Research summary · Women in sport
Resistance training outcomes across the female lifespan
A large women-only synthesis evaluates strength and body-composition responses to resistance training before and after menopause.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and meta-analysis
- Journal
- Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
- Population / context
- Healthy adult women · Resistance training
What the publication reports
One hundred twenty-six studies included 4,019 women, 66% postmenopausal. Strength improved substantially in both groups, while functional mass increased modestly and fat mass decreased; subgroup differences by menopausal status were not statistically clear.
Limits and interpretation
Training protocols and control conditions varied, study-level meta-regression did not identify a universal dose response and pooled standardized effects do not define an ideal individual programme.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
It's never too late: The impact of resistance training on strength and body composition in females across the lifespan - A systematic review and meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 41963141DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2026.03.002Reader discussion
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