Training menopausal women can be rewarding (and very lucrative), but sometimes frustrating. Your client can feel terrific one day, and depleted the next. Simplify program design and set her up for success with these tips.
Tip #1: Be prepared to change her program immediately if she’s struggling.
Watch her form and her body language. Feeling challenged is good. Feeling like a failure is not. If you sense she’s feeling frustrated because she can’t do what you’ve programmed, change it. For example, if she’s falling over doing squats, regress them. Try adding a stability ball behind her for added support and complete the reps against the wall.
Tip #2: Incorporate different modalities into her workout.
Menopausal women are prone to kyphosis, hip stiffness, weakened bones, and decreased muscle mass. Incorporating myofascial release balls into her program will help with loss of flexibility and hip stiffness. My Rocking and Rolling to Release™ course is a great place to start for that. By adding strength training into the mix, you can help your client keep her base metabolic rate up, positively influence hormone regulation, and build lean muscle.
Tip #3: Include her pelvic floor muscles.
A strong pelvic floor is especially important for menopausal women because they have lower levels of progesterone and estrogen in their body. A healthy pelvic floor helps with unwanted bladder or bowel leaks and vaginal pain. So the results aren’t obvious to outsiders but your client will appreciate the benefits! Some of my favorite pelvic floor exercises are hip glides, clam into hip opener, and hip hikes. These come straight from a robust library of exercises in my Support Your Floor™ course.