When discussing how to stay healthy as a woman the decision between Lifting Weights or Cardio is all about the importance of muscle growth.

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Women have less muscle than men, especially in the upper body. Women start their muscle growth in puberty, but often end their muscle growth during menopause. This is due to the loss of a woman’s sex hormones, specifically estrogen and testosterone. Research shows that when estrogen and testosterone are decreased, the ability to regenerate muscle can drop 30-60 percent. Muscle biopsies during the menopause transition verify the muscle loss.

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It is important to understand that testosterone is the main hormone for growing muscle. Testosterone starts decreasing in women as early as age 30 and there is a linear decrease thereafter. By the age of 40, women’s testosterone levels have decreased by 50%.‍

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Maintaining skeletal muscle is essential for daily life! Appendicular muscle mass (muscles of the shoulder and upper limbs) helps predict women’s longevity. In the São Paulo Brazil Ageing & Health study, 839 older adults were investigated. Over a four-year study period, the mortality risk increased by nearly 63-fold in women with low muscle mass in their arms and legs.

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In a 2022 study reported in Scientific Reports, 1200 women and men ages 40 and older found that skeletal muscle mass is a better predictor of mortality than BMI or fat mass. And finally, a very large study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 70,000+ women age 65-74 reported that 2-6 muscle-strengthening activities per week was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause.

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Muscle is health protective! It allows a woman to be more active. This is important for a woman’s health and longevity. Muscle growth burns glucose without the help of insulin, helping manage blood sugar levels and lowering the risk for diabetes.

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These metabolic health benefits may be a big reason why skeletal muscle is good for your heart. In fact, when it comes to “heart health”, women should prioritize growing muscle over losing weight and fat. A 2021 study reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association identified that women with high muscle mass are less likely to die from heart disease. Also, regular muscle strengthening has been linked to a lower risk of cancer and diabetes. Muscle maintenance and growth decreases a woman’s risk of osteoporosis. And finally, research shows that strength training can significantly increase fat metabolism, subsequently reducing belly fat.

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Resistance training is the most optimal for woman’s overall health. Resistance training is a form of training in which a woman works against some type of force that resist her movement. This can include resistance bands, free weights, kettle balls, but it can also be provided doing activities such as yard maintenance and gardening. Ideally, women should be performing resistance training a minimum of three days a week.

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At Epiphany Women’s Health, we recommend a specific type of resistance training called PUSH/PULL/LEGS (PPL) Routine. This is a great resistance routine that is science based and developed by exercise physiologists. There is a 3-day and a 6-day routine. PPL Routine will stimulate 90% of the muscles in the body.

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But what about Cardio?

Here’s why weightlifting can be considered superior in certain aspects:

1. Improved Bone Density: Women are at a higher risk for osteoporosis than men, especially post-menopause. Weightlifting increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis by applying stress to bone structures through resistance, prompting the formation of new bone tissue.
2. Increased Muscle Mass and Metabolism: As women age, they naturally lose muscle mass, which can slow down the metabolism. Weightlifting builds muscle mass, which not only gives a toned appearance but also boosts the metabolism since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, even at rest. This can help in better weight management and decrease the risk of obesity and related diseases.
3. Reduced Risk of Injury: Strengthening muscles and connective tissues through weightlifting can improve joint stability and flexibility, reducing the risk of injuries in daily activities. This is crucial for women as they age and become more susceptible to falls and joint issues.
4. Enhanced Mental Health: While both cardio and weightlifting can improve mental health through the release of endorphins, weightlifting has been shown to have a significant impact on combating anxiety and depression. The focus required for weightlifting, along with the visible progress in strength, can also boost self-esteem and body image.
5. Heart Health and Diabetes Risk: While cardio is traditionally associated with heart health, weightlifting also plays a crucial role. It can improve cardiovascular health by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, increasing HDL (good) cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure. Moreover, it enhances insulin sensitivity, which can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
6. Hormonal Balance: Weightlifting can help in balancing hormones by reducing insulin levels and increasing levels of growth hormone and testosterone (the latter in the range that is healthy and normal for women), which can improve energy levels, fat loss, and muscle growth.
7. Functionality and Independence: By improving strength, balance, and flexibility, weightlifting enhances functional abilities, allowing women to perform daily activities more easily and maintain independence as they age.

Incorporating weightlifting into a fitness routine doesn't mean excluding cardio entirely. Both forms of exercise have their place in a well-rounded health and fitness regimen. However, the unique benefits of weightlifting, especially in the context of women’s health concerns such as osteoporosis, muscle loss, and metabolic rate, underscore its importance. As always, individuals should consult with healthcare professionals to design an exercise program that meets their specific needs and health conditions.

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How do women's hormones effect muscle growth?

It is important to understand that testosterone is the main hormone for growing muscle. Testosterone starts decreasing in women as early as age 30 and there is a linear decrease thereafter. By the age of 40, women’s testosterone levels have decreased by 50%.

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Hormone replacement in women, specifically testosterone replacement, has been under-utilized and under-prescribed in women’s healthcare. This has been due to ignorance and limited education in both the medical community and the lay public. There has been a resistance, a phobia almost, in providing women necessary hormones for optimal health. Although testosterone replacement improves depression and anxiety, improves fatigue, improves sexual function, improves cognition, improves brain fog, improves hot flashes, improves bone loss, improves muscle strength, healthcare providers have been absent in providing replacement for women.

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Epiphany Women’s Health believes strongly in replacing hormones, both testosterone and estrogen, as women age. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to grow muscle mass without testosterone. Epiphany Women’s Health believes the optimal way to replace hormones is using a technique called “pellet therapy”.

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Pellet therapy is not new. It has been around since 1939. After investigating multiple companies for the most optimal hormone pellet, Epiphany Women’s Health decided to link with Biote.

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Biote is a leading innovator in precision and preventive medicine. Biote’s mission is to change healthcare for the better. They believe in healthy aging through understanding the aging process. Their pellet therapy is human identical (bio-identical) and plant based. They develop a woman’s unique pellet dose by using her individual labs. The company inputs the patient’s individual lab information into an algorithm. Using this information, a unique and specific dose is then inserted into the women’s upper buttocks or flank area. The blood traveling through the small blood vessels called capillaries flow over these individualized pellets, providing constant and non-fluctuating hormones levels. Removing the roller coaster hormone levels of other applications, including pills, patches, or injections, woman have improved feelings of good health. Pellets are then optimally placed every 4 to 6 months based on the patient’s hormonal needs.