June 4, 2026, 8:03 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Many women notice changes in their bodies during or after menopause. Visually, this often manifests as a redistribution of body fat from the legs and hips to the midsection. Many women try to shed this fat through regular and intense cardio workouts. However, why cardio alone is not enough during menopause is explained by trainer and FITBOOK expert Alina Bock. Plus: How to do it more effectively.
During menopause, the female body undergoes profound hormonal and biological changes. The decline in the hormones estrogen and progesterone makes menstrual periods more irregular. Common side effects include hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. Additionally, as metabolism slows down, there is an increased tendency to gain body fat and lose muscle mass.
Fat Redistribution During Menopause
In this phase of life, women also tend to store fat in different areas than before, now preferring the abdominal region. Some women who never had to deal with belly fat in this area before are now frustrated by the so-called “meno-belly.”
But why is that? The reason lies in profound hormonal changes. As the production of estrogen and progesterone drastically decreases, the fat storage pattern shifts from the legs and hips to the midsection. Compounding the issue is the slowing metabolism, which reduces daily energy needs. Without adjusting calorie intake, more fat is stored in the abdominal area. But that’s not all: Training must now be approached smartly. Simply jogging more frequently and for longer is not the right strategy.
Why Cardio Alone Isn’t Enough
So why do women who previously managed well with endurance training, felt fit, and could regulate their weight now need to rethink? The “culprit” is the interplay of hormones and metabolism. The latter slows down during menopause. The radical decline in the hormone estrogen, which regulates energy balance and controls fat-burning enzymes, causes the body to store fat more quickly.
Common accompanying symptoms like sleep disturbances exacerbate this effect: They increase the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which further slows metabolism and blocks fat burning. At the same time, age-related muscle loss progresses, further reducing energy needs. With the end of the female cycle, daily calorie needs shrink by another 200 to 400 calories per day. But wouldn’t it be helpful to burn calories with cardio during menopause? Shouldn’t the amount of this training be increased? Unfortunately, it’s not that “simple.”
Pure endurance training strengthens the cardiovascular system during this phase but does not speed up metabolism. On the contrary, it can—especially if dieting instead of focusing on optimal nutrients in sufficient quantities—stress the body further, meaning more cortisol is released. A vicious cycle of eating little, too much cardio, and fat storage would ensue.
And: Those who do not pay attention to an increased protein requirement now risk losing valuable muscle. This unintentionally lowers the basal metabolic rate further and leads to more body fat being stored in the abdominal area.
Tips for Effective Ab Workouts During Menopause
Maintaining Weight During Menopause—Is It Even Possible?
Strength Training as a Weight Loss Accelerator
The solution: consume more protein (with every meal!) and strength training!
Strength training is optimal for building muscle. This, in turn, speeds up metabolism again. In comparison: While one kilogram of body fat burns only 3 to 5 calories per day, one kilogram of muscle burns 15 to 20 calories. An increase in muscle mass significantly boosts total calorie consumption. At the same time, bone mass, which decreases due to the drop in estrogen levels, can regain density through the right combination of exercise and nutrients. This effectively reduces the risk of osteoporosis and prevents bone fractures in old age.
Another argument for strength training: The body burns calories not only during strength training but also at rest, during recovery. Intense strength training can thus boost fat burning beyond the workout itself.
Frequency and Planning of Effective Strength Training
To build muscle—whether before, during, or after menopause—regular strength training is necessary. Every muscle should be trained at least twice a week. Two to three training sessions that challenge the entire body are optimal to sufficiently stimulate the muscles.
Training large muscle groups like the legs and back not only promotes back health but also burns the most calories. Training the legs is thus more effective for losing belly fat than purely training the abdominal muscles. Therefore, the focus should be on full-body exercises and exercises for large muscle groups. Examples include squats, lunges, deadlifts, and bench presses.
The goal of strength training is for the muscle to adapt to the load through muscle growth. Once this is achieved, the intensity must be increased. This can be done by increasing the training weight. But adjustments in training methodology or the training plan with new exercises for the target muscles can also help prevent a training plateau. By creating new stimuli for the muscles, further training progress is achieved—toward muscle building and fat loss.