Research & Resources
Fortify's programming did not come from one source. It came from years of reading the studies on bone density and resistance training, listening to specialists in menopause and exercise physiology, and following the doctors and researchers pushing the conversation about women's strength forward, a process co-founder Claire describes in why we built Fortify.
This page is that reading list. Every source below links directly to the original, so you can dig into the evidence yourself, not just take our word for it.
Books
Start here for the full picture. These are the books that shaped how we think about training, bone health, and hormones through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.
- Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well (Dr. Gabrielle Lyon)
- Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond (Dr. Stacy Sims)
- ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology (Dr. Stacy Sims)
- The New Menopause (Dr. Mary Claire Haver)
- Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power (Dr. Vonda Wright)
- The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause (Dr. Louise Newson)
- Menopause Bootcamp: Optimize Your Health, Empower Your Self, and Flourish as You Age (Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz)
Podcasts
For the ongoing, up-to-date conversation, these shows cover new research, real patient questions, and practical advice from clinicians and coaches who specialize in this exact stage of life.
- You Are Not Broken (hosted by Dr. Kelly Casperson)
- Hit Play Not Pause (hosted by Selene Yeager)
- 40+ Fitness for Women (hosted by Lynn Sederlöf-Airisto)
- The Dr Louise Newson Podcast (hosted by Dr. Louise Newson)
- Muscle, Strength and Menopause (hosted by Sara Frenza)
Journal Articles
For the primary research behind specific claims, like why heavy compound lifts help bone mineral density, or how muscle mass changes after menopause, these are the studies we keep coming back to.
- High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial (Watson et al., 2018)
- A comparison of different exercise intensities for improving bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Kitagawa et al., 2022)
- Exercise beyond menopause: Dos and don'ts (Mishra et al., 2011)
- Effect of estrogen on tendon collagen synthesis, tendon structural characteristics, and biomechanical properties in postmenopausal women (Hansen et al., 2009)
- Effect of two jumping programs on hip bone mineral density in premenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial (Tucker et al., 2015)
- Current Concepts of Plyometric Exercise (Davies et al., 2015)
- Short-term sprint interval training increases insulin sensitivity in healthy adults but does not affect the thermogenic response to β-adrenergic stimulation (Richards et al., 2010)
- The effects of high-intensity interval training on glucose regulation and insulin resistance: a meta-analysis (Jelleyman et al., 2015)
- Effects of plyometric training on health-related physical fitness in untrained participants: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Deng et al., 2024)
- The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause (Wright et al., 2024)
- Exercise for preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (Bonaiuti et al., 2002)
- Resistance exercise and bone turnover in elderly men and women (Vincent & Braith, 2002)
- Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective (Smith-Ryan et al., 2021)
- Maximal strength training in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or osteopenia (Mosti et al., 2013)
- Exercise and the prevention of major osteoporotic fractures in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Hoffmann et al., 2022)
- Muscular Strength as a Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in an Apparently Healthy Population (García-Hermoso et al., 2018)
- Changes in muscle mass and strength after menopause (Maltais et al., 2009)
- High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians: effects on skeletal muscle (Fiatarone et al., 1990)
- Epidemiology of Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures (International Osteoporosis Foundation)
- The effects of strength training on cognitive performance in elderly women (Smolarek et al., 2016)
Experts
The doctors, physiologists, and researchers we follow and return to most. Follow them directly for the latest research, explained well.
Dr. Mary Claire Haver, OB-GYN and menopause specialist, author of The New Menopause. Instagram | YouTube | Website
Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specialising in female physiology. Instagram | YouTube | Website
Dr. Vonda Wright, orthopedic surgeon and longevity specialist, pioneer of the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Instagram | YouTube | Website
Dr. Kelly Casperson, urologist and hormone specialist, host of You Are Not Broken. Instagram | YouTube | Website
Dr. Louise Newson, GP and menopause specialist, founder of the Balance app. Instagram | YouTube | Website
Dr. Natalie Crawford, reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist, host of As a Woman. Instagram | YouTube | Website
Dr. Felice Gersh, integrative gynecologist specialising in women's hormones, gut health, and menopause. Instagram | YouTube | Website
We will keep adding to this list as new research is published and as we keep learning. If there is a book, study, or expert you think belongs here, email support@tinyideas.net and let us know.