Shout it From the Roof:Women, You Can Still Build Muscle Regardless of Your Current Life StagePerimenopause and menopause are hot topics right now—and unfortunately, many in the industry are taking advantage of women in this vulnerable stage of life. There’s a lot of fear-mongering and expensive “protocols” being pushed as the solution. And to be fair, it makes sense why this messaging sticks. When your body feels different—energy, recovery, strength—it’s easy to believe something fundamental has changed in a way that’s out of your control. One of the biggest beliefs circulating?
That women can’t build muscle as estrogen levels drop. But a new research paper published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (March 18, 2026) suggests otherwise. The study found that strength training increases muscle mass regardless of hormonal status—and can also reduce fat mass. This is especially significant, given how limited research on women and exercise has been. This systematic review and meta-analysis (essentially the gold standard of research) looked at over 4,000 women across 126 studies. The average age was 51, and 66% were postmenopausal. Here’s what they found: Strength, muscle mass, and physical function (like reduced injury risk and improved recovery) increased in both pre- and postmenopausal women These improvements occurred even when resistance training began later in life Fat mass decreased in both groups
They also found that muscle loss as we age is more related to aging itself—not hormone levels. And importantly, resistance training can actually help reverse age-related muscle loss. Researchers also examined what are called confounding variables—factors that could influence the results because they’re related to both the thing being studied (in this case, resistance training) and the outcome (like muscle gain or fat loss). In simpler terms, these are variables that might make it look like something is causing a result when it’s actually something else—or at least playing a role. In this study, they looked at things like age, training duration, and frequency. What did they find? None of these variables significantly impacted outcomes. So what might be limiting progress?Not in a blaming way—but in a way that gives you more clarity and control—some common factors include: Not enough training stimulus (e.g., not lifting heavy enough or staying in the same rep range for too long) Not sticking with a program long enough Inadequate rest (between sets or throughout the week) Poor sleep Not eating enough or eating too much Focusing too much on the scale instead of other progress markers (like how your clothes fit)
And at the same time, these aren’t always easy things to “fix.” Life, stress, changing energy levels, and competing priorities can all make consistency harder than it sounds on paper. And what does this study really tell us?Even if things feel slower, different, or less predictable than they used to, that doesn’t mean progress is off the table. If you’re already strength training (and if you’re working with me, you likely are), keep going. You’re doing something incredibly valuable for both your present and future self. And if you’re not sure where to start, I’m here to help. We can build a plan that fits your life—not the other way around.
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