The Study
Resistance training-induced improvement in exercise tolerance is not dependent on muscle mass gain in post-menopausal women
This study compared two types of weight training in women after menopause and saw that both helped them exercise longer, but the stronger ones improved more — even if they didn’t gain more muscle. It’s like noticing kids who throw harder also run faster, but we can’t be sure throwing harder makes them run faster — maybe they just practice more.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Older women who lifted weights got stronger and could exercise longer, no matter if they did three or six sets — but the extra muscle from six sets didn't help them more.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 548 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though one group built more muscle, it didn't help them exercise longer — strength mattered more than size for stamina.
- 2Six-set group gained 9.4% more thigh muscle; three-set group gained 3.7%.
- 3Both groups improved stamina (W′) by 26–34% and strength (MIVC) by 9–17%.
- 4Only strength gains predicted stamina improvement, not muscle size.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Sport Science
Year
2020
Authors
G. N. de Oliveira Júnior, Jairo F. R. de Sousa, Marcelo A. S. Carneiro, F. Martins, S. B. Santagnello, F. Orsatti
Related Content
Claims (4)
Resistance training improves muscular strength, muscle growth, and fat loss equally in women regardless of whether they are premenopausal or postmenopausal.
Post-menopausal women who do resistance training show a 26.4% to 34.6% increase in exercise tolerance, measured by the curvature constant W′, whether they train with high or low volume.
In post-menopausal women, increases in maximal muscle strength predict improved exercise tolerance better than increases in thigh muscle mass, with muscle strength accounting for 52% of the variation in exercise tolerance and still explaining 33% after accounting for muscle mass changes.
In post-menopausal women, doing six sets of resistance exercises per movement increases thigh muscle mass more than doing three sets, but this extra muscle gain does not lead to stronger muscles or better exercise performance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.