Barbell Medicine Podcast Episode #365: Cycle Syncing, Fasted Cardio, The Pink Tax and More ft. Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple
Sep 15, 2025
Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, an expert in muscle physiology and endocrinology, dives into the complexities of women's health and fitness. She unpacks cycle syncing, challenging common myths about its effectiveness in training. The conversation critiques misleading marketing tactics like the 'pink tax,' scrutinizing the real benefits of products aimed at women. With a focus on evidence-based recommendations, she advocates for personalized fitness approaches, emphasizing that traditional resistance training often outperforms trendy alternatives like Pilates.
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Rodent Findings Don’t Equal Human Truths
- Rodent mechanistic data about hormones often fail to translate to human menstrual-cycle effects on muscle.
- High-quality human studies show little consistent cycle-phase differences in protein synthesis or training outcomes.
Adjust Training To The Individual, Not Cycle Phase
- Adjust training based on how you feel, not on assumed hormone levels or strict cycle rules.
- Use autoregulation within your program instead of rigid cycle-syncing protocols.
Fasted Training Isn’t Inherently Harmful
- Regular fasted workouts do not produce consistent muscle loss, fat gain, or endocrine harm in humans.
- Long-term adaptations depend on total calories and protein, not transient pre-workout feeding.
