Should Women Train Differently? The Complete Guide to Cycle-Syncing Your Workouts

In this solo episode, Dr. Stephanie shares her updated thinking
on fitness training for women who menstruate, including
perimenopausal women with irregular cycles. Drawing from
principles in the Betty Body Book and her presentation at the
Health Optimization Summit in Europe, she breaks down how to
strategically modify your training across the four weeks of your
cycle—while emphasizing the crucial principle of autoregulation.


Episode Overview (timestamps may vary):
0:00  Intro/Teaser
3:13 Why We've Been Training Like Men
8:28 The Three M's of Muscle (Mobility, Metabolic,
Menstrual)
21:00 Waist-to-Hip Ratio Longevity Test
24:29 AUTOREGULATION: The Most Important Principle
32:01 Week 1 Training Protocol: 8-12 Reps
34:16 Week 2: 5-7 Reps (POWER Week!)
40:24 Week 3: 8-12 Reps
42:47 Week 4: 15-20 Reps (Myokines!)
45:46 Training Considerations for Perimenopausal Women


Resources mentioned in this episode can be found at
https://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep448


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P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help
you:


Subscribe: The Mini
Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most
actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in
midlife.


Build Muscle: LIFT — My
progressive strength training program designed for women in
midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real
results.


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