Is Strength Training Good for Heart Palpitations During Perimenopause?
Heart palpitations affect many women in perimenopause. Find out whether strength training is safe, how it helps your heart long-term, and important precautions to take.
Understanding Perimenopause Heart Palpitations
Heart palpitations, the sensation of your heart fluttering, racing, or skipping, are surprisingly common during perimenopause. Fluctuating estrogen affects the electrical system of the heart and the autonomic nervous system. Hot flashes, anxiety, poor sleep, and caffeine can all trigger or worsen episodes. While usually harmless in the absence of underlying heart disease, they are understandably worrying. Always have palpitations evaluated by a doctor before starting or changing your exercise routine.
Is Strength Training Safe When You Have Palpitations
For most women with perimenopause-related palpitations and no underlying cardiac condition, moderate strength training is considered safe and beneficial. Light to moderate resistance exercise does not typically trigger palpitations, and over time it can improve the health and efficiency of the cardiovascular system. That said, very heavy lifting with breath-holding, known as the Valsalva manoeuvre, can temporarily raise blood pressure and stress the heart. This is worth avoiding if palpitations are frequent.
How Strength Training Supports Heart Health
Regular resistance exercise strengthens the heart muscle, improves blood pressure, and supports healthy cholesterol levels. It also builds the body's resilience to stress by reducing baseline cortisol over time. Lower cortisol means a calmer nervous system, which tends to reduce the frequency of palpitation episodes. Women who strength train consistently often develop better heart rate variability, a reliable marker of cardiovascular and nervous system health.
Breathing Technique Is Critical
One of the most important things to focus on during strength training if you experience palpitations is your breathing. Never hold your breath during an exercise. Exhale on the effort, the pushing or pulling phase, and inhale on the return. This steady breathing prevents pressure spikes and keeps your nervous system in a calmer state. Controlled breathing also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which directly counteracts the triggers that cause palpitations.
A Sensible Starting Point
Begin with light weights and higher repetitions rather than heavy loads. Focus on compound movements like squats, rows, and pressing patterns that work multiple muscle groups. Two sessions per week is a good starting point, building gradually to three. Keep your heart rate in a moderate range, around 60 to 70 percent of your maximum. Use a fitness tracker or the talk test to gauge your intensity. If you notice palpitations during a session, stop, rest, breathe slowly, and note what triggered it.
When to Seek Further Advice
If palpitations occur regularly during strength training, or are accompanied by chest pain, breathlessness, or dizziness, stop exercising and see your doctor. Ask for an ECG and mention your exercise habits. A cardiac physiologist or specialist can advise whether further testing is needed. For most women, once cleared, moderate strength training is a wonderful long-term investment in heart and hormonal health, with benefits that compound meaningfully over time.
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