Los 3 mejores ejercicios mujeres con menopausia

The 3 best exercises for women going through menopause

August 7, 2025

CONTENTS

What is menopause?

Before learning which exercises are best for women with menopause, we need to understand that menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life that marks the end of menstruation. It occurs when the ovaries stop functioning and reproductive hormones are no longer produced as they were before. A woman is considered to have reached menopause after 12 consecutive months without a period, provided there is no other medical cause. It usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, and in Spain the average age is 51 (1).

During this stage, the body undergoes significant hormonal changes. The levels of estrogens decrease significantly, triggering a response in the body that increases the production of FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). This hormonal pattern can be clearly seen in the graph, which shows how FSH and estradiol levels vary in the years surrounding the last menstrual period (2).

What is menopause? The fact that FSH rises so much while estradiol plummets is what causes a lack of estrogenic feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (3). Thus causing menstruation to eventually stop.

The fact that hormone levels in women drop so sharply has negative consequences for (4):

Muscle mass
Increase in visceral fat
Decline in bone mineral density
Mood changes
Reduced insulin sensitivity, meaning that your body processes carbohydrates less effectively.

Hormone levels in women

But there is also a solution to this that is both affordable and effective. Regular physical training, especially strength and aerobic training—what is now known as hybrid training. In the next section, you’ll understand why it is so beneficial during this stage.

Benefits of exercise during menopause

Strength training during menopause should be non-negotiable for all women, as it has been shown to be the best tool for counteracting the adverse effects of menopause.

Some of the many benefits you’ll experience as soon as you start training are (5,6):

Increased muscle mass
Improved insulin sensitivity
Improved carbohydrate metabolism
Reduction in abdominal fat
Improvements in psychological well-being.
Lower risk of fractures.

You’re probably thinking: “But what about hot flashes and the nights when I can’t sleep for more than 4 hours straight because I keep waking up?” Well, as if all those benefits weren’t enough.

Exercise has also been shown to (7,8) which reduces hot flashes and improves sleep and mood; in short, it improves quality of life overall. Oh, and one final detail that will surely interest you too: it reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems, which, although they are not very common in women compared with men, often show up in blood tests during this stage of life as rather high LDL cholesterol (the bad kind).

Even without typical hormone therapies during menopause, exercise remains a fundamental and safe strategy for achieving overall well-being in women (9). Therefore, after reading this far, it is clear that maintaining an exercise routine adapted to individual needs is key to going through menopause in a healthy and active way (10), since otherwise… the consequences are considerably worse.

Best exercises for women with menopause Moremuscle

The 3 best exercises for women going through menopause

At this point in the blog, you are probably waiting to find out which are the 3 best exercises for women going through menopause, and the truth is that science(11) science has shown that the best exercises for menopause are a combination of strength training and resistance training, also known as cardiovascular training.

You already know the benefits of strength training; however, combining strength and resistance contributes to the following (12,13) :

Reduces arterial stiffness.
Improves blood pressure.
Reduces the risk of hypertension.
Increases functional capacity.
Prevents frailty.
Improves pelvic floor function.

In fact, regular strength and resistance training can improve body composition, especially if your diet is high in protein, since during menopause, protein intake should be somewhat higher (around 40 g per meal) compared with other stages of life. In these cases, protein supplements are quite useful because of the convenience and quality they offer.

Don't worry—the promised information is coming, and you're going to find out which 3 exercises are best for women going through menopause according to science.

Strength training (14)
Aerobic exercise (15)
Yoga or Pilates (16)

Combining these exercises several times a week is the best strategy for improving physical and mental well-being during menopause (6).

Best exercises for women with menopause Moremuscle

HIIT, a friend you were never introduced to.

You already know that physical exercise is not only recommended but necessary during this stage. And as a woman, you know the three best options that will help you feel better about yourself; you will reduce your symptoms and enjoy very good health.

However, among the available options there's one you haven't been introduced to, which is HIIT, also known as high-intensity interval training—basically, the kind that leaves you gasping for breath. This type of training, as its name suggests, consists of the following:

30 seconds of demanding work (it can be shorter, especially the first few times).
30 seconds of rest (it can be longer, especially the first few times).

HIIT aims for stimulate the body and metabolism quickly and efficiently, in the shortest time possible, while also offering multiple benefits, such as:

Prevent an increase in abdominal fat
Preserve muscle mass
Improve insulin sensitivity, which facilitates weight loss.
Strengthen and protect the cardiovascular system
Positively regulate mood and sleep.
Improve bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

And since we know that getting started is not easy, here is a short, basic-level HIIT workout so you can start practicing it. Always remember, before starting:

Warm up properly; to do so, mobilize the main joints involved.
If you have any health problems, consult your doctor beforehand for safety.
Stay hydrated, either with water or with some of our gels, rich in carbohydrates and minerals.
Combine HIIT with other exercises such as yoga or strength training.

Best exercises for women with menopause Moremuscle

Basic-level HIIT plan:

Air squats (without weights)
Technique: Place your feet hip-width apart and lower your body as if sitting in an imaginary chair. Keep your back straight and do not let your knees extend past your feet.

Duration: 20 seconds of work
Rest: 40 seconds (walk in place or maintain calm breathing)

Wall push-ups or push-ups with knees supported
Technique: Place your hands at shoulder height, with your arms slightly bent. Bend your elbows and lower your torso toward the wall (or the floor if performing the exercise with your knees supported).

Duration: 20 seconds
Rest: 40 seconds

Alternating knee raises (high-knee march)
Technique: March in place, raising one knee at a time while lifting the opposite arm. Maintain a steady pace.

Duration: 20 seconds
Rest: 40 seconds

Lying pelvic raises (glute bridge).
Technique: Lie on your back with your feet on the floor and your knees bent. Raise your hips toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the end of the movement.

Duration: 20 seconds
Rest: 40 seconds

Supplementation to improve symptoms

After learning how HIIT training can be an effective tool for managing menopause symptoms, it is important to complement this approach with supplements that help balance hormones and reduce side effects of this stage.

Although physical exercise is essential, the right supplements can provide additional support, alleviating common problems such as hot flashes, fatigue, mood changes, and bone loss. Below, you will learn about the best supplements for improving menopause symptoms, helping you feel more balanced, energetic, and in control during this transition. (And all backed by science)

Soy isoflavones: This supplement helps reduce hot flashes and night sweats thanks to its estrogen-like structure; in other words, they are like “weak estrogens.” Dosage: 40–80 mg/day (17)
Rheum rhaponticum root extract; it also helps relieve menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, anxiety, or irritability; 4 mg/day is sufficient (18).
Vitamin E is especially useful for women who have contraindications to estrogen, although its effect is less pronounced compared with hormone therapy (19). Dosage: 200–400 IU/day.
Omega 3: This fatty acid, derived mainly from oily fish and nuts, may help reduce triglyceride levels and improve the lipid profile, which is quite important during this stage, since the cardioprotective role of estrogen disappears (20). Dosage: 1,000–2,000 mg/day
Magnesium: Several studies have shown that magnesium deficiency is common in menopausal women, both in cases of natural menopause and surgically induced menopause. This deficiency has been associated with more severe physical and neuropsychiatric symptoms, as well as an overall decline in quality of life (21). Dosage: 250–300 mg/day

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s no single magic solution for menopause, but there are strategies that work—and work very well. Train intelligently, move every week, combine strength training with cardio, and dedicate time to your mental well-being with yoga or Pilates.

And this applies to all women, regardless of whether you’ve gone years without exercising or are starting from scratch.

And if you add a good diet and supplementation that support your hormones, nervous system, and bone health, you’ll notice the difference. Sleeping better, feeling less bloated, managing stress better, and looking at yourself in the mirror again with the kindness and love you deserve.

Menopause doesn’t have to be a downward spiral. With the tools you’ve found, you’ll be able to turn it into a stage of physical and mental improvement.

That said, no one is going to do it for you. The time to start is now. Even if it’s a little, even if it’s not perfect. What you do today counts. And your health will thank you.

Bibliography

Return to the blog