Should Women Train Differently? The Complete Guide to Cycle-Syncing Your Workouts

In this solo episode, Dr. Stephanie shares her updated thinking on fitness training for women who menstruate, including perimenopausal women with irregular cycles. Drawing from principles in the Betty Body Book and her presentation at the Health Optimization Summit in Europe, she breaks down how to strategically modify your training across the four weeks of your cycle—while emphasizing the crucial principle of autoregulation. Episode Overview (timestamps may vary): 0:00 Intro/Teaser 3:13 Why We've Been Training Like Men 8:28 The Three M's of Muscle (Mobility, Metabolic, Menstrual) 21:00 Waist-to-Hip Ratio Longevity Test 24:29 AUTOREGULATION: The Most Important Principle 32:01 Week 1 Training Protocol: 8-12 Reps 34:16 Week 2: 5-7 Reps (POWER Week!) 40:24 Week 3: 8-12 Reps 42:47 Week 4: 15-20 Reps (Myokines!) 45:46 Training Considerations for Perimenopausal Women Resources mentioned in this episode can be found at https://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep448 We couldn’t do it without our sponsors: EQUIP COLLAGEN - Support bones, joints, gut, and skin with Equip Collagen. MIMIO - You can get cellular renewal, anti-inflammatory effects, and longevity benefits while STILL eating enough protein, lifting heavy, and not tanking your hormones. Go to https://mimiohealth.com/better and use code ESTIMA at checkout to save 20% on your first order of Mimio Biomimetic Cell Care. MASA - MASA’s chips contain just three ingredients: organic nixtamalized corn, sea salt, and 100% grass-fed beef tallow. That's it. Ready to give MASA (or Vandy) a try? Use code BETTER for 25% off your first order at https://masachips.com/BETTER QUALIA NAD+ - Boost energy, DNA health, and cellular protection. Save 15% at https://qualialife.com/better with code BETTER. **************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you: Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife. Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company.