A meta-analysis of 129 trials in postmenopausal women found aerobic, resistance and combined training increased cardiorespiratory fitness and lower-body strength, while only resistance training increased upper-body strength.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 7,141 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
A review of eight randomised trials in climacteric women found aerobic exercise improved menopause symptoms and quality of life, while resistance training strengthened muscles and increased bone density.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2025Midlife womenCited 11 timesPubMed
Women with breast cancer on chemotherapy did 6 months of aerobic or resistance exercise; aerobic exercise better preserved bone density and both improved fitness and strength versus usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 66 women · 26 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 117 timesPubMed
Women aged 32 to 59 did 12 weeks of moderate resistance training or aerobic training; resistance training did not increase arterial stiffness, while aerobic training reduced it, and neither changed blood pressure.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 35 women · 12 weeks · 2009Midlife womenCited 79 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
Overweight postmenopausal women did a 12 month weight loss program with aerobic exercise plus vitamin D3 or placebo, and vitamin D did not improve lean mass or bone density but leg strength decreased more.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 218 women · 52 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
In 107 sedentary women aged 50 to 60, 13 weeks of brisk walking with or without poles similarly improved peak oxygen uptake, with no major differences between the two methods.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 107 women · 13 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 47 timesPubMed
In a 10-week RCT, postmenopausal women with low bone mass doing step aerobics three times weekly showed reduced bone resorption marker change and improved muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance versus controls, with no BMD change.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48 women · 10 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 41 timesPubMed
Patients with knee osteoarthritis, including postmenopausal women, did 6 weeks of isokinetic or aerobic exercise and reported less pain and more muscle strength, with no significant drop in inflammatory markers.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 42 women · 6 weeks · 2015Midlife womenCited 39 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis did a 12 week program combining resistance, balance and aerobic exercise; the exercise group improved functional measures like Timed Up and Go and fall-efficacy more than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 96 women · 12 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 26 timesPubMed
Eighty six breast cancer survivors did 12 months of aerobic impact exercise training, and postmenopausal trainees showed small improvements in bone structural strength, agility and grip strength.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 86 women · 52 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 28 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did foot stamping, squats and line dancing; the program maintained hip bone density and improved leg strength and balance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 45 women · 2007PostmenopausalCited 36 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
Twenty postmenopausal women did high-intensity treadmill training for 3 months, and researchers reported added infrared light improved muscle power and reduced leg fatigue versus training alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 12 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
Untrained women aged 45 to 55 did 3 months of endurance or strength training, improving fitness or strength, but knee cartilage thickness and volume on MRI did not change.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 38 women · 12 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did 8 weeks of whole body vibration, circuit resistance, or aerobic training, with vibration showing no body composition benefit and a strength decrease versus other methods.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 8 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 28 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 60 who did 6 months of treadmill training combined with infrared light therapy showed greater quadriceps power and less fatigue than treadmill training alone or sedentary controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 26 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In 43 osteopenic postmenopausal women, a 24-week walking plus step exercise program increased femoral neck bone density, strength and fitness versus a non-exercising control group.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 43 women · 24 weeks · 2000PostmenopausalCited 71 timesPubMed
In 42 postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of Zumba training improved postural balance, lower limb strength, mood, and quality of life compared with baseline.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 42 women · 12 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Forty-seven postmenopausal women did 16 weeks of jazz dance, which improved cardiorespiratory fitness and short-term sleep quality but did not improve body composition or most strength measures.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 47 women · 16 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteopenia who did 24 weeks of aerobic dance showed increased femoral neck bone density, grip strength, and physical quality of life compared to controls.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 80 women · 24 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
Seventy postmenopausal women did jazz dance or concurrent training for up to 12 months; both improved cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and sleep quality, with concurrent training showing greater fitness gains.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 70 women · 52 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal obese women, aerobic and resistance exercise both reduced weight, body fat and waist circumference and increased maximum oxygen uptake and knee muscle strength, with no change in estrogen.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 30 women · 2018PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
In an 8-week trial, both aerobic-only and combined aerobic plus resistance training lowered blood pressure in middle-aged women with prehypertension, with combined training giving a larger diastolic reduction.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 31 women · 8 weeks · 2025Midlife womenPubMed
Perimenopausal women aged 45 to 55 did 12 weeks of strength or endurance training; strength training improved muscle strength and quality, while endurance training raised aerobic fitness by 28%.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 42 women · 12 weeks · 2009PerimenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
Obese middle-aged women did a 12-week diet and aerobic program with or without acceleration training; adding acceleration training improved grip strength, balance and flexibility beyond diet and aerobic exercise alone.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 28 women · 12 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 10 timesPubMed
Seven middle-aged women did 12 weeks of cycle training, which increased muscle fiber size and altered satellite cell responses to a subsequent bout of resistance exercise.
Direction not statedBefore-and-after study · 7 women · 12 weeks · 2016Midlife womenCited 25 timesPubMed
In 40 middle-aged men and women, those doing regular resistance training had higher concentric ankle strength than those doing endurance training, with smaller differences in eccentric strength.
Mixed resultsCross-sectional study · 40 women · 2002Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
A review reported that aerobic and resistance exercise in menopausal women was linked to improved cardiovascular fitness, increased bone mineral content, greater muscle strength and reduced body fat.
Reported an improvementOther · 1990Midlife womenCited 21 timesPubMed
This review reported that both aerobic exercise and weight training help maintain or build bone density in postmenopausal women, with weight training also improving strength and balance.
Reported an improvementOther · 1999PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
A trial protocol will compare 12 weeks of urban dance versus functional fitness against a control group for physical and psychological effects in postmenopausal women aged 40 to 59.
Direction not statedOther · 12 weeks · 2025Early postmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed