A new trial (STOP-EM) put peri and early post-menopausal women through 9 months of heavy strength and impact training to fight the two things estrogen decline quietly steals: muscle and bone density. The background science is blunt: menopause slows muscle protein synthesis, and research keeps finding that women our age may need MORE training intensity than younger women to build muscle, not less. Meanwhile most of us were raised on "ladies use the pink 3-pound dumbbells." The pink dumbbells are not going to save your bones. Quick win: Whatever you lifted this week, ask yourself if you could have done 5 more reps easily. If yes, it's not heavy enough to send your bones the message. Go up. 🔗 The STOP-EM trial: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352187226000355