The Flipping 50 Show

What’s a menopausal woman to do when she’s short on time and energy and long on goals? This episode is a quick reminder of what works – according to science – and what does not – according to science. What’s the ideal schedule for a midlife woman? That was a recent question asked in our Flipping50 Insiders group. I’m combining the response, with … when I’m busy! What's Inside The evidence-based details relayed here are backed up by 37 years observations of women in midlife, including many fitness instructors who became easily burnt out. Our Flipping50 community of 200,000 women in menopause provide the additional proof through feedback, questions, and requests. You can hop into the Flipping50 Insiders Facebook group too where podcast listeners, YouTube Flipping50tv subscribers, and Flipping 50 TV episode viewers gather for a community of like-minded women. For menopausal woman, with a unique set of hormone changes, metabolism, and body composition - not to mention socialization, I won’t keep you in suspense. Here’s what I’ll share: What works What doesn’t work Why this is true What works? Quality strength training sessions HIIT sessions Short exercise snacks of mobility, core, and movement What doesn’t? Skipping Weekend warrior Too little recovery Split routine strength (if weight loss is a goal, and adrenal fatigue is a threat) What? Not More? For a menopausal woman the shock is almost always about the reduced volume of exercise that is required. I want to emphasize “required.” While you may still be thinking, if you do the required and then you lose do MORE, you’ll get better results. IN THIS case, it’s required that you do LESS> But listen, this is like already having an A+ and then doing extra credit. It’s not going to change your GPA, but it might take away from your ability to do work in other areas of your education or life. While you keep trying to do better, essentially going for the 4.2 instead of the 4.0 average in English… your math and science grades are falling. Overall, someone else with a better overall performance gets to be the valedictorian. If you exercise to excess and skip the recovery, the nutrition, the family and personal life balance, chances are, you get tired, fat and weaker if not injured. Support Do less. Just do it in a way that’s made for you… not marketed to you. Flipping 50 programs are 100% built for you. Flipping50 Fitness Specialists are trained to identify when your workouts aren’t working with the rest of your life, sometimes before you realize the signs and symptoms were there all along. Some programs and memberships are open only a few times a year for enrollment. If you’re a trainer or health coach, there’s never been a better time to be a menopause fitness specialist through Flipping50. Resource Mentioned in the Episode: How to Choose An Exercise Program

Is your tired-all-the time really adrenal fatigue? What does that mean if so and what do you do about it? My Guest: Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP, is passionate about transforming the way women experience healthcare through an integrative approach. She co-founded the world-renowned Women to Women Clinic in 1983 with the vision to not only treat illness, but also help support her patients in pro-actively making healthier choices to prevent disease. She has successfully treated thousands of individuals through her unique approach to wellness. Since 2001,   MarcellePick.com has reached women worldwide – offering informative articles on women’s health issues and at-home solutions to some of the most troublesome symptoms they experience today. Marcelle was honored to be among the first to be certified as a Functional Medicine Practitioner. She is the author of The Core Balance Diet, Is It Me or My Adrenals? and Is It Me or My Hormones? Questions we answer in this episode: How are adrenals affected by stress? What symptoms would a listener experience when she is having problems with her adrenals? What causes Adrenal Dysfunction? How does one heal adrenal problems? How long does it take to feel and see a difference? Yours: Is It Adrenal Fatigue? Listener, if you have a question about whether it is adrenal fatigue that could be causing your sluggishness, lack of mojo, and what to do about it, leave it below the show #456. Your attempts to push through, or step around it in order to lose weight are potentially going to backfire. Identify what you're dealing with, handle that, and then weight loss is often easier than you think, requiring less exercise that you can enjoy along the way. Women, become your own midwife for your own life. -Marcelle Pick  CONNECT: marcellepick.com Adrenal Solutions Challenge Resources mentioned in this episode: Flippingfifty.com/TEDx Cholesterol is the mother hormone. -Marcelle Pick

If I tell you that you need to time protein for optimal muscle & recovery, there begs your understanding of: Why protein timing is important for you now more than ever? How much protein are we talking about? What kind of protein counts and what doesn’t? Before We Start – Be Forewarned So that’s the topic of this post. However, I want to speak to the elephant in the room right up front. This for some ears may feel like an infomercial. I get it. That’s reasonable. I sell protein. I am sharing a link in this podcast to something I’ve used and tested and if you use it, I will make a small commission from it. I too was so very skeptical of people who promoted supplements for decades. For 30 years I swore up and down I would never, ever, ever sell supplements. Until I realized there is so much junk out there – that even I’d fallen for it in my early 30s before I knew what I know now – that the hidden sugars, the “extra fortification even,” and ingredients like soy, and chemicals can actually sabotage you in the exact opposite way you’re trying to get results. Simply said, the very ingredients in many shake mixes can make you store fat instead of fueling muscle so you can burn fat. That’s when I began to produce my own Flipping 50 protein. Because it’s clear that muscle is the organ of longevity (shout to my friend Dr Gabrielle Lyons) AND you can’t have the back-of-the-closet clothes OR the independence you want in 3 decades without the combination of strength training and muscle. So Here It Is, Protein for Optimal Muscle and Recovery – in Menopause+ I’ve been asked over and over by our community about specific brands of Essential Amino Acids I recommend. I’ve been asked who may want to consider them. I’ve been asked how I use them. I’ve been using them myself and testing different brands since 2017. I’m ready to spill the beans. Based on that, you may or may not want to continue. And I respect that. I’ve been super conscious of getting adequate protein, especially post-workouts since I started training for my first marathon, 27 years ago. It was first after long runs that I began it and then realized the need for post strength training was even greater. That’s when I started supplementing three meals a day high in protein with post workout smoothies in addition to that. As I trained for Iron distance triathlons I was ultra-conscious of heavy weight training (even though most endurance athletes shy away from it) and protein consumption to maintain both muscle and bone density. (With so much time on a bike and in a pool bone density ironically can take a hit during endurance training like that, and muscle wasting is very common because cortisol and under-eating is common in female athletes). It wasn’t until I was 54 though, that I started to supplement with Amino acids to boost recovery from workouts and prevent muscle loss. But the types I tried, I hated. It was a plug-your-nose kind of powdered drink mix. And I couldn’t really stomach it. What I’ve found currently isn’t going to appeal to anyone listening. At all. Because taking tablet form supplements is not on our bucket list. And if you’re like me, with a list of omegas, magnesium, Vitamin D, B, and a multi to mention a few, more supplements is not on my wish list. But for me? It beats the alternative of a foul-tasting amino acid supplement. They don’t taste good so a flavored drink mix attempts to mask it. Literally, during one Ironman race, I was taking gel with amino acids on the bike and had to stop, lose my cookies, and continue. Honestly, I felt better! And stopped doing that for the rest of the race.  The Protein – Muscle Connection Whenever we’re talking about strength training, the topic of protein can’t be far behind. And we’re always talking about strength training here, whether one of my 12-week STRONGER programs is open or the Café membership providing access to 7 unique programs is open or you’re just seeking a digital download to do at home. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle. Essential amino acids are the building blocks for protein. If your protein doesn’t have all the essential amino acids – those your body has to ingest every day and can’t manufacture itself – then it’s not complete. Incomplete proteins are like puzzles with missing pieces. You don’t get the results you want in the end. Plant-based diets and animal-based proteins are both under fire from someone. This post isn’t a judgement of your choice. It’s not a persuasive argument for one or the other. Your body is the final decision-maker, ultimately. The results speak for themselves. Get a Smart Scale and watch how your habits impact your muscle and fat. Hopefully, you’ll find this episode does offer some possible solutions as to how you can solve these problems: Choosing plant-based diet and unable to eat enough protein Eating proteins that are lower in the amount of essential amino acids you need (plant) Simply getting full before you get enough protein in (animal or plant) Concerns with a lack of muscle, muscle tone, and strength This is literally how I add amino acids to my day. A little later, I’ll discuss why, whether you want to prevent muscle loss, or you want to also lose fat weight, protein content is so important. What I think you’ll see is many if not most of us are going to hit a roadblock to becoming lean and stronger as we age without support. How to Time Protein for Optimal Muscle & Recovery: A Typical Day for Me 5am wake 7 am Pre-exercise 5 amino acid tablets Or a simple shake of Flipping 50 protein, almond milk, and small amount of fruit If not the protein shake before strength training, I’ll have a half a banana and smear of sun butter on a HIIT day 11 am Post workout: about an hour to 90 minutes later a high protein meal or a shake with the works: Chocolate Cherry Recovery Smoothie 1-2 handfuls of spinach 1 serving Flipping 50 protein 3 T hemp hearts ¼ avocado 1-2 tsp cacao ¾ cup frozen cherries Almond milk to desired thickness (I like to spoon) The protein powder plus hemp hearts get the protein to at least 30 grams. Spinach, avocado, cacao, and cherries, as well as the hemp hearts are all full of anti-inflammatory, antioxidants that do your body good after workouts. This can also be made with vanilla, though you’ll miss the cacao, it’s a yummy alternative. More ideas here.  Note: I forget too If I’ve forgotten the pre-exercise amino acid tablets, I’ll add them about 20 minutes before either the post workout smoothie or lunch. There are days when my schedule might mean that I have that pre-workout snack, then my post- workout smoothie or meal is lunch. That means there are only really two meals that day, so it’s tricky to fit in enough protein – in fact it’s downright impossible if you’re trying to lose weight and keep muscle – so the aminos are crucial. I tend to have a lighter lunch. I’ll make a wrap from a brown rice tortilla and fill it with leftovers that might be fish tacos, or grilled chicken with kale & brussels sprouts salad. In the winter its usually a vegetable & protein-rich soup. When I make soups, I double the protein ingredients and stay conscious of whether I’ve got 5 ounces of protein in a bowl. Back to the schedule 5:00 pm (sometimes earlier – which lets me fast overnight for a bit longer) I have an early dinner with tons of veggies, include a starchy option like a sweet potato, and protein. Summer is easy with grilling possibilities that let you grill nearly the whole meal.   8:30pm At bedtime on strength training days, I have 5 amino acid tablets. Your body still has an elevated muscle protein synthesis for up to 24 hours after strength training if you’ve really lifted to muscular fatigue. So, you prevent muscle wasting at one end and support lean muscle gains to benefit metabolism at the other end of the continuum by taking the aminos right before bed. (Remember that in elderly adults, bedrest is a real problem for muscle and strength losses. On a mini scale sleep overnight contributes to loss too). You might also get a better night’s sleep thanks to the tryptophan. The combination of two meals and two doses amino acid supplements has given me the amino acid equivalent of 4 meals with about 30 grams of protein – about right for maintaining. Variations in my schedule If I workout earlier and lunch too I’d get the equivalent of 5 meals with about 30 grams of protein, a better number if I was wanting to lose weight. (Protein requirements increase as you try to lose weight with a caloric deficit). And you do have to remember muscle needs carbohydrates too, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can just take amino acids and not eat. It won’t work well for you. Note that if I was just having a smoothie and a dinner, I would never do that on a high activity day or I simply have such a large gap between my energy demands and what I’m eating that my body will go into stress mode. That means it’s likely to breakdown muscle. That means fat storage and weight loss resistance, if you’re trying to lose weight. Are you following me? If you’re still using “eat less, exercise more” in midlife, you are contributing to your own muscle loss and fat gain. My Aminos I’ve been using Body Health’s Perfect Amino for about 8 weeks consistently. And it’s definitely making a difference. I use the tablets. I hear you, I don’t like taking supplements either. They make a powder and I’d suggest you try it. I have tried other amino powders and disliked them so I’m admittedly reluctant. But, taking one for the team, I’ve ordered the powder and I’ll do it for you. Check back and I’ll let you know how it goes. Who I recommend consider aminos to improve protein for optimal muscle and recovery Women who are cutting calories Women are exercising without results Women who find they are too full to get enough protein Women who already notice muscle loss Women who are doing only plant-based or almost plant-based diets And no, it’s not just a thing I do on workout days alone. But it is something I supplement every day with. I flex in the aminos when I’m more sedentary, when I am not eating enough protein, as well as workout days.  I’d love to hear from you. Questions? *If you use my link to purchase I will make a small commission while you will pay the same rate. Body Health did not ask me to promote or pay me to endorse them. I sought them out after researching sources and landing on them. I don’t share anything here I don’t know, use and love myself and share with family and friends. Other episodes you may like:  Intermittent Fasting for Active Women When Your Menopause Calorie Deficit Backfires

Your menopause calorie deficit backfires when you have inadequate energy reserves to fuel your daily activities and your exercise. Are you someone who does more exercise if what you’re doing isn’t working? Are you someone who starts exercising more without increasing your food intake? Could you be underestimating your caloric needs? In a world where overweight and obesity is a real epidemic, that may seem like a very strange question. And if you’re a woman in menopause struggling to lose weight you may also be thinking that eating the fewest calories wins the game. You’d be wrong. Menopause Calorie Deficit vs Energy Deficit This episode isn’t about diets, or nutrition, but it is about why your exercise isn’t working in relationship to your diet. Because if on one hand we’re talking about exercise that will boost your metabolism then we can’t have a complete conversation without talking about how you’re going to feed that elevated metabolism. You don’t have to be a marathoner or a triathlete to qualify as an athlete. The International Council on Active Aging has always qualified an active older adult intentionally exercising to better themselves as an “athlete.” Exercise 3-5 times a week and you’re there. So if you’re listening, you’re within ear shot, you’re probably going to want to hear this. Situations that could result in too little recovery to support your hormones: Exercising more without changing nutrition at all. Exercising more without recovering between (with a combination of rest between sessions, sleep, low stress, as well as nutrition). Eating less without changing your exercise. Nutrition here refers to all things food. Your calories – while a calorie deficit is usually necessary for weight loss it is trumped by hormones. So, if you’ve got an unrealistic gap between energy expended from exercise + your resting metabolic rate and your food intake, your body will go into stress mode. Chronically stressed? Your body stores fat. Your protein – if you’re seeking weight loss, more protein is required to preserve lean muscle. If you lose weight that is muscle, long term you will have significantly slowed your metabolism such that weight regain is very likely. Quality food – micronutrient dense foods are your best friend. It takes more than protein alone. Eating the rainbow, and yes, eating carbs is required to gain muscle! So, if you’re going too low on carbs and you’re exercising that might help you shed water weight for Saturday night. It will backfire long term since your exercise is only fighting a battle against losing muscle, you won’t win it and you definitely can’t gain lean muscle without some carbohydrates. Feeling Tired? Significantly few calories combined with an increase in exercise creates a fuel deficit for your body. The amount of fuel it burns will slow. Your body will be telling you it’s tired, in effort to get you to do less. In menopause calorie deficit is a bit trickier, especially if you’re trying to intermittent fast, or do keto AND exercise. Experiencing a great deal of fatigue? Check with your calorie intake vs your calorie output. Sometimes in the middle of a program, one of our students might say that they suddenly have started to experience fatigue. My first question is what is your diet like? Are you getting adequate protein, and timing your protein and carbohydrates correctly? You’ve been a more active person for 8 weeks. Have you begun to eat like an active person? There are all kinds of reasons for fatigue. Sometimes, fatigue is your body’s way of telling you that there is or was or is a severe energy deficiency. Said another way, every time you eat too little you message your body to burn less. When you eat more you message your body to burn more. In either case that can go wrong. If we all at like it was Thanksgiving every day we’d be in trouble when the activity of the day is usually on TV. If you’ve been a chronic dieter, you already know what it’s like to be on a diet to lose weight, and then find when you return to a normal eating schedule you gain the weight back, if not more. Generally, weight loss that occurs with certain activity and diet, can only be sustained by doing more activity and less food. But since neither are possible long term without illness, or injury, or both, there’s got to be a better way. What is it? Finding your Goldilocks of activity, the Goldilocks of eating, the Goldilocks of sleep to support your optimal body functioning. How much do you need? I hate to count. But I’ll give you an idea, and how apps are useful. That’s just to spot check. Your resting metabolism is just what it takes to live, breath, function, no exercise. That’s probably around 1200-1300 kcals if you’re a medium size woman. A large-sized woman requires more. Some women are barely getting that. Let’s not forget that your brain needs fuel too. So, if you think you’re sitting all day, so you don’t need food, make sure you factor in whether you’re lying around watching movies and getting massages or you’re running a business. Big difference in your energy needs. If you’re an active woman, you need more calories to fuel that performance.  If you’re doing a 20-minute HIIT, and a strength training session, then you go out and play golf, garden, or clean the house all day you need significantly more calories. A Calorie Deficit Gone Extreme Using a client’s FitBit to track activity recently she hadn’t realized that during summer days playing golf, working out, walking, she had 3000-5000 kcals burned. Instead of a reasonable 300-500 kcal deficit that won’t throw your hormones (cortisol, insulin to start) under the bus, her deficit was closer to 2000-2500. You’ll never lose weight doing that, or if you do it will be muscle-wasting. Muscles require both protein and carbs and a large deficit just won’t get them enough of what they need. Rest, Reduce, But Don’t Starve On your rest and recovery days, provided you’ve completely recovered from challenging days, you can consume less, it makes sense. But not dramatically less. You don’t want to play the game, “I haven’t exercised therefore I shouldn’t eat.” That’s an absolute nightmare. I guarantee you that if you have either a 2500 or an 800-calorie deficit you’ll hear in a minute, your body can in no way be getting what it needs for muscle, bone, and tissue health. It’s showing up everywhere, you’re just ignoring it. Another client was tracking calories and proudly reported she was keeping her calories at 1100 until she lost a few pounds. Here’s what’s oh, so wrong with that. As I mentioned earlier, when you eat less, you message your body to burn less. So, you’re more tired, and intuitively you think it’s the exercise making you tired. “I just don’t know why I was so tired,” I’ll hear. Discounting Menopause Calorie Deficit Women often don’t think about the fact that they haven’t eaten much has anything to do with their fatigue. Especially, if it’s something they’ve gotten away with previously. But it has so much to do with it. Your body slows. It wants to put out less energy and effort. If you ever were “successful” losing weight on a diet like that, do you realize that you’d have to eat less than 1100 to sustain the weight loss? Yes, and exercise more.. and very quickly again.. it’s just not possible. So, the answer? Strength training, and body composition instead of the scale. If you’re skinny in menopause, chances are you are also going to be frail and fractured at 80. You want to be strong. Strong you. Yes, you can like the reflection in the mirror. Yes, you can enjoy shopping for clothes. Yes, you can command attention when you walk in a room. None of that comes from skinny. A reasonable calorie deficit, with regular meals, especially near your exercise so you optimize your muscle protein synthesis is the answer. You’ll feel better. You’ll want to do more, not less. You’ll also want to go sleeveless or carry your own darn dog food bag. A reasonable calorie deficit doesn’t disrupt your hormones. It puts your body into a fat burning state that comes from expending more energy during exercise. And you also get to enjoy food again instead of thinking of it as the enemy. Skinny Jeans from a Calorie Deficit? I’m not suggesting that you give up your skinny jeans, unless your thighs like mine are more muscular and made for something different. I’ve never been able to find jeans that fit my waste without a gap and hug my hips. I’ve found about 2 pair in my life and guess what? I hung onto them so long they’re back in style. I am suggesting that if you have to starve to fit in your skinny jeans, life could be so much more fun. Other episodes you might like: Intermittent Fasting for Active Menopause Women? How Under-Recovery Kills Muscle Tone in Menopause

00:00 What’s best, total body or split routine strength training in menopause? Whether you’ve lifted weights for years, or you’ve just come across a Sculpted Vegan workout, or you’re doing something labeled for women in menopause on YouTube, you may or may not know to question the routine you’re following. If you’re just doing what you’re doing out of habit, this episode may get you thinking about whether your current routine is really serving you. And serving you now, and later both. If you’re in our Flipping50 community you can likely take a split second to tell me what you think I’ll say. I haven’t built 7 12-week programs based 100% on the science of strength training in menopause and 4 additional digital or DVD products prior to that without diving into the science. Always Review Science But it’s worth exploring. Even I am testing my personal results using a different protocol for 4 weeks (June 2021), even enlisting some of our community in a beta test when I’m finished to learn how they’re affected. Is a temporary change a stimulus that can create positive results? And will we want to continue that longer or return to prior strength strategies with a new level of intensity? Things I’m looking at. Should you work your total body or do a “split routine” where you do different muscle groups or body parts on alternate days? There are pros and cons to both as you might guess. In this podcast I will review: Pros and cons of total body Pros and cons of split routine My personal and professional recommendation for women in menopause based on: 37-years working with women in midlife My own 28-day split test routine experiment 05:25 few terms for the discussion of total body or split routine strength Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) is the mechanism of increasing lean muscle to overcome muscle protein breakdown (MPB) that occurs with aging. Loss of muscle occurs at an accelerated rate during mid-menopause, and is worsened by lack of protein, sleep, and rest between exercise or inadequate exercise stimulus. I’ve discussed previously that estrogen is a muscle stimulus – preserving losses of muscle and helps you in gaining with the right activity and nutrition. When that stimulus is gone, you need something else. That something is strength training. 09:00 But what does it really mean? The comparison of total body training to split routine is not just a matter of taking the portion of a total body workout and cutting it into pieces. Instead to fairly compare the benefits side by side you’d have to expand the volume of exercise in a workout so that number of exercise, sets, and repetitions makes it a fair comparison. Remember: Little bits of muscle protein stimulus [that occur from a couple exercises for one muscle group or body part] don’t add up to a big muscle protein synthesis – in the same way a protein snack doesn’t provide adequate muscle protein stimulus like at least 30 grams of protein does. So immediately, time commitment is increased dramatically. Muscle soreness and fatigue that could decrease performance and or overall influence stress response also become factors for a menopausal woman. The total body or split routine strength training in menopause dilemma Because there exists a small percent of all research on females in menopause to begin with, and less on strength training specifically, this research review is challenged. The information has to be pulled from that including males (and sparse females) full body and split routine strength training, along with the exercise and hormone research on females in menopause to project the pros and cons. 14:13 That said, this is a hypothesis based on truths about menopausal women response to strength training, common hormone imbalances and contributing factors, and Flipping50’s After 50 Formula for Women™ blueprint. Pros of TB: Total body training allows you to maintain greater training intensity doing just a few exercises. That high intensity is necessary for elevated protein synthesis. Multiple exercises (and sets) for the same muscle group could reduce the overall intensity because of a smaller mass of muscle as the focus any one day and the muscle fatigue that deteriorates form and technique reduces results and potentially sets up for injury. One study showed 8x the strength and lean muscle gains from Total Body, while 2 follow up studies confirmed though showed less dramatic difference Pros of SR: The ability to stimulate muscle protein stimulus more times a week is a benefit to overall MPS. (so long as the number of exercises, sets and repetitions provides more volume) NOTE: A quick comment to this one, I have witnessed midlife+ women are often much more willing to strength train than they are to consume the adequate protein or essential amino acids specifically, that they need each day and around workouts. So more frequent workouts that occur with inadequate protein consumption could backfire for you if that’s the case. In fairness, frequent split routine workouts might however be the reminder, the cue, to consume more protein. Especially if that is your habit already. Say, you always make a high protein smoothie or other high protein meal about 90 minutes post strength training. If you simply increase the frequency of that strength training, then naturally you’re going to feel like it’s time to go pro! Next, is the ability to rest longer between stimulus of the same muscle groups – was at least once – and only if you’re planning wisely, more easily done with split routine. I’m going to have to argue this point. For adults over 40 generally greater recovery time – of 72 hours is already something that benefits performance and results. Unfortunately, in poorly planned split routines that just alternate upper and lower body or feature lower body 3 days a week, this 72-hour advantage is not even experienced. Planned on Purpose? Or Accidental Exerciser? Like anything, your plan is as good as the coach or specialist who’s planned it. But a Monday lower body, Tuesday upper body Wednesday lower body…etc routine doesn’t work. Nor does a MWF lower body and a TTH alternating Chest & triceps with Back & biceps. There in fact is less recovery there than say a Monday and Thursday full body routine. Now, in fairness, there are ways to plan better. But if you’re only blindly following, you may not have applied these principles. Group Fitness or Online Workout Junkie? Likewise, if you’re doing your strength workouts regularly, then slip into a fun group training workout, where the instructor is doing some muscle conditioning exercise, more isn’t better. You’re not allowing your muscle to recover between sessions. If you’re going shopping for a workout online, know what you need and when you need it, and do that. 26:10 Why Is This an Important Decision In Menopause? For women in menopause, volume of training and of recovery have to be considered in a delicate balance for each woman. (Don’t misinterpret as you are delicate, listener. In fact, adequate intensity exercise for you now is far more important than it was for younger you. Adequate intensity trumps a greater frequency of lower intensity exercise for muscle and bone benefits to occur. The message? Do it less -than you’re probably used to - and do that better). The ultimate solution, however, would be arriving at your ideal balance of strength training to adequate intensity while allowing adequate recovery. That’s what informs your personal optimal frequency so that your strength training volume creates the most gains and least losses. Stress Response in Menopause is Heightened Your response to stress (of all kinds), and here we’ll isolate physiological stressors, is reduced during menopause. A split routine then that requires 45-minutes to an hour of strength training most days a week (at minimum 4) vs a whole-body total routine that is 45 minutes (or less), becomes an overwhelming commitment. It increases the need to recover. Combined with midlife moments of stress that can be challenging. It also begins to squeeze out time for other enjoyable movement like walking, or yoga, that may reduce cortisol, not to mention, make time for interval training, more of a challenge. What is Volume? Volume here being a mixture of intensity (reaching muscle fatigue), and frequency, number of sets and repetitions – which is what informs weight you use. Duration in strength training is not really a “thing.” It’s less important in cardio than it ever was as interval training and exercise snacks have become a better way to fit in exercise in a realistic way. Volume alone is not the answer While you may exercise “all the time” and feel betrayed you are not making progress, that in fact may be the problem, dear listener. You could be both progressing and losing progress with a schedule that is too much, too often, with too little rest and essential amino acid-rich protein to support your muscle. In the end, you won’t see progress. Facts That Lead to Questions Exercise is a breakdown activity for muscle. Recovery is when the build up, or muscle protein synthesis happens. The questions in the discussion of total body vs split routine are: What schedule provides adequate stimulus during training to initiate muscle protein synthesis during recovery? What frequency of intense stimulus is optimal? What recovery time is required before another quality workout can be done for positive results? How can you optimize your strength training for your hormone status and vice versa? 35:35 My 28 Day total body or split test strength test By day 7, I was already off schedule. Hit with a busy week, unable to get in the workout even at home. What happened is, what do I do, pick right back up, get back on schedule by leaving that day out, double up the next day, which I didn’t have time to do either, delay things a day and not have full recovery before next week? What I decided to do is combine the missed day and the next day’s workouts, since I didn’t have time to shift into the weekend my entire schedule. Then, that also didn’t happen. It’s been really hectic around here. So, on this, day 10, I’ve missed now day 7, 8, and 9. Essentially I’ll be doing a full body routine to “catch up.” That’s a term no coach or worthy trainer wants ever to hear. Catch Up or Thrown Under? You can’t “catch up.” In attempting to catch up, you get behind. A decision easily becomes irrational for our brains that don’t like to have incomplete parts to a whole. Decisions don’t stem from what’s best for my body if I do all the parts today, but what was best for the schedule. That’s not an ideal way to make decisions for fitness or health. I point this out to illustrate how easy it is to get off track with split routine – a problem I’ve never incurred doing a total body strength training program for 39 years. To recap, total body or split routine strength training in menopause: SPLIT Routine Pros Volume of exercise per muscle group Increased muscle protein stimulus more times per week (if expanded workouts planned) Traditionally allows more rest between training same muscle groups*(not actually true compared to Flipping50 programming also featuring 72 hours) Cons Increases the weekly frequency of strength training (at least 4 sessions) Not greater for strength and slightly more hypertrophy in trained young men Increased overall exercise time commitment weekly Less flexibility in schedule FULL/TOTAL BODY Pros Less exercise time weekly (the biggest objection to exercise for 4 decades of fitness) More metabolism boost per workout Convenient schedule adjustments Shortened, condensed workouts for consistency still work Cons ? Listener I’d like to hear from you. What’s your answer to this question? What if any disadvantages are there to doing a full body strength routine that hits a sweet spot for women in menopause with a  frequency of twice a week? ONE POST PUB UPDATE: In at least one study, comparison of Total body and split routine (in college age men), showed no significant difference. This research is not very applicable nor is it easy to know based on the protocol differences between other studies. It is important to note: college-age men are nearly at the peak of their muscle. It may be true that minimal stimulus will help them. A bigger difference would have been found no resistance training compared to resistance training male college age subjects but within protocols, probably not. They are already in their muscle prime! Start Strength Now: (a total body, 2x a week strength program based 100% on research protocols for women in menopause) My Tedx: Everything Women in Menopause May Be a Lie https://www.flippingfifty.com/TEDx References: Calder AW, Chilibeck PD, Webber CE, Sale DG. Comparison of whole and split weight training routines in young women. Can J Appl Physiol 19: 185–199, 1994. Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, et al. Effects of different volume-equated resistance training loading strategies on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. J Strength Cond Res 28: 2909–2918, 2014.  Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Influence of resistance training frequency on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. J Strength Cond Res 29: 1821–1829, 2015. Wernbom M, Augustsson J, Thomeé R. The influence of frequency, intensity, volume and mode of strength training on whole muscle cross-sectional area in humans. Sports Med. 2007;37(3):225-64. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200737030-00004. PMID: 17326698.

How do you measure fitness success in menopause? Is it weight? Is it inches? Are you digging deeper for the results that lead to long term success? Or chasing the digital number you crave? Do you look for short term measures of fitness success that tell you you’re on the right track? Or do you see 5 things working and then that scale not changing and throw in the towel? If you’re sleeping well, love your energy, are eating high-quality protein evenly distributed throughout the day, you’ve explored your diet with an elimination and reintroduction process, reaching fatigue in your strength sessions and avoiding muscle-wasting cardio sessions, it may be time to look at what lab tests can tell you. Topic Interest You? Join me for the Flipping50 masterclass: Muscle Gain, Not Fat Loss How to literally measure before and after your programs. The number one thing every home that shelters humans who want to age optimally and see transformation need  is a smart scale. A dumb scale measures only your weight. A smart scale tells you at the very least body composition and weight. From there you can calculate simply your lean body mass. You want to be sure changes in that scale you give so much power to are positive increases in muscle and decreases in fat if you have weight to lose. You want to be sure you see gains that are muscle if you have weight and strength to gain because you’re on the skinny fat or frail side. Measure Fitness Success During Menopause at Home Pre-Pandemic I suggested Flipping 50 community members buy one or go and find a nutrition store, a fitness center, or doctor who had one. (Inbody or a dexa scan) Post pandemic I suggest that every home have one. That alone isn’t enough as we know from JAMA 2021 study that the average smart scale user gained 1.5 lbs a month during the pandemic. But it allows you to have feedback about your habits so you can course correct as needed. I have 3 smart scales, one for every price range from good enough to gold standard, in my Flipping50 Amazon store and I’ll link to that in my show notes.   If you don’t know your body fat percent, you don’t know enough. If you absolutely can’t invest $25 (the lowest priced smart scale) and you care about health, what are you doing?  Measure your: Inches (waist, and waist-to-hip ratio alone tell you a lot about your health) Weight + body composition (never just weight) Sleep Appetite/cravings Poop Bloat vs comfort Libido Reflection: Skin/face/eyes Energy Interest in life outside of exercising (two speeds – possessed to move or sleeping?) Productivity Happiness vs depression/anxiety Measure Fitness Success in Menopause by all these means, not just one. Why What You Think is “a Good Workout” Is Disrupting Your Hormones I’m about to challenge your ideal of a “good workout.” Can you remember, when was the last time you finished an exercise session and said, “that was a good workout”? What was that valuation based on? When you’ve been conditioned your entire life to think more is better, more recovery is generally not been included. More can mean harder, more often, longer, and all too often all of those at once. But there’s an elephant in the room. More means more, harder, longer, more often, and… … fatter. Because chances are you: Have a greater appetite and more cravings Are over-compensating with food Or are under eating And disrupting your sleep. Any combination of which add up to STRESS for your body. Signals get crossed. Your hormones don’t fire correctly. Cortisol tells your body to gain weight, store fat. Insulin sensitivity tanks and higher insulin and cortisol together deposit that fat right in the belly. The real definition of a good workout is one that meets the goals/purpose of the plan you have for today. Monday for me, for example is a rest day. Generally, Saturday and Sunday are higher intensity days, wisely planned that way to optimize the balance of a hard workout with less stress elsewhere. Do you get anxious on rest days? Fear that if you don’t move you’ll lose… your edge, the chance to burn calories, you’ll lose fitness? So on your rest days you make sure you’re doing “extra” something else? I’ve seen that kind of fear and addiction in clients. I can’t wait for an upcoming episode with Susan Niebergall where we dished on this a bit. Is this you? You’re always on the go. Such that when you’re not, the brief instances when you sit down to enjoy a book or a movie, you can’t keep your eyes open. If you admit it, after your workout – even a long walk – lately, you could take a nap. Or maybe you’re not on the go. You’re working constantly and then you’re working out, hard, just like you work. You’re going to do it even if it hurts your joints, if you’re tired, or you haven’t had enough fuel. You’re pushing through, cutting calories, and counting everything. And nothing counts. You’re not enjoying energy from the exercise, or better health. The exercise is just a means to an end. An end you never reach. Workouts become flat, unproductive, or boring. There’s no ideal way to simply measure calories consumed against calories burned. Both are an estimate. But they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t include gut health or hormone status. Hormones determine what your body does with calories. Someone putting you – or you yourself on a low calorie diet – could just throw your hormones into fat storage even if every morsal is “healthy.” Not everyone can be healthy eating kale or other raw greens. If that’s you and you’re eating them every day, it’s disrupting your gut and ability to absorb micronutrients. Not everyone can eat nightshades because of sensitivity or inflammation. All on the “healthy” list. Any food can be that culprit for you. Many should be eating healthy fats like monounsaturated and MCT oil but are fat-phobic. Some are still stuck in the low-fat bagel crazy, pairing that high carb with fat creating more opportunity for cholesterol than eggs ever did. Calorie Myth Assuming every calorie works for every individual the same is wrong. If you have gut issues that often start at midlife where hormonal changes and gut issues connect then your healthy is another woman’s poison. You have to find micronutrient rich calories that work for your gut, heal what issues there might be, and eliminate what isn’t serving you. At least temporarily.  Chase Muscle, Instead of Running from Fat. -Debra Atkinson, Flipping50® founder Other Episodes You Might Love: Motivated to Workout  What Your Body Wants to Tell You About Fat Loss   Support Tracking Your Real measure of success – Flipping 50’s 90 Day Tracker Don’t miss a masterclass invitation! Join the Flipping50 Insiders on Facebook Question? Comment? I love to hear from you! /fitness success in menopause  

Episode #451 Muscle tone in menopause is a common topic around these parts. In that regard, I like to discuss strength, and measure body composition, but the first signs for you, listener, that your workouts aren’t working or you need to start strength training is often a lack of muscle tone. You too? I’ve got you. This episode is all about it. You can’t overtrain but you can under-recover. If this topic is a little too near and dear to your heart, or your bat wings, short shorts, or bathing suit confidence, join me June 9th for the upcoming Flipping50 Masterclass: Muscle Gain, Not Fat Loss. It’s all about running, actually lifting, to the right target again. Click to save your spot. https://www.flippingfifty.com/strengthnow REST Above all, sleep. Get your ideal sleep quantity. If menopause symptoms are squashing your sleep goals, deal with them. There are answers to those issues (Sleep Yourself Skinny). From magnesium, carbs at dinner (more below), maca, the timing of your workouts, and your sleep hygiene. Between sessions In consideration with your current stress load (adding a challenging workout to a busy workday or one full of family stressors is a recipe for stress overload) Between sets If you have a low level of fitness just starting or restarting, your workouts are about setting habits. You may be able to do more frequent workouts. As your intensity progresses, however, you want to increase recovery days. Muscle tone in menopause requires intensity in exercise so you'll want and need more recovery. LESS EXERCISE? That is not intuitive, right? You will think that you’re ready for more, and more advanced so you should workout more frequently. No. A well-planned exercise routine for anyone includes hard days, easy days, and recovery days. And as you get older (or your life stressors compound your exercise stress) an additional recovery day is fitness boosting. Doing “more” for more-sake will likely reduce fitness, results, and send you backward. Your Training “Week” Whether you use a 7-day week, or you extend a training cycle to 9 days (You Still Got It, Girl!) to allow more optimal hard workouts coupled with optimal recovery, is up to you. Sometimes retired or not retired is the determinant. It’s important that you realize your brain, your thoughts about what you need, are the limiting factor in your training. If you have to have more training time, you in that case might set Monday, Wednesday, Friday as your strength schedule. You’d only lift heavy on Monday and Friday, making Wednesday a functional kind of body weight or low resistance workout that varies the use of the body. NUTRITION Fuel Instead of Fast For someone who exercises hard regularly and or who also is very active (say summer months when you’re golfing, gardening, hiking or biking more), make sure you’re not skipping quality calories or carbs. As for calories, even small changes make a difference.  For women in menopause at odds with carbs, start there. Try a baked slice of sweet potato or half a banana with a smear of almond nut butter before cardio/HIIT workouts. Enjoy a simple shake with protein and coconut milk or oat milk (instead of water). These small additions to your calories and to your pre-workout fuel will support a better workout AND better recovery. After a workout is the right time to put them back in so you restore your source of energy for the rest of the day. Surprised I’m not talking about protein first? It’s coming. Think starchy carbs like: Sweet potatoes, quinoa, gluten-free soaked oats (overnight oats) and more green than ripe bananas. Sit down to lunch with a bowl of salmon, black beans, and greens. If you have a smoothie, don’t skip the carbs. (sweet potatoes, aquafaba – liquid from chickpeas - or cannoli beans, are as appropriate if you don’t like the sweet of fruit). You’re not going to lose weight eliminating carbs if you’re truly on the move.  In fact, you’re more likely to halt your progress. If you’re “fit” but still fat, and it doesn’t seem to make sense, check on this one. So many women are beyond confused about keto, fasting, and think of carbs as the antichrist. If you’re an athlete, or active, start treating yourself like it at meals. Protein is key Unless you’re already working with a Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist I’m going to guess you are not eating enough protein. Here’s enough. About a gram per pound of ideal body weight. For women who want to lose weight and keep the muscle this is crucial. The more you cut calories, and skimp on protein the more any weight loss, if your body doesn’t slow metabolism that is, will include a high percent of muscle. Want More on Muscle Tone in Menopause? The second Wednesday of each month I do a special Flipping 50 Masterclass focusing on the science of fitness in menopause and have since 2013. It’s still free, and it’s rich in evidence-based protocols and facts featuring you. Check the banner at flippingfifty.com for registration. The next one as we record is June 9th. 4pm Pacific/5 Mountain. Join Me. I’ll target all the most FAQs. REST & DIGEST A neglected part of nutrition in recovery that is often forgotten is digestion. For muscle tone in menopause you have to not only be eating the right thing but absorbing it all. How do you know if you’re in “rest & digest” mode? Read on. Signs you’re not digesting well include: bloating constipation gas poor appetite hormonal imbalances general fatigue headaches blood sugar imbalances What to do? Eliminate: Meals on repeat Dairy, gluten, wheat (for starters)  Gooey gels and bars (might once have worked but not now?) What to Add: A probiotic A digestive enzyme before meals – Betaine HCL Saur kraut – 2-4 forkfuls 1-3 times a day During competitions – Atrantil L-glutamine Bone broth or collagen protein (for gut) Most important, though? STOP. Relax. Take 5 deep breaths before you eat. Sit down during a meal. Then, sit down after a meal. Rest for 15-20 minutes. Breath. Avoid eating on the go. During activity, be a little more thoughtful about fueling too. Hiking? Sit down and enjoy the view to have that stash of nuts. (A high protein and fat snack for low intensity exercise is appropriate).  Walking the golf course, chewing on sunflower seeds or jerky? Stop on the turn and go in and let someone play through if you need to. Related to Muscle Tone in Menopause:  Intermittent Fasting for Active Menopausal Women? Listener Question About Muscle Tone  

If you’re an active menopausal woman, you may wonder, is intermittent fasting for me? Because, let’s face it, we’re not immune to weight gain or belly fat. And your exercise needs may have changed while your habits have not. I’m not going into optimal exercise & protein habits a great deal today (though I am in an upcoming Masterclass and I’ll put the link in the show notes so you can join me on June 9). IF Again?  I’ve covered Intermittent Fasting (IF) at Flipping 50 for years. You can search on the site to find the blogs and podcasts Already there. I’m doing this update though because as we head into summer, we all tend to be far more active. I don’t want your summer fitness or healthy eating plan sabotaged. This is going to start off quite science geek. Hang in there. It comes down to kisspeptin, is a neuropeptide that’s responsible for sex hormones and endocrine and reproductive function, which also plays a significant role in maintaining healthy glucose levels, appetite regulation, and body composition. It’s also more sensitive in women than men. When it’s disrupted, our sex hormones aren’t produced and released the way we need them to be. [Stacy Sims, drstacysims.com] Intermittent fasting and keto both disrupt kisspeptin production. When your brain perceives you have a deficiency in nutrients, especially carbohydrate, women have a marked reduction in kisspeptin stimulation, which not only increases your appetite*, but also reduces your sensitivity to insulin. *Remember the increase in appetite may not happen from IF alone, but from combination of “more” exercise and IF, especially if you’re restricting calories. IF science is NOT about caloric restriction, but a restricted eating window. We're Different  Research shows intermittent fasting is more likely to cause impaired glucose intolerance in women, but not men. What happens when you layer exercise stress on top of the stress of denying your body fuel? Stress hormones like cortisol rise even higher. As you keep increasing that stress, it keeps your sympathetic drive high and reduces your ability to relax. As a result, your thyroid* activity is depressed, which will disrupt your menstrual cycle if you’re still cycling. Your body also starts storing more belly fat. *normal test results, and typical lab tests are not enough information for thyroid – know what you want to test and interpret “optimal” levels with a health coach or a functional doctor Unintentional Mistakes You Don't Realize or Deny What happens when you do an interval training session, then a strength training session, then go for a long walk? You’ve made high intensity anaerobic work an endurance event. That's problematic, especially if you fail to eat. As a woman in midlife, you’re more sensitive to endurance exercise’ having negative effects on cortisol. You decrease benefits of the HIIT, and the muscle boosting benefits of strength training since cortisol breaks down muscle and causes fat storage. You may be sabotaging your results. If you’re a “more is better” thinking woman, you may struggle with weight loss because the “additive nature” of stringing all that activity together is not the same as a regular frequency dose. You would never take an entire bottle of vitamins or prescription medicine at once, right? So now you’re likely to experience disrupted menstrual cycles, higher anxiety and stress, impaired (exercise) performance and often weight gain—not what you signed up for?! But Diets Work for Some Active Menopausal Women? Sometimes women will contend that these diets work so well for them. And they might for the first three months, because nearly any diet will yield some effects in the short term. The long term effects for female athletes, however, is endocrine dysfunction, increases in abdominal fat, more depression, and a backlash of subsequent fat gain. Female athletes perform far better in a fed state. Female athletes need to eat. If you intentionally exercise 3-5 days a week with a desired result, you qualify as an “athlete.”There does not need to be a registration fee or starting line. Keep something in mind when you see “athletes” or models that “appear”  thin or have bodies you envy. Many figure competitors, endurance sport female athletes, and models have thyroid, and infertility issues. Many drive themselves to adrenal fatigue. Health isn’t their goal. Working, participating, or winning competitions is. Women who want “thin” or are desperate for “weight loss” can fall into the same trap. Abandoning health for temporary weight loss often brings fat storage with a vengeance. Thinking, “when I lose the weight” then I’ll change, never works. What got you here will never get you there. Safe Fasting guidelines recommended for all (except those with adrenal fatigue). 3 Meals no snacks, and a minimum 12-hour overnight fast. For women, the first meal should be high protein, lower in carbs and occur in the morning hours. Beyond this, whether you’ll benefit depends a great deal on your current status. Gradually increase the overnight fast to 13, 14, or up to 18 hours keeping in mind morning meals. There is a difference between fasting and keto. Anything with calories breaks a fast. Consuming fats can keep you in ketosis where the premise is to burn fat. An alternative to IF timing: Alternating days of lower calories with days of higher calories is sometimes suggested. Those lower calorie days should be on low exercise days. However, the 24-hour period after a challenging HIIT or strength training workout should be plentiful in protein to benefit muscle protein synthesis and repair. If IF options begin to feel like a “diet” and you’ve crossed a threshold where the energy reserves are low enough your body’s stress adaption kicks in, fat storage is more likely. You can’t both store and burn fat. NOTE: Caffeine elevates cortisol and can also spike blood sugar. In midlife, more susceptibility to stress and cortisol may make “nothing but coffee” ‘til noon a fat bomb. Recall that as mentioned, the body sensing low fuel reserves will increase cortisol, and fat storage. Summary: During menopause insulin sensitivity commonly decreases (making you more insulin resistant) and may be encouraged by IF and or keto alone and amplified when combined, especially in active women. Other Solutions: Mediterranean Diets tend to be easy to stick to, and support heart health, as well as optimal weight. I recently interviewed Dr Steven Masley where we discussed it.  References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818825/ https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/1029/pdf Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease. de Cabo R, Mattonson MP. New England Journal of Medicine, December 2019. Effect of Alternate-Day Fasting on Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, and Cardioprotection Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, May 2017. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2005. The Obesity Code, by Jason Fung, MD (Greystone Books, 2016). Intermittent fasting interventions for treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, February 2018. Metabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting. Annual Review of Nutrition, August 2017. Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes. Cell Metabolism, May 2018.    

Have you too lost that muscle tone and want it back? This episode is an answer in response to a listener question. It's one I'm sure will resonate with many listeners, maybe you. Muscle tone, cellulite, and menopause often come up in the same conversation.  The question My arms, biceps and triceps, that used to have muscle have mysteriously lost that muscle. Seriously seems I looked in the mirror one day and I had muscle and the next I had cellulite. I have learned through all of your podcasts and reading that it is due to estrogen dominance. I am 51 years old right now, am I able to regain some if not all of that muscle, and especially get rid of this cellulite and fat on the arms? -Michele Estrogen dominance... is caused by multiple things, one of which could be excess cortisol blocking progesterone. In this case it can be coming from a variety of sources, in fact, it could be coming from exercise. So, let’s consider all the other obvious sources of stress: Sleep deprivation Diet deprivation Too much exercise Emotional, work, relationship stressors Then there’s exercise: Too much Too little Wrong time of day Too little recovery Too little protein If you lost that muscle tone and want it back, my thoughts: Hell, yes! We have to believe it. Every cell in your body listens to your thoughts. Then, thoughts aside, is it possible? Yes.  A multifaceted approach             Stress – all sources             Skin – for cellulite             Nutrition             Sleep             Joy Cellulite solution: Warm up Workout Interval Myofascial release or Stretch So, if you lost that muscle tone, can you get it back? Yes! With some special attention! Resources Mentioned in this episode: 10 Day Hot Not Bothered Challenge Flipping 50 TV Cellulite Episode Magdalena’s Book on Estrogen Dominance Other Episodes mentioned: The Sneak Peek Book Intro

Are you getting enough exercise in menopause? Are you wondering that too? I’ve been following your advice focusing on strength 2x a week, typically Wednesday & Saturday for ample recovery time. My question is this. If I typically do 30 min lifting routines, focusing on whole body strength w/ 8-20 pound weights, is 30 min enough? -Kate Right Question? What if the question you should ask is whether what you’re doing is too much? In response to Kate’s question, to be clear I don’t think you’re doing too much or she’d have offered some other information. When it comes to exercise you want Goldilocks amount. The sweet spot, the just right amount. Too much exercise will cause you to gain weight and store fat. Too little exercise will not help you optimize hormones. You want a nice dose of cortisol reduction. You want a dose of growth hormone and testosterone stimulation. You want to pick up where estrogen may have dumped you off with stimulus for muscle. Enough Exercise in Menopause for You You first determine whether those things are appropriate for you or if you’ve got signs that you have imbalance. For instance: you can barely get up in the morning, you’re up but not fully functioning for hours… you have gained weight, doing the same thing you used to do and now can’t get it off and the more you try the worse it gets. You have mood swings and total brain fog You can’t sleep at night even though you’re exhausted It’s not a matter of time. It’s a matter of what you do with that time. Do you reach muscular fatigue? Let’s look at sets. In the most typical example of sets of exercise there might be 2 or 3 sets of a number of repetitions of exercise. But there could also be just one set. A single set of 3 to 6 repetitions to fatigue, or a set of 35 to fatigue are also documented as means for successfully gaining strength and muscle mass. Fatigue is the Key The point is reaching fatigue with 9 different exercises repeated for a total 27 sets could be done in 30 minutes. That’s quite a bit of successful muscle fatigue. The question is whether the weights you’re using for the exercises and the sequence of those exercises is causing fatigue. If you’re asking, I’m wondering if you might be ready to lift heavier weights, or have a different routine, so that you reach fatigue. Resources mentioned on this episode: Book Sneak PEEK episode 10-Day Hot Not Bothered Challenge Other Podcasts You Might Like: Insulin Resistance in Midlife Belly Fat Understanding the Role of Cortisol and Exercise in Menopause Thanks to my friend Stu Schaffer for sharing his client’s story about too much exercise.