#431 Dr. Alyssa Olenick - Why Most Women Would Be Better Off If They Trained More Like Men

Dr. Alyssa Olenick is one of the fastest-rising educators and coaches in the evidence-based fitness space. Known for her clarity, skepticism, and ability to translate complex physiology into practical coaching decisions, Alyssa returns to the show to tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in modern fitness.

In this episode, Alyssa joins Andrew Coates to unpack what she actually means when she says “most women would be better off if they trained more like men”—and why so much women-specific training advice is built on shaky assumptions, incentives, and half-understood biology.

Rather than arguing for a one-size-fits-all approach, Alyssa makes a strong case for prioritizing training experience, individual capacity, and fundamentals over sex-based fear-mongering and hormonal hype.

IN THIS EPISODE, ALYSSA SHARES INSIGHT ON:

• What she really means by “women should train more like men”

• The difference between women-based training evidence vs. women-based hypotheses

• Why many popular influencers sell certainty without sufficient evidence

• The incentives behind unproven or disproven training narratives

• Why differences between individuals often matter more than sex differences

• Whether women (or anyone) should fear cortisol spikes from intense training

• Why stress is not inherently bad and how context matters

• How stress management actually fits into training and life

• Why elevated heart rate during lifting is not cardio

• Why strength training cannot replace cardiovascular training

• How menstrual cycle considerations are often oversimplified

• And much more

Instagram: @doclyssfitness

CHAPTERS

00:50 Debunking Fitness Myths: Training Like a Man
01:14 The Importance of Structured Strength Training
02:24 The Role of Intensity in Training
03:28 Nutrition Tracking and the MacrosFirst App
04:32 Programming for Women vs Men
06:01 Understanding Stress and Hormones in Training
12:26 Debunking Hormonal Hypotheses
20:25 Fitness Status vs Sex Differences
26:15 Hormonal Effects on Women’s Training
27:18 Menstrual Cycle and Training Adaptations
29:16 Perception vs Physiological Impact
32:13 Individual Variability in Menstrual Cycles
34:03 Cardiovascular Responses and Training Adjustments
38:24 Lifting vs Cardio: Clearing the Confusion
46:35 The Importance of Cardiovascular Fitness
52:00 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

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