Exercises to Avoid During Menopause (And What You Should Do Instead)
If you’re in perimenopause or menopause and you’ve Googled “what exercises to avoid during menopause?” join the club. There are so many women being told to strength train, eat more protein, and take more supplements. BUT with so many sources pushing their own agenda, it’s hard to find the truth… and it can get confusing on where to start.
There’s a lot of fear-based messaging out there telling women not to do certain movements. I’ve heard anything from, “don’t deadlift at all” to “don’t squat with your knees over your toes” to “stop running” and even “stop doing anything remotely challenging once hormones shift”.
No wonder women are confused!
Here’s the truth: menopause is not a time to stop training or avoiding movement or doing things you love, it’s a time to train with intention.
Why Strength Training Is Non-Negotiable During Perimenopause & Menopause
As estrogen levels fluctuate and eventually decline, women experience predictable physiological changes:
Loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia)
Decreased bone mineral density
Increased insulin resistance
Changes in body composition
Higher cardiovascular and fracture risk
In fact, the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation states that half of women over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Strength training directly addresses all of these changes.
Research shows that resistance training during and after perimenopause/menopause:
Improves muscle strength and physical function
Helps maintain or improve bone density
Supports metabolic and cardiovascular health
Improves quality of life and functional independence a.k.a. makes life easier
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that strength training in menopausal women improved lower-limb strength, pelvic floor strength, bone health markers, and metabolic outcomes compared to no exercise intervention. (Marques et al., 2023)
Why So Many Sources Say to “Avoid” Certain Exercises
You’ve probably seen headlines like:
“Exercises Women Should Avoid During Menopause”
“Dangerous Workouts After 40”
“Stop Doing These Moves If You’re Menopausal”
Commonly flagged exercises include:
Running or high-impact cardio
Heavy lifting
Deep squats or lunges
Deadlifts
Plyometrics
Crunches or spinal flexion
Some sources cite joint pain, bone density concerns, or injury risk as reasons to eliminate these movements altogether. Here’s the thing, these recommendations often lack context AND don’t take the individual into consideration.
Take, for instance, the many women over 50 I work in person with…
One was told she would never run or jump again after a hip surgery. She has been completing 20” box jumps in her semi-private personal training sessions.
Another woman was told not to deadlift. She started with a 13 pound kettlebell and is now deadlifting 130 pounds safely and without pain.
A woman in her 60’s was told she shouldn’t do any overhead lifting. She built strength and was able to travel and lift her luggage overhead to store it before her flight.
Blanket statements do NOTHING but create fear of movement for the masses. There are no movements that are inherently dangerous.
No Movement Is Inherently Unsafe
As a physical therapist, this is where I want to be very clear:
Movements are not dangerous. Poor loading, poor technique, and poor progression are.
Research consistently shows that resistance training is safe and effective for pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal women when appropriately dosed and coached.
In fact, avoiding load altogether can increase injury and fracture risk by accelerating muscle and bone loss. (Watson et al., 2024)
The goal isn’t to avoid exercises. The goal is to choose the right version of the exercise for your body and your current capacity.
This is why, in my strength training semi-private sessions, I don’t just start everyone with the same weight (or even the same movement).
You might see one woman with a dumbbell and one woman with a barbell.
You might see someone jumping on a 20” box and another working on landing mechanics and jumping off of a 5” step.
Movements need to be modified (especially for beginners) and then progressed to a challenging level for that specific individual NOT avoided altogether.
Exercises I Intentionally INCLUDE (and Why)
Deadlifts
Deadlifts train the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, back), reinforce hip hinging, and load the hips and spine in a controlled way.
I’ve heard so many of my patients say they stopped deadlifting due to a back injury, but that’s exactly why we need to keep this movement in the routine. It is functional (we pick up things off the floor every day) and when done correctly and with the right technique, it can REDUCE back pain and keep you protected against future injuries.
Squats
Squats strengthen the hips, knees, and ankles while building lower-body strength and bone density. Depth, load, and stance can all be modified — but squats themselves are not the problem.
Again, we lower ourselves to chairs, toilets, and couches everyday and then stand back up from them. Squats are a super functional exercise and the myth about not going low or keeping the knees from going past the toes? Just that, a MYTH. Imagine going up and down stairs or sitting on a low curb… your knees HAVE to go past your toes.
If we don’t train in and load it, we are less resilient in daily life and I know I don’t want to be less resilient, especially as I age.
Push & Pull Movements
Push-ups, bench presses, rows, and pulldowns support shoulder health, better posture, upper-body strength, and independence as we age. There are both non-negotiable in my strength training programming for women 40+.
In fact, I’ve had numerous women ask me if I think they can achieve a pull-up after 50. The answer is yes, but you HAVE to train upper body pulling.
Single-Leg Training
Lunges, split squats, and single-leg deadlifts improve balance, coordination, pelvic stability and overall lower body strength. I have so many women in my programs that love hiking as a hobby or vacation exercise and I routinely keep various single leg exercises in their programming to keep them feeling strong on hikes.
This movement is also directly tied to fall prevention — one of the biggest risks for postmenopausal women.
Carries
Farmer’s carries and suitcase carries train core stability, grip strength, and postural control under load. It is a low impact and low skill movement. I like to keep variations of double arm, single arm, and offset carries in my programming and love rucking as an added activity (though rucking (or weighted carries) ALONE do not increase strength or bone density - that’s a story for another time.
So… Are There Exercises to Avoid During Menopause?
Not universally.
What should be avoided:
Random workouts with no progression
Copying advanced programs not designed for your body
Ignoring pain, fatigue, or recovery signals
Letting fear replace education
Menopause doesn’t mean fragile, it means strategic.
Want Help Getting Started Safely and Confidently?
If you’re unsure how to begin or how to progress these movements, you don’t need to guess.
Here’s how I help women over 40 build strength without fear:
Get Started with Strength (free guide)
Stronger for Life - a monthly remote strength training membership
1:1 Remote Strength Coaching - individualized and written specifically for you
Local to Jacksonville, FL? I offer in-person semi-private personal training
You deserve a body that feels strong, capable, and ready for adventure, not one limited by fear mongering advice.
I also offer tons of advice and free resources in my newsletter. You can sign up for that below.
References:
Marques A, et al. Effects of resistance training on physical function, bone health, and metabolic outcomes in menopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2023;37(5):1234-1245. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000004321. PMID: 36675477.
Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation. What women need to know about bone health and preventing fractures. Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation website. https://www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org/preventing-fractures/general-facts/what-women-need-to-know/. Accessed January 10, 2026.
Watson SL, Weeks BK, Weis LJ, Harding AT, Beck BR. Heavy resistance training is safe and effective for improving bone health in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoporos Int. 2024;35(2):245-259. doi:10.1007/s00198-023-06974-9. PMID: 39480197.
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