Reviewing Joe Wicks' Strength in Menopause Workout Series

The collection has reportedly accumulated roughly half a million views since release, with each session running 20 minutes and built around five compound movements.

Structure of the Series

The programming splits into two upper-body sessions and two lower-body sessions. Each unit runs a 40-second work / 20-second rest interval across the full 20 minutes — high density for a home-based strength block.

Movement selection is narrow: squats, lunges, and pressing patterns executed with at least one foot anchored to the floor at all times. No jumping, no ballistic loading, and no eccentric impact absorption. Equipment is minimal — dumbbells appear sufficient.

What the Load Actually Does

A 40/20 density block drives heart rate into zone 3, even at moderate external load — a separation from the zone 1–2 strength work most women default to on their own. Mechanically, the lunge and squat patterns generate meaningful torque demand at the hip and knee and produce axial load through the spine during each rep. Pressing work covers the upper body, which is the under-trained half of most home routines. The cadence produces a meaningful stimulus in the working musculature, provided tempo stays slow on the eccentric. That is where most lifters fail.

Implementation Protocol

• One session alone is adequate for beginners or anyone returning to resistance work after a layoff.
• Back-to-back sessions (upper + lower) deliver a full-body dose in 40 minutes, but only for trained individuals. A first-time pairing will not finish cleanly.
• Warm-up and cool-down are not embedded in the session. Treat them as separate time blocks.
• Form cues are delivered live throughout the workout. Use them as your tempo governor, not as filler — they exist to enforce slow eccentric control, which is the actual driver of strength adaptation here.
• DOMS will arrive after the first exposure if you have not trained recently. Expected. Reduce volume over the next 48 hours; do not reduce intensity.

This is a sensible, low-friction entry point for women avoiding the weight room. It is not a substitute for progressive overload, but it is a correct first protocol.