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Stay Strong After 50: Menopause Muscle Building Guide

Learn how women can build and maintain muscle after 50 through strength training, nutrition, and targeted supplements to stay strong and vibrant.

Table of contents

What is menopause

What happens to your muscles during menopause

Best strength training exercises for menopause

Nutritional support for muscle health during menopause

Supplements for building muscles after 50

Final words

What to know

  • Menopause leads to a decline in estrogen levels, which significantly impacts muscle mass and strength, contributing to age-related muscle loss.

  • Estrogen is crucial for muscle growth, repair, and recovery. It also helps reduce inflammation and improve energy metabolism within muscle cells.

  • Engaging in resistance training exercises at least twice a week is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass and strength during and after menopause.

  • A balanced diet rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and essential micronutrients (like calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium) is vital for muscle health.

  • Supplements like Mitopure® that directly support muscle health, may help women keep muscles strong as they grow older.

What is menopause

Menopause marks the point when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, signaling the end of her reproductive years. Leading up to this stage is perimenopause, the transitional phase where hormone levels begin to decline. During this time, women may still have periods, though often irregular, and start to experience various symptoms due to the fluctuating and decreasing hormone levels.

What happens to your muscles during menopause

Age-related muscle loss is a serious concern.

Both men and women naturally lose muscle mass and strength as they age, especially if they don't engage in activities to prevent it. For women, the decline in estrogen during menopause adds another layer of complexity, further affecting muscle quality.

Compared to men, women are at an increased risk of sarcopenia—a significant loss of muscle mass that diminishes strength and functional ability. Sarcopenia contributes to frailty, disability, and several adverse health outcomes if left unchecked. This is why it is important for women to focus on building muscles before, during, and after menopause.

Estrogen's role in muscle health

Research on the exact mechanisms of how estrogen impacts muscle health is still underway, but here is what is understood today:

  • Muscle mass: Studies suggest that estrogen plays a direct role in muscle mass through its impact on muscle growth, repair, and recovery. Hormone replacement appears to slow down and may even reverse the age-related loss of muscle mass in postmenopausal women.
  • Muscle strength: Muscle health isn’t just about muscle mass; equally important is the strength and quality of the muscle tissue. Low levels of estrogen appear to negatively impact both these subsets of muscle health.
  • Exercise endurance: An interesting study in female mice suggests that low levels of estrogen have an impact on exercise endurance and performance through estrogen's role in mitochondrial health.
  • Inflammation and muscle protection: Estrogen has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce muscle damage and inflammation following exercise or injury.
  • Energy metabolism: Estrogen plays a role in regulating mitochondrial function and energy metabolism within muscle cells. This hormone enhances the efficiency of energy production, which is crucial for sustaining exercise capacity and maintaining muscle mass.

Best strength training exercises for menopause

Strength training and menopause are the perfect pair to help women combat menopause muscle weakness. It’s also critical for building muscle mass after 50. Resistance training, also called strength training, involves engaging muscles through an external force or resistance, promoting muscle growth, improving bone density, and enhancing metabolic function.

Common resistance training exercises include using dumbbells, barbells, weight machines, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises. Exercises that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously are great for promoting functional strength, endurance, and balance. Key exercises that target several muscle groups include:

  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Push-ups
  • Planks

Incorporating these movements into a routine helps build core stability, strengthen large muscle groups, and improve endurance, all of which support better overall health during menopause and beyond.

How often should you train?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults engage in strength training exercises at least twice a week, and this holds true for both peri and post-menopausal women.

Several studies have shown that strength training 2-3 times a week is sufficient to help maintain muscle strength and mass during this time. However, how many sets of exercises you do each week or the type of training you do may be the real key.

One study found that doing 6-8 sets a week of a particular strength exercise was sufficient to stimulate muscle growth in pre-menopausal women but not in those who have gone through menopause. Post-menopausal women needed to complete 15 sets per exercise per week to stimulate muscle growth.

Another study found that post-menopausal women who completed a HIIT training program as part of a strength training menopause program three times a week were able to increase their lean body mass.

If you are new to strength training, working with a personal trainer is a great way to get a personalized plan for your goals and to help minimize the risk of injury.

Nutritional support for muscle health during menopause

Nutrition, along with exercise, plays a key role in supporting muscle health. Here are some science-backed nutrition tips for strong muscles as women age:

Prioritize protein: Protein is essential for muscle maintenance and repair, particularly during menopause when muscle mass tends to decrease. Research suggests that menopausal women should aim for a daily intake of 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to maintain muscle mass.

Lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, and plant-based proteins like tofu, beans, and quinoa are excellent options to meet protein needs.

Carbs for energy and recovery: Carbohydrates are vital for providing the energy required for both physical activity and muscle recovery. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, and legumes, are recommended to prevent muscle breakdown and help replenish glycogen stores after exercise.

Healthy fats for inflammation: Anti-inflammatory fats such as those found in fish, nuts, olives, and avocados should be staples in women’s diets.

Micronutrients for muscle function: Certain vitamins and minerals are critical for maintaining muscle health. Calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health but also contribute to muscle contraction and strength. Magnesium helps with muscle relaxation and recovery, while antioxidants like vitamins C and E can protect muscles from oxidative stress caused by exercise.

Supplements for building muscles after 50

While diet and exercise are the foundation for building muscle after 50, many women choose to use supplements to enhance muscle health. Here are some supplements worth considering:

Creatine

Creatine is a molecule naturally found in the body and in some foods like meat and seafood. It helps the mitochondria in the muscle to make energy and is especially helpful during exercise-induced energy expenditure.

Research shows that women typically have lower creatine stores compared to men, suggesting that creatine supplementation could be beneficial for muscle health. Studies in post-menopausal women show that supplementing with around 5 grams of creatine per day may help counteract menopause-related declines in muscle strength and function.

Mitopure®

Mitopure is the first clinically validated Urolithin A supplement, shown to significantly improve muscle strength and endurance.

Urolithin A works on our cells' mitochondria—the powerhouses that supply our cells with energy.

A study of adults aged 40-65 demonstrated a 12% increase in muscle strength after taking 500 mg of Mitopure for four months. About 60% of participants were female, showcasing this benefit in mid-life women.

A second study in older adults showed that 1000 mg of Mitopure increased muscle endurance by 17%, again with a majority of female participants.

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Vitamin D

Vitamin D supports calcium absorption, essential for muscle contraction. Deficiency can lead to decreased muscle strength, pain, and performance.

In the US, 42% of the population is vitamin D deficient. A simple blood test from your doctor can determine if a supplement is needed.

Omega 3 fatty acids

Omega 3s, found in fish, nuts, and seeds, exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and help support healthy cell membranes. They are beneficial for muscle health and slow the loss of muscle mass with age.

Final words

As women transition through menopause, maintaining muscle health is crucial for long-term well-being. Strength exercises and resistance training, alongside a balanced diet rich in protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and essential vitamins, form the foundation for strong muscles during and after menopause. Additionally, supplements like creatine, vitamin D, and Urolithin A (Mitopure®) offer targeted support to enhance muscle health and overall vitality.