A review of 28 randomised trials in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 found walking combined with resistance training could preserve weight and bone density and increase muscle strength.
Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2,646 participants pooled · 2004Early postmenopausalCited 219 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 20 trials in overweight or obese postmenopausal and older women found resistance training improved body fat, metabolic risk and inflammation, with higher training volume giving larger glucose and inflammation improvements.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2024PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 142 trials in postmenopausal women found combined training, aerobic exercise, resistance training and mind-body exercise each improved different metabolic syndrome risk factors.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 7,967 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women and frail nursing home residents did high intensity strength training, and researchers found significant gains in strength and functional status.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 100 women · 1997PostmenopausalCited 161 timesPubMed
In 107 overweight postmenopausal women over 6 months, adding resistance training to calorie restriction reduced body fat more but did not further improve lipids, insulin or inflammation markers versus diet alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 107 women · 26 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 87 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did low or high volume resistance training three times weekly for 16 weeks, and both groups gained strength while high volume training reduced waist size, cholesterol and inflammation more.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 32 women · 16 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 70 timesPubMed
Healthy postmenopausal women did 16 weeks of resistance training three times weekly; it lowered metabolic syndrome risk score, fasting glucose, and body fat, and increased strength and lean mass.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 16 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 59 timesPubMed
Twenty nine postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 15 weeks of combined walking and resistance training, and the exercise group showed improved fitness, blood pressure, weight, insulin, glucose and cholesterol measures.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 29 women · 15 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
In 35 obese postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, resistance band training improved blood glucose, insulin resistance, lipids, blood pressure, body fat and lean mass compared to no change in controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 35 women · 2021PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with impaired glucose tolerance did 12 weeks of eccentric knee resistance training, gaining leg lean mass, strength and walk distance, with insulin sensitivity unchanged.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 16 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 34 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, 8 weeks of resistance training or HIIT reduced weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, with HIIT improving metabolic markers more and resistance training improving muscle mass and strength more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 45 women · 8 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 6 weeks of twice-weekly hypertrophic resistance training and showed improved resting heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, body fat, and muscle strength versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 37 women · 6 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
Twenty-two postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of progressive resistance training, and researchers found increased strength, reduced waist circumference, cholesterol and blood glucose, with no change in blood pressure.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 22 women · 12 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome features did 6 months of low-load circuit resistance or aerobic cycling training; both groups reduced body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol with no difference between methods.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 34 women · 24 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 16 weeks of resistance training with or without DHA supplementation, with training maintaining bone mineral content, increasing lean mass and strength, and improving glucose tolerance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 16 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed
In overweight postmenopausal women, 4 weeks of diet with or without resistance training did not improve insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, though resistance training preserved muscle mass.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 19 women · 4 weeks · 2001PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of resistance training with placebo or transdermal estrogen; placebo group lost more fat mass, while estrogen group improved cholesterol and glucose markers.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2021Early postmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
46 overweight postmenopausal women did 6 months of caloric restriction with or without resistance training; both improved insulin sensitivity similarly but adiponectin reduction during hyperinsulinemia was unchanged.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 46 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Obese menopausal women did 6 months of caloric restriction with or without resistance training; adding resistance training improved muscle strength more in women with low baseline strength.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 109 women · 26 weeks · 2015Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
In 15 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, 12 weeks of circuit resistance exercise improved glycemic control, body composition and adipokines more than walking exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 15 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women doing one bout of resistance exercise with or without DHEA supplementation showed improved glucose tolerance, with lipids lowered only when DHEA followed exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 2005Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight or obese postmenopausal women underwent a diet based weight loss program with or without resistance training, and visceral fat measured by two methods decreased similarly after the intervention.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 92 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Thirteen moderately obese postmenopausal women did 4 months of resistive training, with or without weight loss, and authors reported decreased insulin response and increased strength.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 13 women · 16 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 65 timesPubMed
Moderately obese postmenopausal women did diet alone or diet plus walking and resistance exercise for 24 weeks, and both groups lost weight with no added effect of exercise on blood lipids or glucose.
No difference foundControlled trial · 41 women · 24 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 51 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight postmenopausal women did resistance training 1, 2 or 3 days weekly for 16 weeks; strength and muscle mass improved in all groups, but only 3 days weekly prevented rises in glucose and CRP.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 30 women · 16 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 33 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with fatty liver disease who did 8 weeks of elastic band resistance training showed reduced liver fat, fasting insulin, and BMI compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 8 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity did 16 weeks of resistance training and/or DHA supplementation, with muscle quality improving more with resistance training and cardiometabolic markers improving more with DHA.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 16 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women doing 8 weeks of circuit resistance training, with or without an herbal supplement, showed increased apelin and decreased insulin and blood glucose levels.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 96 women · 8 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
In 23 sedentary middle-aged women, six weeks of resistance training combined with electrical stimulation reduced LDL and total cholesterol more than resistance training alone, with no difference in glucose or CRP.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 23 women · 6 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
Ten sedentary postmenopausal women did one resistance exercise session; insulin sensitivity and glucose effectiveness did not differ from a no-exercise trial 15 hours later.
No difference foundControlled trial · 10 women · 2002PostmenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
12 postmenopausal women did single sessions of heavy or light-load resistance exercise, both of which acutely improved glucose tolerance compared with no exercise, with no difference between loads.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 women · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
Six months of resistance training in older men and postmenopausal women with normal or impaired glucose tolerance improved muscle strength and showed a trend toward better insulin sensitivity.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 18 women · 26 weeks · 2001PostmenopausalCited 65 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with obesity who did 4 months of resistance training saw decreased body fat and increased strength and fitness, with smaller effects on cholesterol and no change in blood sugar control.
No difference foundControlled trial · 51 women · 16 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 16 weeks of whole-body resistance training and showed increased muscle strength, reduced fatigue, improved quality of life, and lower inflammatory markers.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 11 women · 16 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 40 timesPubMed
In middle-aged women with metabolic syndrome, an 8-week resistance exercise program reduced waist circumference and insulin sensitivity index and increased serum osteoprotegerin compared with controls.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 24 women · 8 weeks · 2018Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
A case study of a 71-year-old woman who began resistance training at 63 reported greater muscle mass, strength, bone density and fitness than age-matched postmenopausal controls.
Direction not statedBefore-and-after study · 1 women · 2024PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity did 12 weeks of interval Nordic walking or strength training, both reduced waist circumference, raised HDL, and lowered blood glucose versus controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed