A meta-analysis of 101 trials with 5,697 postmenopausal women found aerobic training reduced fat mass and resistance training increased muscle mass, with combined training offering both benefits.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 5,697 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 28 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 17 trials in breast cancer survivors, including postmenopausal women, found exercise training, especially resistance training, increased lean body mass compared with usual care.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,743 participants pooled · 2022Midlife womenCited 17 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 23 trials in 1001 postmenopausal women found concurrent aerobic and resistance training modestly improved body composition and metabolic markers, with no significant change in inflammation markers.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,001 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
In obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, 16 weeks of aerobic training combined with resistance training improved glucose disposal more than aerobic exercise alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 28 women · 16 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 307 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 15 studies found that multicomponent training combining resistance, weight-bearing and impact exercise could increase or preserve muscle and bone mass in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2018PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women on a 12 week calorie restricted diet with added aerobic and resistance exercise lost more fat and preserved lean mass compared to diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 118 women · 12 weeks · 1993PostmenopausalCited 155 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors did 12 months of combined aerobic and resistance exercise, which increased lean mass and lowered body fat and BMI versus usual care; bone density did not differ.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 121 women · 52 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 67 timesPubMed
Women averaging 69 years did an 18 month multipurpose exercise program and researchers reported increased lean mass and strength and reduced body fat compared to an active control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 246 women · 78 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 56 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 6 months of resistance and aerobic exercise with or without soy isoflavones; exercise reduced fat mass and increased lean mass, with no added benefit from isoflavones.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 100 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 65 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who did 12 months of resistance and weight-bearing aerobic exercise gained lean mass and lost leg fat, regardless of hormone therapy use or changes in hormone levels.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 94 women · 52 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 63 timesPubMed
In overweight postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of HIIT or HIIT plus resistance training reduced abdominal and visceral fat more than moderate-intensity continuous training.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 27 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 47 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did a 12-month combined aerobic and strength program; weight did not change but body fat and waist circumference decreased and lean mass increased versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 189 women · 52 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 34 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
Postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes did 12 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance exercise and showed reduced body fat, lower insulin resistance, and increased muscle mass.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 45 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 27 timesPubMed
Over 12 weeks, obese postmenopausal women doing endurance or concurrent aerobic and resistance training reduced fat mass, with concurrent training also increasing lean mass and differing effects on sex hormones like testosterone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 35 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
Overweight or obese postmenopausal women did 6 months of mixed exercise with isoflavone supplement or placebo; the isoflavone group showed greater reductions in fat mass and CRP inflammation than exercise alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 26 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of water-based combined aerobic and resistance training, with both exercise orders increasing upper and lower body strength and muscle thickness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 21 women · 12 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women who did 6 months of combined resistance and aerobic training increased leg and bench press strength and muscle mass index, with no added benefit from isoflavones.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 70 women · 26 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 12 studies on menopausal sarcopenia reported that 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise plus resistance training, with protein and vitamin D, was an effective management strategy.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 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.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
After 6 months of combined aerobic and resistance exercise, postmenopausal women taking phytoestrogens showed greater reductions in weight, fat mass and blood pressure than those on placebo.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 21 women · 26 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who completed a 12-month multi-component exercise program had improved fat mass, skeletal muscle mass and fat-free mass compared with non-exercising controls, regardless of menopause characteristics.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 158 women · 52 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
In early postmenopausal osteopenic women, stopping a high intensity exercise programme for 3 months led to losses in lean mass, strength and power versus continued light exercise, though bone density loss was not significant.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 54 women · 13 weeks · 2021Early postmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 12 months of step, weight training and flexibility exercise reduced fat mass and visceral fat gain and preserved skeletal muscle mass compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 169 women · 52 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of a restrictive diet with or without aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and authors found exercise plus diet increased muscle fiber area and oxidative capacity, unlike diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 69 women · 12 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Obese middle-aged women who did combined aerobic and resistance training lost more abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat and gained more lean mass than those doing aerobic training alone.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 30 women · 2003Midlife womenCited 73 timesPubMed
A 12-week multicomponent exercise and cognitive program in midlife Hong Kong women, mean age 61.5, improved intrinsic capacity scores, chair stand times, muscle mass and cardiorespiratory fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 176 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
In 60 postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of aerobic or combined aerobic plus strength training improved body composition and metabolic markers, but leg lean mass returned to pre-training levels after 6 months of detraining.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 60 women · 16 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 27 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did 20 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training and showed reduced body fat, increased lean mass, and reduced TNF-alpha compared with non-exercisers.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 70 women · 20 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
In 66 early postmenopausal women, eight weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training, delivered in person or via app, reduced menopausal symptoms, fatigue, and improved sleep versus education alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 66 women · 8 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalPubMed
Over nine months of combined aerobic and resistance training, postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors showed similar strength, fitness, and body fat improvements to healthy postmenopausal women.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 42 women · 39 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise plus diet for 12 weeks and lost more fat with preserved lean mass versus diet alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 118 women · 12 weeks · 1994PostmenopausalPubMed
Sedentary overweight to obese postmenopausal women did 6 months of combined endurance and resistance training; gains in muscle mass index correlated with worsening insulin resistance.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 48 women · 26 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 14 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.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 100 women · 18 weeks · 2025Midlife womenPubMed
Twelve middle-aged women did resistance and aerobic training 3 times weekly for 14 weeks and increased strength and lean tissue, with a small drop in body fat percentage.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 12 women · 14 weeks · 2006Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
Breast cancer survivors will do resistance and aerobic exercise with omega-3 supplementation or education for 12 to 24 weeks to test effects on lean body mass; this is a study protocol with no results yet.
Direction not statedOther · 153 women · 24 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed