Lifting Weights or Cardio: Which Exercise Is Most Beneficial for Women in Menopause?

Medically reviewed by Kelly Crumrin and Cindi Rauert Lanners, PT, DPT · June 5, 2026

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Key Takeaways

Both resistance training and cardio exercise offer real benefits for women going through perimenopause and menopause, and finding time for either can make a meaningful difference in health and wellbeing.

Your time is a limited resource, and menopause fatigue is real. When you can squeeze in a workout, you need to focus on the type of exercise that will provide the most benefit. Should you do resistance training, such as lifting weights, or get in some aerobic (cardio) exercise like walking, swimming, or riding a bike?

Here’s what we found about the benefits of lifting weights versus cardio for women during perimenopause and menopause.

Benefits of Lifting Weights

Declining muscle mass is common in older age. It can lead to frailty, especially in women. Losing muscle mass is associated with lower quality of life and other negative outcomes like:

Falls
Broken bones
Loss of ability to perform daily tasks independently
Higher risk of death

Share your thoughts.

🗳️ Which type of exercise do you do regularly?

Resistance training, such as lifting weights

Cardio, such as walking, swimming, or cycling

Both

Neither

The good news is that multiple studies have shown that resistance exercises (such as weight lifting) are key to helping women increase their lean mass and muscle mass, even after menopause.

Some researchers think that menopause hormone therapy (also called hormone replacement therapy, or HRT) can aid in preserving muscle mass, but more studies are needed to confirm this.

Here are some of the proven benefits of lifting weights for women during perimenopause and menopause.

Supporting Bone Health

Bone and muscle are closely connected. Muscle stimulates bones to remain strong. That’s why muscle loss can raise the risk for osteoporosis and fractures. So far, research indicates that strength training is the exercise most useful for improving bone density and lean muscle mass during perimenopause and menopause.

Preserving Brain Health

Research suggests that losing muscle strength is connected to changes in cognitive function, such as memory and thinking skills, as people age. Resistance training, such as lifting weights, may help protect these skills over time. Some research suggests it may even help lower the risk of dementia.

Stacey Simms, PhD, is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist. At the Livelong Women’s Health Summit in San Francisco in March 2026, Dr. Simms described the effectiveness of resistance training to build muscle and help protect brain health.

“Individuals who were 60-plus, who lifted heavier loads, had changes to the prefrontal cortex [of the brain], which meant that they had more nerve conductivity. So the neurons were talking to each other, which is what we want to prevent dementia,” she explained.

“Individuals who ... lifted heavier loads, had changes to the prefrontal cortex [of the brain], which meant that they had more nerve conductivity... Which is what we want to prevent dementia.”

— Dr. Stacey Simms

Dr. Simms also emphasized the importance of “lifting heavy.”

“So for lifting heavier loads, why is that?” she asked. “Because it’s a new motor pattern, and that new motor pattern is directly connected to connectivity in the brain. Those people who lifted lighter weights or body weight, they had changes of neural connectivity in other areas of the brain, but not the prefrontal cortex, which is what we really want.”

Reducing Hot Flashes

Apart from building strength, some studies have found that resistance training is an effective way to help manage vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes.

Benefits of Cardio

Women begin developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) later than men, as estrogen and other hormone levels decline during perimenopause. This is a serious problem since CVD is responsible for about one-third of deaths among women.

Cardio, or aerobic exercise, is any physical activity that uses large muscle groups and includes rhythm and repetition. It speeds up your heart rate and causes your body to use more oxygen.

Cardio has many potential benefits for the general population, including reducing the risk for:

CVD
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes

Cardio can also have specific benefits for women in perimenopause and menopause.

Reducing Arterial Stiffness

With lower levels of hormones, women can develop atherosclerosis (arterial stiffness, also known as hardening of the arteries) connected with heart disease. While both resistance and aerobic exercise help, research suggests that aerobic exercise may be the most effective type of activity to reduce arterial stiffness.

Improving Sleep

Insomnia and other sleep issues are common starting in perimenopause. In one small study, perimenopausal women who participated in a cardiovascular exercise program saw significant improvements in sleep, while the women who didn’t participate had no improvements.

Calming Anxiety

Rising anxiety during perimenopause is a common symptom that affects women’s quality of life. While hormonal changes may trigger anxiety, poor sleep can feed into anxiety and make it worse over time. In the study described above, the women who engaged in cardio had significantly lower levels of anxiety compared with those who didn’t.

Which Type of Exercise Is Best for Heart and Brain Health?

So, which is better for heart and brain health, cardio or weights? It’s a trick question. The answer is both. One large-scale study of cardiovascular health during menopause found that all types of exercise — resistance training, cardio, or a mix — helped support heart health. And research shows that cardio can also protect brain health.

A Related Thought: ‘Stop Chasing Skinny’

It may be harder to get started with exercising if you’re focused on how you look. For instance, you might focus solely on trying to lose weight instead of making it your goal to live better, longer.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver, also participating in the Livelong Women’s Health Summit, added an important note on priorities. Dr. Haver is an OB-GYN specializing in menopause science and evidence-based midlife care and is the author of The New Menopause.

Dr. Haver pointed out that many women are too focused on losing weight, which can make it harder to pursue healthy aging.

“In order to have muscle, we have to eat enough,” she explained. “That means we have to stop chasing skinny. Grow some muscles, get some curves instead of trying to lose weight.”

“Stop chasing skinny. Grow some muscles, get some curves instead of trying to lose weight.”

— Dr. Mary Claire Haver

Deciding What Type of Exercise Is Right for You

So what’s the verdict? Are you better off picking up the dumbbells or hitting the treadmill?

In fact, any exercise you do is beneficial. It doesn’t need to be either weights or cardio. You can combine some weight training and some cardio, if you choose. At the end of the day, the exercise you can find the time and inclination to actually do is the most beneficial type.

At the end of the day, the exercise you can find the time and inclination to actually do is the most beneficial type.

If you’re living with a disability or have concerns about what exercise is safe and effective for you, talk with your healthcare team. They can help you avoid any activities that might be risky for you. You can also ask for a referral to a physical therapist, who can personalize a workout plan and recommend exercises tailored to your needs and goals.

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