ARNOLD'S PUMP CLUB
Arnold has spent 40 years fighting the idea that women need “special” programs. Here’s the science, the proof, and the women who proved him right.
“I’ve spent 40 years telling women to pick up weights. Most of the fitness industry spent that time telling you that you can’t, you shouldn’t, or you need something special. You don’t. You need the truth, you need a plan, and you need people in your corner. That’s what we built.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold’s Pump Club is read by 1.1 million people each day · The positive corner of the internet · Built for every body
SOUND FAMILIAR?
The weight that appeared out of nowhere — and ignores everything you throw at it.
The sleep that disappeared — taking your energy, your patience, and your confidence with it.
The workouts that used to work — that now feel like they’re doing nothing.
The advice from people who have clearly never been through this.
You’re not imagining it. All of it is real.
And then the wellness industry showed up with an answer: buy something special. Special menopause workouts. Special menopause supplements. Special menopause meal plans. Every product with the same underlying message — “Your body is broken, and only our special fix can help.”
You are not broken. You need what every human body needs: the right training, real nutrition guidance, and people who’ve been exactly where you are right now.
Arnold has said it a thousand times: “The body doesn’t care about your age. It cares about what you ask it to do.”
So let’s talk about what to ask it to do.
WHAT THE RESEARCH ACTUALLY SAYS
A meta-analysis of 29 studies put men and women on identical resistance training programs. Same exercises. Same structure. Same progressive overload.
The result: women built muscle at virtually the same relative rate as men. The difference was 0.69% — statistically meaningless. And there was roughly a 1-in-4 chance the data actually favors women.
But here’s what matters more than any comparison to men: resistance training is the single most effective intervention for the specific symptoms of menopause. Better sleep. Reduced hot flashes. Preserved bone density. Improved mood. Maintained metabolism.
Your body didn’t stop responding. It’s waiting for the right stimulus.
The difference in relative muscle growth. Your hormones changed — your ability to get stronger didn’t.
In absolute terms, men gained more — because they started with more muscle mass. But relative to their starting points, women matched men almost exactly. Menopause doesn’t change this.
The program that works is the one built around your goals and your life — not your hormone levels.
The science is clear. You don’t need a special program. You need a plan that sticks.
THIS ISN'T NEW
More than forty years ago, Arnold went on Johnny Carson — with much better hair — and told women to pick up weights. People laughed.
The message never changed: women should lift. Women should be strong. Women are capable of extraordinary things when they stop listening to people who tell them what they can’t do.
The world took 40 years to catch up. He didn’t wait.
PROOF, NOT PROMISES
Age Is Just A Number
April was crying on the gym floor because she couldn't do a single lunge. She'd spent years on ballet barre that made her flexible but never strong. A celebrity keto plan destroyed what little muscle she had left. She was 60 and starting from scratch.
Four months in, she was doing full lunges and goblet squats. Today — at 62 — she does Bulgarian split squats for fun, became a national tennis champion, climbed an ice cave in Iceland, and plays against people 40 years younger.
Body fat: 40.9% → 29% · National tennis champion · “No bathroom scale dictates my life”
Age Is Just A Number
Peggy didn't begin with hope. She was in a place where she didn't want to go on. Her first lunges were wobbly. She asked someone how to load a barbell. She had a vision — Linda Hamilton in Dark Fate — and she pictured a year of working out versus a year of not.
Last week, Peggy moved 15,000+ pounds in a single training hour. From zero. In roughly 650 days.
0 lbs → 15,640 lbs in one session · Lost 30 lbs · “My nervous system finally feels strong”
Age Is Just A Number
Dawn's endurance training stopped working the way it used to. Everything she relied on failed her. She found clarity in structured strength training and finally stopped fighting her body.
Sleeps better · Feels stronger · Trusts her body again
Age Is Just A Number
Illness stripped everything — her energy, her confidence, her sense of self. She rebuilt slowly, one workout at a time. Her husband saw the change and started training too.
Rebuilt safely · Husband now trains too
Age Is Just A Number
After surgery, Rachel couldn't do the basics. She started rebuilding one workout at a time, trusting the process even when progress felt invisible.
Squatting again · Rebuilding strength daily
Age Is Just A Number
Cathie discovered her body remembered more than she expected. Muscle memory kicked in, and she found herself stronger than she'd been in years.
It's never too late to be strong
Age Is Just A Number
Nancy had tried everything. Nothing stuck. This was the first plan simple and effective enough to keep her consistent — and she dropped clothing sizes along the way.
Clothing sizes down · Still consistent
Age Is Just A Number
A mom of six, Amélie's labs were heading in a dangerous direction. Her doctor told her to make a change or face serious consequences. She changed. Her labs normalized.
Labs normal · Mom of 6 · Confidence rebuilt
Age Is Just A Number
Bridget was a working mom doing random workouts whenever she could. She was doing everything “right” but her body wasn't changing. Structure made the difference.
Body fat down · Muscle up · Finally sustainable
WHAT'S INSIDE THE APP
Every woman on this page — from April at 62 to Amélie at 46 — used this app. The same workouts. The same coaching. The same community. No special labels. No condescending modifications. Just a system that works because it’s built on how the human body actually responds to training.
Never touched a barbell? Start with bodyweight. Ready for more? Progress at your pace. Every plan uses progressive overload — the same principle that rebuilt April’s strength at 60.
No menopause meal plans. No elimination diets. Learn to eat in a way that fuels your training, supports your sleep, and doesn’t make you miserable — backed by actual research, not Instagram trends.
Don’t know how to load a barbell? Ask. Worried about your knees? Ask. Need a modification for a bad shoulder? Ask. Coach Nic and Coach Jen answer the questions your gym never will.
This community cheers for your wobbly first lunge the same way they cheer for a 300-pound deadlift. No influencers. No judgment. Just people who understand what it takes to start — and keep going.
1.1 million people read it every morning. Science-backed guidance on training, nutrition, sleep, and the health questions no one else answers honestly. Free, forever.
This isn’t a 12-week transformation challenge. It’s a system designed for the rest of your life. The plan evolves as you do. The support never stops.
WHAT WOMEN TELL US CHANGES FIRST
Sleep
The structured training improves sleep quality, often within the first two weeks. Not because of a “menopause sleep hack” — because your body is tired in the right way.
Energy
Consistent resistance training rebuilds the metabolic capacity that hormonal shifts disrupted. Most women report a noticeable shift within the first month.
Mood
Exercise is the most effective non-pharmaceutical intervention for menopause-related mood changes. Not a cure-all — but a foundation that makes everything else easier.
Body Composition
Progressive overload preserves and builds muscle, which is the single biggest factor in maintaining metabolism through menopause and beyond.
Confidence
This one takes longer. But ask April, Peggy, or Dawn when it showed up.
START TODAY
$99 billed yearly · 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime
TRY 7 DAYS FREE7 days free. Cancel anytime. The only thing you’ll lose is the doubt.
“It’s fun shaking hands at the net and they know their grandma just whooped them.”
— April, 62
Perimenopause didn’t define April. Menopause didn’t stop Peggy. Post-menopause isn’t slowing Cathie down at 76.
You are not a diagnosis. You are not a phase. You are the same person who has survived everything life has thrown at you so far — and you’re about to find out how strong you actually are.
TRY 7 DAYS FREE