Last week, Dr Alyssa Olenick joined me in Episode #305 to offer a wealth of insight into how women can design an optimal exercise program. We discussed training frequency and intensity, how cycle-synching might not be the best approach, and what to eat to support your training program. Today, we continue that conversation to hone in on how to build muscle, commit to your program, and manage the weight gain you might face during menopause.
“People think that females can’t gain muscle or get strong because they don’t have testosterone, and that’s not true. Estrogen is our superpower hormone.”
Dr Alyssa Olenick holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology, is a certified sports nutritionist, and is a Crossfit Level 2 Trainer. She completed her doctoral training in exercise and human metabolism, sex differences, and menstrual cycle physiology, and is currently a postdoctoral research fellow researching the areas of menopause and metabolism. As a coach, she specialises in the areas of endurance, strength, and hybrid training. Dr Olenick is a strength athlete, ultra-marathon runner, and all-around fitness lover who is passionate about educating people on science-based fitness to get them into the gyms and on the roads and trails. Building on the expertise she shared in Episode #305, this conversation gets deeper into the weeds of how women can optimise their training.
“Get it in and get it done no matter what that looks like. Optimal for most of us is never going to be optimal, but we can make a lot of progress just doing these things.”
You’ll learn how women should be training differently from men, including what you should implement and avoid. We discuss how to grow your booty, how to tell if you’ve trained hard enough, and how to train regularly. Dr Olenick also covers whether cold water immersion is safe and beneficial, what to do about weight gain during menopause, and what you should be supplementing with.
Specifically, we discuss:
- Intro (00:00)
- Understanding Sex Differences in Training: Tailoring Workouts for Women (01:59)
- Mastering RPE for Effective Workouts: A Beginner’s Guide (13:16)
- The Ideal Weekly Routine for Booty Gains: Quality Over Quantity (23:34)
- How do you know if the workout program is effective? (29:07)
- Navigating Soreness and Recovery in Strength Training (39:02)
- Cold water emmerson and reducing muscle soreness (49:03)
- Navigating the Menopause Conundrum: Understanding Weight Gain and Body Changes (56:21)
- How Resistance Training Transforms Women’s Health During Menopause (1:08:00)
- Zone 2 Training vs. High-Intensity Workouts: What’s Best for Women? (1:17:50)
- HIIT Explained: Maximizing Benefits with True High-Intensity Interval Training (1:27:02)
- Demystifying Supplements: What Really Works for Fitness and Recovery (1:35:25)
- Breaking Myths: The Truth About Women, Hormones, and Strength (1:41:02)
- Outro (1:44:13)
I hope this series helped support you on your exercise journey, or contributed to your understanding of how women’s physiology interacts with different styles of training. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend watching this series on YouTube – it’s beautifully filmed and perfect to put on the TV. Thank you for your continued interest in nuanced, evidence-based health information.
Connect with Dr Alyssa Olenick on Instagram and YouTube, and learn more on her website. You can also listen to The Messy Middle Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Make sure to listen to her first episode on The Proof here.
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More about Dr Alyssa Olenick
Dr Alyssa Olenick holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology is a certified sports nutritionist and Crossfit Level 2 Trainer. Alyssa completed her doctoral training in exercise and human metabolism, sex differences and menstrual cycle physiology. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow researching the areas of menopause and metabolism. As a coach she specializes in the areas endurance, strength and hybrid training. She runs her online business “Doc Lyss Fitness” and is a strength athlete, ultra-marathon runner, and all-around fitness lover who is passionate about educating people on science-based fitness to get them into the gyms and on the roads/trails — or often, doing both at the same time! You can learn more about Dr Alyssa Olenick and her programs at www.doclyssfitness.com.
