High Performance Health

Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains how muscle quality changes in perimenopause and how HIIT, heavy lifting and protein timing help women over 40 train smarter.

In perimenopause, muscle can shift from a lean "filet" toward a "rib eye," with more fat and connective tissue inside it, and a DEXA or InBody can't detect it. Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains why heavier, higher power training recruits the type 2 fibers that fade with age, how 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT appears to reduce visceral fat in as little as three weeks, why fat burning is not fat loss, and when about 20g of protein before training helps.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why muscle quality, not just muscle size, may change first in perimenopause

How 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT targets visceral fat in midlife women

Why fat burning during zone 2 is not the same as fat loss

When training fasted costs you results, and when it does not

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro: Muscle Quality in Perimenopause and Why a DEXA Can't Measure It

06:31 - How to Train for Muscle Quality After 40: Heavy Load, Power and Type 2 Fibers

10:13 - HIIT and Visceral Fat in Midlife Women: The 1 Minute On, 1 Minute Off Protocol

16:01 - The 30 Minute Heavy Lifting Protocol, the Norwegian 4x4 and Where Zone 2 Fits

25:38 - Fasted vs Fed Training for Women 40+: Protein Before or After Exercise

37:58 - Losing Leg and Glute Definition, HRT and Why Your Symptoms Are Valid

44:28 - Fiber, Omega-3s and Creatine Dosing for Muscle and Brain in Perimenopause

54:05 - Perimenopause Is a Metabolic Transition: Final Advice

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Effects of high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese women, Journal of Sports Sciences (Smith-Ryan et al. (2016)) https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1149609

The acute effect of exercise modality and nutrition manipulations on post-exercise resting energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio in women, Sports Medicine (Wingfield et al. (2015)) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-015-0010-3

The effects of nutrient timing on training adaptations in resistance-trained females, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (Pihoker et al. (2018)) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.09.236

Metabolic effects of high-intensity interval training and essential amino acids, European Journal of Applied Physiology (Hirsch et al. (2021)) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04792-4

Follow Dr Abbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asmithryan/

Explore Dr Abbie's work: https://asmithryan.com/

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr Abbie Smith-Ryan is an exercise physiologist and researcher in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she leads the Applied Physiology Laboratory. Her research focuses on how high-intensity training, nutrient timing and supplementation such as creatine shape muscle quality, body composition and metabolic health in women, with a growing focus on perimenopause.

Midlife belly fat is often blamed on high cortisol, but the picture may be more complicated. Long-term stress, insulin resistance, low energy availability, intense exercise, and poor recovery can all affect how the body responds to weight-loss efforts in your 40s. Pushing harder with HIIT, fasting, or calorie restriction may not always address the underlying issue. Could improving recovery and blood sugar balance change the way your body responds?

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/Mi5F3U2gHR8

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Dr. Erin Kinney's new book: The Cortisol Cure

https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-cure

Want to go deeper? Start here:

Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

Reset your hormones, restore your energy, and reconnect with your body in just 21 days.

https://www.highperformance-health.com

Fresh Start Sunday Newsletter

Your weekly 3-minute guide to creating the healthiest, most vibrant version of you.

Each Sunday, get one simple habit to boost energy, balance hormones, and enhance longevity - joined by 25,000+ women worldwide.

https://angelafosterperformance.com/

The Ultimate Guide to Creatine for Women -

https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/creatine-guide

️ 10 Habits that Helped me reverse my Biological Age by 25 years in Perimenopause -

https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/10-habits-optin-page

About Me:

Angela Foster is a corporate lawyer turned health and performance coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the BioSyncing:registered: Method. Host of the High Performance Health Podcast with 500+ episodes featuring world-leading experts in longevity, hormones, neuroscience, and female performance science.

The most accomplished women have everything handled on the outside, but their hormones, energy, and nervous system are quietly paying the price.

The old playbook stops working in midlife.

This channel is designed to help high-performing women optimise energy, hormones, cognitive performance, and longevity using science-backed strategies built around female biology.

Angela’s personal mission is to help 1 million ambitious women perform better, age slower, and never have to choose between success and their health.

If you want to be part of that mission, make sure you subscribe and share the channel with a woman you care about.

Follow me for daily health and performance tips:

Instagram: @angelasfoster

Facebook: @AngelaFosterPerformance

If you're over 40 and gaining weight around your middle despite doing everything right, cutting calories may be the wrong place to start. In this episode I break down why protein - not restriction - is the first thing I look at with almost every woman I work with.

We cover what's actually happening to your metabolism in perimenopause, why low protein can quietly drive your cravings, how much you really need, why breakfast is the meal most women get wrong, and the 30g "absorption limit" myth you've probably been told for years.

I also walk through a 12-week trial in women aged 30–60 where the higher-protein group improved their body composition - with no calorie deficit and no exercise programme - and I give you the caveats too. Protein isn't just about building muscle. It's about building biological capacity.

Timestamps:

00:00 Perimenopause Weight Gain: Why Cutting Calories Backfires

02:08 Why Protein Is the Nutrient That Changes Everything

04:39 How Much Protein Per Day - and Why Breakfast Matters Most

07:28 Can You Absorb More Than 30g of Protein at Once?

09:47 12-Week Study: More Protein, Better Body Composition

12:30 How to Start: Three Simple Steps

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Timeline - Support your mitochondrial health: Timeline Mitopure delivers Urolithin A at the clinically studied dose to support cellular renewal and energy production, helping counter the natural decline in mitochondrial function that comes with age.

👉 Get 20% off Mitopure when you visit http://timeline.com/ANGELA and use code ANGELA.

Want to go deeper? Start here:

Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

🌸Reset your hormones, restore your energy, and reconnect with your body in just 21 days.

👉 https://www.highperformance-health.com

💌 Fresh Start Sunday Newsletter

Your weekly 3-minute guide to creating the healthiest, most vibrant version of you.

Each Sunday, get one simple habit to boost energy, balance hormones, and enhance longevity - joined by 25,000+ women worldwide.

👉 https://angelafosterperformance.com/

🥗The Ultimate Guide to Creatine for Women -

👉 https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/creatine-guide

⚡️ 10 Habits that Helped me reverse my Biological Age by 25 years in Perimenopause -

👉 https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/10-habits-optin-page

About Me:

Angela Foster is a corporate lawyer turned health and performance coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the BioSyncing:registered: Method. Host of the High Performance Health Podcast with 500+ episodes featuring world-leading experts in longevity, hormones, neuroscience, and female performance science.

The most accomplished women have everything handled on the outside, but their hormones, energy, and nervous system are quietly paying the price.

The old playbook stops working in midlife.

This channel is designed to help high-performing women optimise energy, hormones, cognitive performance, and longevity using science-backed strategies built around female biology.

Angela’s personal mission is to help 1 million ambitious women perform better, age slower, and never have to choose between success and their health.

If you want to be part of that mission, make sure you subscribe and share the channel with a woman you care about.

Follow me for daily health and performance tips:

Instagram: @angelasfoster

Facebook: @AngelaFosterPerformance

In this episode, Angela speaks with Eric Helms about what the evidence actually says. Eric explains why progressive overload matters more than simply lifting the heaviest weight possible, how women can build muscle effectively across a wide range of rep ranges, and how to structure resistance training for both long-term health and body composition.

They also unpack training frequency, sets per muscle group, proximity to failure and why the best programme is ultimately one you can recover from and consistently follow.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

You Don’t Have to Lift Extremely Heavy — Bone health doesn’t require maximal lifting.

Progressive Overload Matters — Keep increasing the challenge as you get stronger.

A Wide Rep Range Works — Muscle can be built effectively across roughly 6–20 reps.

Train Close to Failure — Aim to finish most sets around 1–3 reps from failure.

Start With 6–12 Sets — Aim for around 6–12 sets per muscle group each week.

Frequency Can Be Flexible — Training each muscle 1–3 times per week can work.

More Isn’t Always Better — Extra training delivers diminishing returns.

Want to go deeper? Start here:

Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

🌸Reset your hormones, restore your energy, and reconnect with your body in just 21 days.

👉 https://www.highperformance-health.com

💌 Fresh Start Sunday Newsletter

Your weekly 3-minute guide to creating the healthiest, most vibrant version of you.

Each Sunday, get one simple habit to boost energy, balance hormones, and enhance longevity - joined by 25,000+ women worldwide.

👉 https://angelafosterperformance.com/

🥗The Ultimate Guide to Creatine for Women -

👉 https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/creatine-guide

⚡️ 10 Habits that Helped me reverse my Biological Age by 25 years in Perimenopause -

👉 https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/10-habits-optin-page

👩‍💼 About Me:

Angela Foster is a corporate lawyer turned health and performance coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the BioSyncing:registered: Method. Host of the High Performance Health Podcast with 500+ episodes featuring world-leading experts in longevity, hormones, neuroscience, and female performance science.

The most accomplished women have everything handled on the outside, but their hormones, energy, and nervous system are quietly paying the price.

The old playbook stops working in midlife.

This channel is designed to help high-performing women optimise energy, hormones, cognitive performance, and longevity using science-backed strategies built around female biology.

Angela’s personal mission is to help 1 million ambitious women perform better, age slower, and never have to choose between success and their health.

If you want to be part of that mission, make sure you subscribe and share the channel with a woman you care about.

Follow me for daily health and performance tips:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaFosterPerformance

#angelaFoster #HighPerformanceHealth #WomensHealth #Longevity

This episode highlights key points from our discussion on recognizing cognitive changes before Alzheimer’s disease reaches a later stage. We talk through early signs that can be easy to dismiss, including changes in memory, word-finding, emotional tolerance, recognizing faces, and navigating familiar places.

We also explore why a change from your own normal cognitive function matters and why earlier evaluation may create more opportunity to understand what is affecting the brain. The discussion also looks at the proposed shift from the brain’s normal “connection” processes toward a protective response when it perceives physiological stress or other insults.

Want to go deeper? Start here:

Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

Reset your hormones, restore your energy, and reconnect with your body in just 21 days.

https://www.highperformance-health.com

Fresh Start Sunday Newsletter

Your weekly 3-minute guide to creating the healthiest, most vibrant version of you.

Each Sunday, get one simple habit to boost energy, balance hormones, and enhance longevity - joined by 25,000+ women worldwide.

https://angelafosterperformance.com/

The Ultimate Guide to Creatine for Women -

https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/creatine-guide

️ 10 Habits that Helped me reverse my Biological Age by 25 years in Perimenopause -

https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/10-habits-optin-page

About Me:

Angela Foster is a corporate lawyer turned health and performance coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the BioSyncing:registered: Method. Host of the High Performance Health Podcast with 500+ episodes featuring world-leading experts in longevity, hormones, neuroscience, and female performance science.

The most accomplished women have everything handled on the outside, but their hormones, energy, and nervous system are quietly paying the price.

The old playbook stops working in midlife.

This channel is designed to help high-performing women optimise energy, hormones, cognitive performance, and longevity using science-backed strategies built around female biology.

Angela’s personal mission is to help 1 million ambitious women perform better, age slower, and never have to choose between success and their health.

If you want to be part of that mission, make sure you subscribe and share the channel with a woman you care about.

Follow me for daily health and performance tips:

Instagram: @angelasfoster

Facebook: @AngelaFosterPerformance