5 Surprising Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

Menopause puts women at risk for osteoporosis, a disease characterized by a decrease in bone mineral density. As women age (men, too), we lose bone mass more quickly while new bone growth slows. This weakens our bone structure and increases the chance of fractures, even from minor falls or movements.

It helps to remember that your bones are living tissue, and they respond when you put force on them, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. As with weightlifting, the impact is site-specific — walking will strengthen your lower body, but not your wrists. To make your bones denser and stronger throughout your body, aim for a combination of regular weight-bearing activity and twice-weekly (at minimum) strength training. “Weight-bearing activities” means anything that makes your body work against gravity, such as hiking, dancing, or even pickleball. Calcium and vitamin D are also key to bone growth.

2. You’ll boost your brain health

Less stress and anxiety, a brighter mood, reduced risk of depression, and even enhanced cognitive function: They’re all potential results of strength training and other forms of exercise, according to the National Institute on Aging. Indeed, the institute encourages older adults to include all four kinds of exercise: endurance (aerobic), strength, balance and flexibility.

And you don’t need a complex workout plan or a bodybuilder physique to get the benefits, according to an array of research. One study found that older adults improved their emotional health through strength training even if they didn’t actually improve their strength. Others specifically examined the effects of resistance training on cognition and executive function in older adults, including postmenopausal women.

3. You’ll help prevent — and control — diabetes

More than 1 in 3 American adults is prediabetic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As we age, our risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases. Changes in skeletal muscle associated with age can decrease muscle mass, which leads to decreased insulin sensitivity (how effectively cells respond to insulin to use and stabilize blood sugar).

Studies have shown that strength training improves glycemic control (regulation of blood sugars) and blood lipid profiles in adults at risk for T2D and may help prevent or delay its onset. In one study, moderate muscular strength was linked to a 32 percent reduction in the risk for T2D.

For adults already diagnosed with T2D, regular strength training to maintain or increase muscle mass was shown to decrease insulin resistance and reduce A1C levels — the average of blood sugar measurements over a three-month period.

4. You’ll make your heart stronger

The No. 1 cause of death for women in the U.S. is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Though heart disease can affect women at any age, our risk increases from ages 55 to 64, likely due to hormonal changes after menopause.

In fact, your heart can benefit significantly from weight training, whether or not you have heart disease, according to a 2023 update from the American Heart Association (AHA). Resistance training can lower your blood pressure and blood glucose levels; improve your lipid profile; and benefit your heart by reducing fat and increasing muscle. These changes may especially benefit older adults and those with higher cardiometabolic (CVD and diabetes) risk.

Resistance training was also shown to improve endothelial function—essentially, the health of your blood vessels — which helps control blood flow and blood pressure, and helps to prevent blood clots. The AHA recommends strength training at least twice a week.

5. You’ll sleep better

Uninterrupted sleep, seven to nine hours a night, helps our brains learn and strengthens long-term memories, and reduces our risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and stroke. But a good night’s sleep is an elusive goal for many women, particularly after menopause. In fact, nearly one in two women ages 40-59 wake up feeling tired at least three days a week, according to a study on sleep duration and quality published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Postmenopausal women were more likely to experience sleep disruptions than premenopausal women in the same age group.

Here’s where weightlifting can help. Preliminary findings by researchers at Iowa State University point to resistance training as superior to aerobic exercise for getting better sleep. Study participants were inactive, overweight adults with high blood pressure who were randomly assigned to an exercise program: supervised resistance or aerobic exercise only, combined resistance/aerobic exercise, or a control group with no supervised exercise.

Overall, sleep improved for all groups. However, among the 42 percent who reported poor quality of sleep at the start of the study, those who did resistance training fell asleep faster and slept longer.