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
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P.S. When you're ready, here are a two ways I 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.
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