In brief
In brief
Strength work can support muscle, bone health, balance and everyday confidence through midlife. NICE specifically highlights maintaining muscle mass and strength through physical activity, while wider activity guidance recommends muscle-strengthening work on at least two days each week. That is a direction, not a demand to train hard when you are exhausted. A consistent session you can recover from is more useful than an impressive week followed by avoidance.
What a useful session looks like
- Use movements that cover the major patterns: sit or squat, hinge, push, pull, carry or brace.
- Choose a resistance that leaves your technique steady and usually lets you finish with a little capacity in reserve.
- Progress one thing at a time: a repetition, a small amount of load, a set, or better control.
- Give the same muscle groups time to recover, especially when sleep, joint comfort or energy is unsettled.
- Use a lighter or recovery version on difficult days instead of deciding the whole week is lost.
Body-weight, resistance bands, machines and free weights can all work. The best choice is the one you can perform safely in your available space. Warm up with the movement itself at an easier level. Stop a set when technique changes sharply, pain increases or you feel unwell. Muscle effort and mild next-day stiffness can be normal; sharp pain, chest pain, faintness or unusual breathlessness are not training goals.
Sources
Where this guidance comes from
GlowUp checked this article against the sources below on 25 August 2026. This is source-checked editorial information, not a claim of independent medical review.
- Menopause: identification and management (NG23) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · updated 15 April 2026 · accessed 25 August 2026
- WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour World Health Organization · updated 25 November 2020 · accessed 25 August 2026
- Things you can do to help menopause and perimenopause symptoms NHS · accessed 25 August 2026