Training Through Menopause
Stacy Sims' evidence-based shift for women in midlife: lift heavy, sprint short, jump, and eat enough protein. The old advice (lighter weights, more cardio, eat less) is exactly wrong for the menopause transition.
As estrogen declines through perimenopause and menopause, the standard advice women are given (use light weights, do lots of steady cardio, eat less) actively works against them. Stacy Sims argues the opposite: this is the window to lift genuinely heavy, add short sprint intervals and jump training, and eat more protein, not less. Her framework rests on five pillars, heavy resistance training, sprint interval training, short HIIT, plyometrics for bone, and a protein-forward diet, plus creatine. It is intense by design, so build up with good movement first, but the direction is clear: train your top end to keep it.
Why it works▼
Prioritise heavy resistance training
Heavy load is the stimulus that preserves muscle and strength as estrogen falls.
Add sprint interval training
Short sprints improve body composition and fitness without the cortisol cost of long intervals.
Include plyometrics
Impact loading stimulates bone, helping protect against menopausal bone loss.
Avoid long medium-intensity intervals
Intervals past a minute drive cortisol without extra body-composition benefit.
Go protein-forward, and do not undereat
More protein is needed to maintain muscle through menopause; under-eating accelerates loss.
Take creatine daily
Creatine supports strength and may benefit bone and cognition, especially in midlife women.
- Women in perimenopause or menopause
- Midlife women told to just do more cardio
- Anyone wanting to protect muscle and bone with age
- Women new to lifting heavy
- This is higher-intensity training; build a base of good movement and technique before loading heavy, and progress gradually
- It is not all-or-nothing; start with one or two pillars and add over time
- Menopause symptoms and hormone therapy are medical decisions; discuss options with your doctor, this protocol is about training and nutrition, not a substitute for medical care
- Do not undereat: the goal is fuelling to maintain muscle, not restriction
- Educational only, not medical advice
- July 3, 2026 Protocol published.
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Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Independent curation. YourProtocol.ai is an independent platform. This protocol is based on the publicly available work of Stacy Sims and is not created, reviewed, endorsed by, or affiliated with Stacy Sims or Exercise Physiologist / Researcher.