Strong opinions, stronger evidence. We take the much-quoted “women are not small men” and separate what’s useful from what’s been hijacked by marketing, then rebuild it with training principles that actually deliver results. With Dr. Alyssa Parten and Dr. Antonella Schwartz, we get honest about where women’s physiology matters, where it doesn’t.
We dive into the truth behind “lift heavy.” Heavy is relative to your experience, and strength lives on a spectrum. You’ll hear how to use RPE and reps in reserve to auto-regulate around stress and menstrual symptoms, why progressive overload outperforms rigid cycle-based templates, and how new lifters can thrive across broad rep ranges. We also call out the supplement aisle: creatine isn’t gendered, protein targets matter more than gender, and micronutrient needs like iron, vitamin D, calcium, and folate should be guided by individual needs.
For more information on our guests.
Alyssa Parten PhD https://education.ua.edu/directory/alyssa-parten/
Antonella Schwarz PhD https://www.barry.edu/en/c-vitae/professors/antonella-v-schwarz
Sports Science Dudes