CoachingAnswer

HOW SHOULD WOMEN CYCLISTS TRAIN THROUGH MENOPAUSE?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

Lean harder into strength, intensity and protein. As oestrogen falls through perimenopause and menopause, women lose muscle and bone faster and recover differently — so the riders who hold performance shift toward heavier resistance work twice a week, more sprint and high-intensity training, and protein at 1.8–2.2g/kg per day. Long easy volume alone won't defend against the change. Heavy load, hard efforts, and enough fuel are the levers that matter most.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Falling oestrogen accelerates muscle and bone loss — heavy resistance work twice a week becomes more important, not optional.
Add sprint and high-intensity work: short maximal efforts defend power and bone better than steady volume.
Push protein to 1.8–2.2g/kg per day to counter reduced muscle protein synthesis sensitivity.
Don't under-fuel: low energy availability compounds the hormonal hit to bone and recovery.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The woman noticing change through perimenopause

You're riding the same but recovery, body composition and power feel different, and you suspect hormones are part of it.

The post-menopausal rider wanting to hold performance

You want an evidence-led plan to protect muscle, bone and power rather than accept decline.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

This is an area where the cycling internet has badly under-served women, and Anthony has been open on the podcast that the standard 'just ride more easy miles' advice was largely built on male physiology. The hormonal shift through perimenopause and menopause is real, and it changes what training works — not in a way that ends performance, but in a way that demands a different emphasis.

The researcher most cyclists will have heard on this is Dr Stacy Sims, whose blunt framing — train heavy, train hard, fuel properly — has reshaped how a lot of women approach masters training. The logic is mechanistic: oestrogen protects muscle and bone, and as it falls, the buffer goes with it. The training that pushes back is the kind that loads muscle and bone directly. That means heavy lifting and short hard efforts, not just longer Sundays.

Here's the Roadman framing, and it holds here as much as anywhere: this is fixable and you're not done yet. The change is real, but it responds to the right stimulus. Women who shift toward heavier strength work, more intensity, and proper protein consistently report holding or rebuilding power through a window most assume is all decline. The plan changes; the ceiling is higher than the conventional advice suggests.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Dr Stacy SimsExercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specialising in female athlete physiology; author of Roar and Next Level
As oestrogen declines through menopause, the training emphasis that protects performance shifts toward heavy resistance work, high-intensity and sprint efforts, and higher protein intake. Long, moderate-intensity volume — the default endurance prescription — does relatively little to offset the muscle and bone loss that accompanies the hormonal change.
Joe FrielAuthor of Fast After 50 and The Cyclist's Training Bible
The principles that protect masters performance — intensity, strength, and recovery discipline — apply to women through menopause with even greater force, because the hormonal change widens the gap between riders who train deliberately and those who simply accumulate easy miles.
Hear it: The Training Secret To Going FASTER After 40 | Joe Friel

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Lift heavy twice a week
Compound patterns — squats, deadlifts, presses, single-leg work — at 6–10 reps with real load. Heavy resistance work is the most direct defence against the accelerated muscle and bone loss that falling oestrogen drives.
Add short, maximal intensity
Sprint efforts and VO2 max intervals do more to defend power and bone through menopause than extra steady volume. Build in 6–10-second maximal sprints and structured high-intensity reps each week.
Raise protein to 1.8–2.2g/kg and fuel sessions
Higher protein offsets reduced muscle protein synthesis sensitivity. Eat around your hard sessions rather than training fasted — under-fuelling compounds the hormonal hit to bone and recovery.
Track symptoms and discuss HRT with your doctor
Sleep disruption, hot flushes and recovery changes affect training. Hormone replacement therapy is a medical decision worth discussing with your GP — it sits outside training but interacts with it.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKEResponding to falling performance by adding more easy volume.
FIXExtra steady miles do little against the hormonal change. Shift emphasis to heavy strength and short hard efforts, which directly defend muscle and bone.
MISTAKETraining fasted or under-fuelling to manage body composition.
FIXLow energy availability compounds bone loss and recovery problems through menopause. Fuel your hard sessions and prioritise protein rather than restricting.
MISTAKEApplying a male-physiology training template unchanged.
FIXThe hormonal context differs. Emphasise strength, intensity and protein more heavily, and treat recovery and sleep disruption as training variables, not afterthoughts.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does menopause make cyclists slower?

It can, because falling oestrogen accelerates muscle and bone loss and changes recovery. But the decline is heavily modifiable — women who shift toward heavy strength work, high-intensity efforts, and higher protein often hold or rebuild power through the transition.

Should women lift heavier through menopause?

Yes. Heavy resistance training at 6–10 reps is one of the most effective interventions against the muscle and bone loss that accompanies declining oestrogen. Light, high-rep work provides far less of the load stimulus the body needs.

How much protein should women cyclists eat through menopause?

Around 1.8–2.2g/kg of bodyweight per day, distributed across meals. Reduced muscle protein synthesis sensitivity means the higher end of that range, with a substantial dose after hard sessions, supports muscle retention.

Is high-intensity training safe and useful through menopause?

For healthy riders, yes — and it's more useful than ever. Short sprint efforts and VO2 max intervals defend power and bone density better than extra steady volume. Get screened if you have any cardiovascular concerns.

Does HRT affect cycling performance?

Hormone replacement therapy is a medical decision that can ease symptoms like sleep disruption and recovery difficulty, which indirectly affect training. Discuss it with your GP. It interacts with training but isn't a substitute for the strength, intensity and protein changes that protect performance.

Why does recovery feel harder through menopause?

Sleep disruption, hot flushes, and the loss of oestrogen's protective effects on muscle all lengthen recovery. Treating sleep and recovery as training priorities — and not under-fuelling — helps manage the change.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

The Training Secret To Going FASTER After 40 | Joe Friel

The Science Of Getting Faster After 40 | Dr Andy Galpin

How to Beat 99% by Getting Faster with Age | Dr David Lipman