How can you focus on muscle and body composition in menopause, specifically gaining muscle and losing fat? How many sets, repetitions, and how much rest should you take? How much can you follow research featuring young athletic men and how should you advocate for yourself when trainers aren’t using science based on women?

We cover this all today with my guest who is a well-respected and prolific researcher and published author in the field of human performance.

Optimizing muscle and body composition in menopause, that is gaining muscle and losing fat is the focus of this episode. A researcher I met personally a decade ago, whose name has become nearly synonymous with any new study on muscle, hypertrophy, and protocols, joins me.

Women in midlife are often more susceptible to negative effects of stress. We have a frequent occurrence in our membership of women who are “pushing through” and not actually getting stronger or more fit, because of adrenal insufficiency or a combination of things, we find that less is more, if we can get adequate stimulus during a session and balance that with adequate recovery, we have a better opportunity to improve quality of life for women who need muscle mass and bone density but not at the cost of exhaustion and injury.

BRAD SCHOENFELD

Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, CSPS, FNSCA, is a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, where he serves as the graduate director of the Human Performance and Fitness program. He also formerly served as the Sports Nutritionist for the New Jersey Devils hockey organization. Dr. Schoenfeld has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers on various exercise- and sports nutrition-related topics, and authored the seminal textbook, "Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy." He was the recipient of the 2016 Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award, presented by the United States Sports Academy for outstanding achievement in fitness and contributions to the growth and development of sport fitness through outstanding leadership activity, as well as earning the 2018 National Strength and Conditioning Association Young Investigator of the Year Award.

His research interest is to optimize body composition (muscle hypertrophy and fat loss) . In particular, his lab studies the manipulation of resistance training variables and their effects on muscular adaptations.

• Why this? What originally propelled you into this field of study and ultimately to teach and advise others?
• What have been the most aha moments for you in conducting the research on muscle ?
• Define Muscle hypertrophy vs Muscle strength
• Define and elaborate on “Volume”
• We mentioned frequency of exercise and the consideration of the volume of recovery
• Time under tension and tempo training

Website: https://www.lookgreatnaked.com/about_brad.php

On Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brad.schoenfeld.cscs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradschoenfeldphd/

Resources:

Hot, Not Bothered Challenge: https://www.flippingfifty.com/hnb-challenge

5 Day Flip: https://www.flippingfifty.com

STRONGER: https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger

• Questions About Gaining Muscle and Strength for Women Over 50 - https://www.flippingfifty.com/gaining-muscle-and-strength/
• 3 Steps to Gain Lean Muscle in Menopause - https://www.flippingfifty.com/gain-lean-muscle/
• Short Workouts for Women Over 50 | What Works? - https://www.flippingfifty.com/short-workouts-for-women-over-50/

This is all about menopause fitness changes that you want to make, 20 of them in fact. Before any of these are truly beneficial, I’ll share this: if you’re not measuring you have no idea what is really happening. Measure and track your percent body fat and your skeletal muscle (in lbs or kgs). Other things you may want to do, take your measurements, track the waist or get nitty gritty with visceral belly fat stat from your Smart Scale.

If you’ve always said, I don’t weigh, I just pay attention to how my clothes fit, it’s time to change that thinking. By the time you may realize you lost a significant amount of muscle it could be too late.. and harder to get it back. Let’s not lose anything you have now, and work to build strong futures.

1. Intense exercise Early

2. Exercise late? Make it light.

3. Increase recovery between challenging sessions.

4. If insomnia strikes, leave agility work for another day

5. Warm up and cool down like a boss to prevent injury

6. Bookend workouts with fuel

7. Quality movement wins over frenzied

8. Basics work better than variety for variety’s sake

9. Fuel before any intense exercise

10. Listen to your body better than you have ever before

Perimenopause

11. Restore before more: Exhausted can’t get fit

12. Focus on muscle building

13. HIIT may hurt or help: assess for yourself

14. Activities that create positive neurotransmitters

15. Don’t underestimate walking and strength training

Postmenopause

16. Energy is more stable: Push a little harder

17. Continue to prioritize strength

18. Frequency of HIIT can often increase from 2 to 4 times a week (45 minutes is still a threshold where injury rates seem to go up)

19. Mobility most days

20. Add Power regularly.

Resources:

Hot Not Bothered Challenge: https://www.flippingfifty.com/hnb-challenge

FREE What, When & Why to Exercise for Women 40+ summit: https://www.flippingfifty.com/wwwexercise

TEDx Talk:

https://youtu.be/k5IzLZ1mP94?si=kCE2oE5LA8i7NGEA

Other Episodes You Might Like:

5 Menopause Fitness Questions You Want Answered: https://www.flippingfifty.com/5-menopause-fitness-questions/ 3 Menopause Fitness Makeovers | Hormone Balancing Exercise: https://www.flippingfifty.com/menopause-fitness-makeovers/ Do Menopause Fitness Rules Apply to Post Menopause Fitness, too? 495: https://www.flippingfifty.com/menopause-fitness-rules/

Out this week, Ageless Aging is a new title on the shelves and book author and women’s aging advocate, Maddy Dychtwald is here with us on this episode. You’re going to love this episode.

We dive into why women have to advocate for themselves, the power of your mindset and why you and all your high school friends may be aging at such different paces.

Physical activity remains a cornerstone of healthy aging. Imagine each step of a brisk walk or each rep in a strength training session not only enhancing muscle tone but also refreshing our minds and spirits. This daily commitment to physical activity is not merely about staying fit—it’s a celebration of our bodies’ capacity to thrive at any age, boosting both brain health and emotional well-being, ensuring we live not just longer, but with unstoppable vitality.

Maddy Dychtwald is an internationally acclaimed author, public speaker, and thought leader on longevity, aging, the new retirement, and the ascent of women. She co-founded Age Wave, the world's leader in understanding and addressing the far-reaching impacts of our aging population, and has led numerous acclaimed studies on women and money. In addition, she has been involved in more than 25 thought leadership research studies worldwide on aging, longevity, retirement, health, family, caregiving, housing, and leisure, which have cumulatively garnered more than 14 billion media impressions. Her new book, Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan, publishes May 14th, 2024. She lives in San Francisco with her family.

1. We are at the beginning stages of a longevity revolution. Why are women at the forefront?

2. Why is it so important to create a new and improved experience of long life, especially designed for women?

3. You coined the term “ageless aging,” which is the title of your new book. What does that mean exactly?

4. You’ve created a holistic recipe for ageless aging that any woman of any age can begin. What are the most important ingredients?

5. You share actionable tips and steps to help women increase their healthspans, brainspans, and lifespans. Can you share a few that you practice every day?

Website:

https://maddydychtwald.com/

On Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddydychtwald/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Maddy_Dychtwald

• Grip Strength Is More Than Access to Nut Butter: Positive Aging - https://www.flippingfifty.com/grip-strength/
• Are Your Mitochondria Aging Too Fast? | Slow Down to Energy Up - https://www.flippingfifty.com/aging-too-fast/
• Think You’re Too Old? Ageism Dismantled with Ashton Applewhite - https://flippingfifty.com/ageism-dismantled/

What When & Why to Exercise for Women 40+: https://www.flippingfifty.com/wwwexercise

NEW BOOK: Ageless Aging - https://www.amazon.com/Ageless-Aging-Increasing-Healthspan-Brainspan-ebook/dp/B0CG1QTK47