reflects very little about body composition.
6 exercises to build your routine around
A full-body routine doesn’t need to be complicated. These functional movements are a good foundation to build from, whether you’re training at home or in a gym.
- Push-ups: builds upper-body and core strength; scale by starting against a wall or countertop and gradually working down toward the floor as strength builds
- Squats: builds lower-body strength through the legs and glutes and supports everyday movements like sitting down and standing up
- Split squats: strengthens the legs and glutes while also challenging balance and stability
- Hip hinges: targets the glutes and hamstrings, and reinforces safe lifting mechanics
- Planks: builds core stability, which supports posture and protects the spine during other lifts
Where and how to train: gym, home, or a class
With a sense of what to do, the next question is usually where to do it. There’s no single right setup, only the one that fits your life and comfort level right now.
Gym versus home. A gym setting makes it easier to keep increasing resistance as you progress. That said, gyms can feel intimidating starting out, and working with a kinesiologist for a session or two can help build the confidence to continue independently. Training at home is entirely realistic, especially when you focus on the functional movements covered above.
Classes versus one-on-one. Group strength classes offer real benefits: community, motivation, and a push to work harder than you might alone. The main thing to watch for is injury. If you’re managing an existing injury, it’s worth working with a kinesiologist or another rehab professional first to learn how to modify movements safely before jumping into a class setting.
Who can help: kinesiologist, physiotherapist, or personal trainer
Deciding where to train often raises a related question: who, if anyone, should help guide it. There’s more than one path in, and the right fit depends on your situation.
Physiotherapists are exercise-based and especially helpful if you’re working around an existing injury. Personal trainers can be a great option too, particularly if you want ongoing day-to-day coaching and accountability. What matters most is finding someone genuinely knowledgeable about training women at this stage of life, not just someone with a general certification. It’s worth asking directly about their experience with perimenopause or menopause before committing.
A kinesiologist’s particular strength is building a plan personalized to your goals, current fitness level, and any injuries or limitations. That includes assessing where you’re starting from, choosing exercises and progressions that make sense for your body, and coaching proper form so you feel confident training independently over time. They can also help you adjust your routine as things change, whether that’s scaling back during a harder week or knowing when you’re ready to progress, and can work alongside a physiotherapist if you’re managing an injury at the same time. This is especially useful when you’re just starting out, returning after a break, or navigating an existing injury.
Building strength with the right support
Starting strength training during perimenopause is not about chasing someone else’s version of fitness. It is about supporting the changes your body is going through right now with a routine that fits your life, goals, and current experience level. These same habits can carry you well beyond this stage, too; see our guide on strength training after 65 for what that can look like further down the road.
Key takeaways
- Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, marked by declining estrogen that affects muscles, bones, sleep, and mood.
- It’s not too late to start strength training during this stage, and many women find it a strong, motivated time to begin.
- A day one, week one, month one approach makes getting started manageable: learn the movements first, build a rhythm, then progress toward heavier lifting.
- Heavy lifting, sprint intervals, and plyometrics are three particularly effective types of training at this stage.
- Bone density naturally declines with age, and more quickly during the menopause transition, which makes strength training especially valuable.
- A kinesiologist, physiotherapist, or personal trainer with the right expertise can all support you, depending on your needs.
FAQs
Is it too late to start strength training during perimenopause?
It is not too late to start strength training during perimenopause. Many women build real strength and confidence starting at this stage, and some may find they have more capacity to focus on themselves than in earlier years.
How often should I strength train?
A common starting point is 3 days a week of full-body strength training, with sprint intervals or plyometric movement added once a week each, depending on your baseline.
How heavy should I be lifting?
Start light while learning the form, then progress to heavier weights and lower reps as your first month goes on. At any stage, you should feel like you could do 2 to 3 more reps after your last one.
Which exercises are best to start with?
Functional, full-body movements work well: push-ups, split squats, lunges, hip hinges, glute bridges, and planking, as well as any resistance training targeting major muscle groups.
Can strength training be done at home?
Strength training can be done at home. A gym can make it easier to keep increasing resistance, but a realistic home routine built around bodyweight and functional movement can also be effective, especially while building initial confidence.
Should I still walk or run if I’m strength training?
Yes, you can still walk or run if you’re strength training, but on its own, it often isn’t enough to build strength. Combining walking or other cardio with dedicated strength sessions works best. If you’re already running regularly, adding more strength work and shorter, sprint-style efforts alongside longer runs can help your body keep adapting well through this stage.
Do I need to train differently before versus after perimenopause?
The same core strength-training principles generally apply before and after perimenopause. Building good habits now helps set you up for a smoother transition later. Your routine may change over time based on your health, symptoms, fitness level, and goals.
Sources
- Canadian Menopause Society. Definition and Stages.
- Osteoporosis Canada. Facts and Stats.
- Canadian Menopause Society. Menopause Symptoms.
- Sims, Stacy T., PhD, and Selene Yeager. Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond.
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This blog originally appeared on Lifemark.ca and was written by Elisa Hemmati, Clinic Director.