Masterful Fitness Architecture: Constructing a Resilient Body in Perimenopause
Part One of Five
“Gaining strength and skill is like building a skyscraper. You need a strong base, quality materials, and a blueprint. Each workout is like adding a new floor, making you taller and stronger.”
– Louie Simmons, Renowned Strength Coach and Powerlifter, Founder of Westside Barbell
The other morning during a session with a client, I heard myself say, “Putting together the ideal fitness plan for us in perimenopause is like building a house. You need the foundation of strength training, but you can’t live on just a foundation. You also need a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a roof over your head.”
My point was this: In perimenopause, you need to strength train, but you can’t get away with just one or two strength sessions with your trainer and call it done for the week. To build optimal fitness, we need a variety of fitness modalities to address all our health needs in midlife.
I really like the idea that building a strong body is akin to building a strong – well, building. It’s not uncommon to hear a woman in a muscle sport referred to as a “brick sh!thouse” — in a complementary fashion, of course!
Bad riffs on famous Commodore lyrics aside, the metaphor is a powerful one.
It takes a solid plan to build a house and a strong body.
It takes good and various materials to build both.
It takes time and attention to detail for both.
So I’m going to take some time – at least five entries in this blog – to detail the entire plan.
In perimenopause, you need to strength train, but you can’t get away with just one or two strength sessions with your trainer and call it done for the week.
“Building muscle is like constructing a building. If the foundation isn’t solid, the structure won’t stand. The same goes for your body. Work on your foundation – strength and form – and the rest will follow.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger, award-winning bodybuilder, actor, and politician
I talk a LOT about strength training – on the blog, on social media, and IRL – and for good reason. Indeed, it is the foundation of our house. And while I find a lot more women in weight rooms today than I did two decades ago when I first started lifting, heavy lifting is still not the first thing most midlife women think about doing to get in shape.
Perhaps that is the programming we received, consciously and subconsciously, from societal beauty messages in our youth. We grew up during the running revolution of the 70s, did jazzercise with the supermodels of the 80s, and began adulthood during the Heroin Chic 90s. The loudest fitness message for women was Get Toned and Skinny, and that rarely involved repeatedly picking up anything heavier than our purses. And don’t get me started on the disordered eating that still plagues my generation.
The hard truth that often gets lost in the noise of fitness fads and trends is this: Heavy lifting is not just about building aesthetics; it’s a critical component of maintaining health and vitality, especially as we navigate perimenopause. We risk sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and other atrophy that leads to frailty if we don’t strength train. Bone mineral density (BMD) loss ramps up significantly in late perimenopause through postmenopause. The NIH predicts that 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporotic fracture.
Counteracting Muscle and Bone Atrophy
As we age, particularly during the menopause transition, our bodies naturally begin to lose muscle mass and bone density, a condition known as sarcopenia and osteoporosis, respectively. Unless we do something to actively build muscle and bone.
We’ve been told to take calcium, vitamin D, and sufficient protein, and to do weight-bearing exercise to protect our bones, which is defined as any activity in which you carry your own weight. New recommendations, however, is to lift weight at least 80% of your one-rep max in a variety of angles.
It’s not just a matter of looking fit – it’s about preserving our body’s functionality. Strength training, particularly heavy lifting, directly combats this decline. When we lift heavy, we’re not just flexing our muscles; we’re fortifying our bones. We’re building a reservoir of strength that sustains us, not just for the present but for the years ahead.
Boosting Metabolic Health
Consistent heavy resistance training is a powerhouse move for our metabolic health. As we lift, we’re not only burning calories during the workout; we’re revamping our metabolic engine. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, even at rest. So, by building muscle through strength training, we’re turning our bodies into more efficient calorie-burning machines. This is crucial in perimenopause, a time when a variety of hormonal and physiological functions shift, making weight management more challenging.
Enhancing Muscular Power and Balance
The benefits of heavy lifting extend to our everyday lives in practical, tangible ways. With increased muscular power comes better balance and quicker reaction times. This is vital as it protects us against one of the major concerns of aging – falls. Which brings us, full-circle, back to osteoporotic fractures, which are 2.9 times more frequent than new stroke, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer cases. And, by the way, strength training is protective against these diagnoses as well.
A Shield Against All-Cause Mortality
Perhaps the most compelling argument for heavy lifting in perimenopause is its role in enhancing overall longevity. Numerous studies have indicated that strength training is protective against all-cause mortality. This means that by engaging in this form of exercise, we’re not just sculpting our bodies; we’re actively contributing to a longer, healthier life.
In summary, heavy lifting in perimenopause is more than a fitness trend – it’s a critical investment in our current and future health and well-being. It’s about building a body that can withstand the test of time, a body that’s as strong and resilient as the spirit that inhabits it. It’s time to redefine what fitness looks like for us, and lift, not just for the body we want today, but for the health we need tomorrow.