A review found that 12 to 16 weeks of recreational football training in women aged 18 to 65 improved aerobic fitness, blood pressure, fat loss, lipid profile and bone mineralisation.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2018Midlife womenCited 45 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal breast cancer survivors, 6 weeks of interval or continuous aerobic training both improved cardiorespiratory fitness by about 12%, with interval training also improving strength and weight more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 33 women · 6 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 58 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 2 weeks of low-volume high-intensity interval cycling raised peak oxygen uptake while a longer moderate-intensity continuous program did not reach significance for that measure.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 18 women · 2 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 58 timesPubMed
Overweight or obese postmenopausal women did combined HIIT and resistance training three times weekly for 12 weeks, and researchers found reduced abdominal fat and increased muscle mass and fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 17 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 39 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes, 12 weeks of high-intensity bodyweight training and combined aerobic-resistance training both improved muscle mass, walk test performance and insulin resistance, but only combined training increased strength.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 16 women · 12 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 37 timesPubMed
Breast cancer patients did 16 weeks of resistance plus HIIT or aerobic plus HIIT during chemotherapy; at 5 years fatigue did not differ from usual care, but gluteal pain sensitivity was reduced with resistance HIIT.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 240 women · 16 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 13 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 8 weeks of sprint interval training three times weekly, and gained lean mass, lost fat mass, and increased aerobic fitness compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 8 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
In overweight postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of interval sprint cycling reduced arterial stiffness and increased aerobic fitness compared with a control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 8 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
In obese postmenopausal women over 12 weeks, both HIIT and combined training reduced body fat and increased leg lean mass, but only combined training increased muscle strength and fast walking speed.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 24 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal overweight women at high breast cancer risk did 12 weeks of HIIT, moderate exercise, or usual care; HIIT was feasible and improved fitness more than usual care, with no weight difference.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 44 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
Thirty postmenopausal women did an 8 week HIIT program combined with either intermittent fasting or a low calorie diet, and both groups improved flexibility and VO2 max.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 8 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women who did 8 weeks of sprint interval training showed increased stroke volume and estimated maximal oxygen uptake compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 8 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
12 postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity did single sessions of continuous or interval cycling, and researchers found no difference in post-exercise fat burning or energy balance between the two exercise types.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 12 women · 2020PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Twenty-six obese middle-aged women with prehypertension did 6 weeks of resistance plus moderate or high-intensity aerobic training; both groups improved body composition, blood pressure, and fitness, with resistance plus HIIT improving lipids more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 6 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
Overweight women aged 35 to 50 did 10 weeks of HIIT or HIIT plus resistance training; strength improved with combined training and lipid and insulin markers improved in both groups, but fitness did not improve.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 27 women · 10 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
Eleven postmenopausal women did high-intensity interval exercise in water and on land, with water exercise producing greater muscle oxygenation and lower perceived exertion.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 11 women · 2020PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
In 47 obese middle-aged women, 8 weeks of HIIT improved cardiorespiratory endurance but increased waist circumference, while adding probiotics preserved the endurance benefit and reduced hip circumference.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 47 women · 8 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
An 8 week high-intensity functional exercise program improved physical performance, dual-task performance and menopausal symptom scores in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 8 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Middle-aged female recreational runners following high-intensity interval or moderate-intensity continuous training both improved half-marathon finishing times by 2 to 3 percent.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 20 women · 2020Midlife womenCited 5 timesPubMed
Perimenopausal and postmenopausal obese women completed six weeks of high-intensity interval training, and all groups reduced body measurements and increased maximal oxygen consumption afterward.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 56 women · 6 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
Fifteen postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome did 12 weeks of treadmill HIIT and showed improved fitness, reduced inflammatory markers, and increased anti-inflammatory IL-10.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 15 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
An 18-week circuit hydraulic weight interval training program in inactive pre- and postmenopausal women reduced body fat and increased muscle mass, with postmenopausal women needing longer training to see muscle gains.
Direction not statedControlled trial · 100 women · 18 weeks · 2025Midlife womenPubMed
In ten late postmenopausal women, 10 weeks of high-intensity floorball training increased fitness and reduced blood pressure, and increased prostacyclin formation, but did not improve leg vascular responsiveness.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 10 women · 10 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In 40 obese perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training increased anaerobic energy contributions during repeated sprint cycling in both groups.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 40 women · 6 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
Twenty active postmenopausal women did 6 weeks of cycling HIIT and researchers found improved fat oxidation, efficiency, and power output, with no change in basal metabolic rate or body composition.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 20 women · 6 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
22 menopausal women completed a 12-week workplace exercise programme of body conditioning, Zumba Gold, Pilates and HIIT, with authors reporting favourable changes in body fat, fitness, menopause symptoms and mental health.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 22 women · 12 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed