Docs Who Lift Women’s Fitness Needs Debate: Dr. Stacy Sims vs. Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple
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Aug 29, 2025 
Join Dr. Stacy Sims, an environmental exercise physiologist known for her groundbreaking work on sex differences in fitness, and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, a leading researcher on muscle growth and the effects of hormonal cycles. They dive into fasted training and its unique implications for women, the importance of post-workout nutrition considering hormonal influences, and tailored strength training for those in perimenopause. They also discuss the evolving landscape of women's health research, advocating for individualized and evidence-based fitness strategies.
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Women Were Understudied In Exercise Science
- Stacy Sims found an evidence gap because most exercise physiology research used men as subjects for decades.
- That motivated her 20+ year career studying sex differences in exercise and metabolism.
Fasted Exercise Shifts Women's Hormones
- Stacy Sims explains fasted exercise triggers cortisol and ghrelin changes in women that alter appetite and fuel use.
- She argues these responses blunt fat oxidation and shift hormonal pulses, especially via estradiol interactions.
Outcomes Matter More Than Mechanisms
- Lauren Colenso-Semple urges focusing on measured outcomes rather than mechanistic speculation.
- She notes fed versus fasted trials in women generally show similar body-composition outcomes when daily protein and calories are sufficient.