My Favourite Quick Upper-Body Gym Workout (as a mum in perimenopause)

📚 Read time: 4 minutes

Coming up: coffee, crashes, getting sweaty, two helpful supplements, why you need less exercise than you think, some surprising ways I’m easing perimenopause, and a challenging-but-simple upper-body gym workout you can do in 30 minutes.

❌ The gym bros are wrong:

Exercise doesn’t need to be a full-time job.

Instead, you can hit all your major muscles in 60-90 minutes a week, while getting fitter and stronger.

(... which is especially useful if—like me—you have kids and a job and a busy life).

👋 I’m Elaine; entrepreneur, mother of two, and co-founder of Sentro Labs (along with my husband Robert).

In this blog post, I’ve brought you my favourite quick upper-body gym workout. It features 30 minutes, 5 exercises, some basic movements, and even a mind-clearing cooldown.

Simple. Easy. Effective.

The workout

I do 5 things, in the following order:

5-minute treadmill walk, to warm up: you can use the treadmill on a flat setting or an incline setting. Start easy, and gradually increase the speed until your breathing becomes slightly heavy.
Dumbbell shoulder press: 3 rounds of 10 reps; 60-second rest between each round. Concentrate on using your shoulders and triceps to push the weight upwards, keeping your back flat.
Dumbbell chest press: 3 rounds of 10 reps; 60-second rest between each round. You can use a flat bench, or a bench with a slight incline. An incline bench will work a little more of your shoulders and upper chest. Focus on pushing the dumbbells with your chest and triceps.
Lat pulldown: 3 rounds of 12 reps; 60-second rest between each round. Pull the cable towards you, focusing on using your back to bring your hands towards your chest.
10-minute stretch, to cool down: do any of your favourite stretches. Concentrate on controlling your breathing, and feeling each stretch in the correct part(s) of your body.

For help with these movements, here’s a quick video on our Instagram (where me and my husband post lots of health + fitness tips for busy parents like us).

Anyway, the above workout hits ALL the major muscles in your upper body:

Back
Chest
Shoulders
Arms (triceps AND biceps)

(... and it does all that without requiring 10+ exercises—unlike many other workout routines I’ve done before)

Benefits of this specific workout

In the past, I’ve tried loads of workouts that didn’t really work for me.

But this one does.

Because…

… for me (and for other busy mums in their 40s!), it has lots of benefits:

It’s quick. You’ll be in and out of the gym within 30 minutes, so you can squeeze it into your busy schedule. I can’t be bothered with the gym dominating my life.
It’s a good all-rounder: yep, the priority here is building muscle. But you also get relaxing breathwork, some steps, and flexibility and mobility from the stretching.
Because the rest times are relatively short, the workout keeps your heart rate quite high, and your aerobic system working. So it’s good for your heart and your lungs.
Because it’s relatively short, the workout prioritises rest and recovery. I’m currently in perimenopause, so I need to make sure I’m not putting my body under too much stress—or burning myself out and making myself too tired.

Other exercise tips for women in menopause and perimenopause

I’m not an expert or a doctor, but here are some habits that have helped me:

(and they might help you!)

Prioritising strength training: menopausal hormonal shifts can accelerate muscle loss, and accelerate a decline in bone density. But: lifting weights can preserve (and build!) muscle, boost metabolism, and support bone health.
Prioritising low-intensity cardio: excessive long-duration cardio puts your body under stress. And during menopause and perimenopause, your body is already stressed. So low-impact stuff (like walking, cycling and swimming) can give you common cardio benefits without common cardio drawbacks.
Listening to my body: as women, our hormones are always shifting. And these shifts are even more intense during menopause and perimenopause. So, on the days when you’re feeling under-rested or over-tired, take it easy—or even skip your workout.

Other ways I take care of my body during perimenopause

Apart from adapting the way I exercise, I also:

Concentrate on my protein intake: I eat 1.2g–1.6g of protein per kilo of my body weight per day. This keeps me full, helps maintain muscle, reduces crashes, and stabilises my blood sugar. Here’s why protein is essential for menopause and perimenopause—and here are my favourite healthy meal ideas.
Control my stress and sleep: my bedroom is cool & dark, I get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and I try to wake and sleep at the same time each day. Because sleep and stress are deeply connected, I also take EQUILIBRIUM. Featuring Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, and 5 other ingredients, it’s helped me sleep better and stress less.
Pay more attention to my water intake: I drink 6-8 glasses of water per day, I don’t wait until I’m thirsty, and I drink more if I’ve been sweating more.
Cut back on caffeine and alcohol: and I avoid caffeine in the afternoon.
I take HARMONY. Featuring Vitamin D, Magnesium Bisglycinate, Zinc Bisglycinate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Selenium, and Lion’s Mane, it’s specifically designed to help with the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. It’s reduced my stress and fatigue—and boosted my mood and energy.