Research

Hormonal

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) significantly reduces body weight, total fat mass, and abdominal fat mass in premenopausal women, with cycling being more effective than running.

If you are premenopausal, HIIT (3x/week, ≥8 weeks) is a highly effective strategy for losing fat, especially abdominal fat. Cycling HIIT may be superior to running. If you are postmenopausal, HIIT alone may not significantly reduce weight or abdominal fat due to hormonal changes; you may need longer durations or combined interventions.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
When pre- and postmenopausal women were considered separately, the effect of HIIT on weight, total and abdominal FM were only significant before menopause. Cycling HIIT seemed more effective than running, especially in postmenopausal women, and training interventions longer than 8 weeks comprising three sessions a week should be promoted.
Marine Dupuit et al. · Experimental Physiology · 2020

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of 38 studies with 959 subjects, though limited by heterogeneity and small postmenopausal sample size.

Source

Effect of high intensity interval training on body composition in women before and after menopause: a meta‐analysis

Marine Dupuit et al. · Experimental Physiology · 2020

DOI 10.1113/ep088654

Meta-analysis · 38 studiesCited 48×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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