Modern / Female Physiology · 2016
Roar
Stacy Sims
Women are not small men. Train and eat with your cycle, not against it.
The premise
Sims's argument is that most sports science was done on men and then scaled down. Hormonal variation across a cycle changes thermoregulation, fuelling, recovery and how the body responds to load.
The two halves
In the low-hormone follicular phase the body handles intensity and carbohydrate well — the window for hard training and personal bests. In the high-hormone luteal phase, core temperature runs higher, protein needs rise and recovery slows.
Fuelling
Her strongest practical stance is against training fasted. Under-fuelling is presented as the most common error among active women, with consequences for bone, cycle and thyroid. Eat before, and get protein in soon after.
Strength is non-negotiable
Heavy resistance work, plyometrics and sprint intervals are recommended for bone density, tendon strength and metabolic health — the opposite of the endless-low-intensity advice long marketed to women.
Perimenopause and beyond
As oestrogen declines, the emphasis shifts further toward heavy lifting, power work and higher protein intake to defend muscle and bone.
What to take from it
Track the cycle, load the strong weeks, eat enough, and lift heavy things regardless of phase.
Lines to keep
- “Women are not small men.”
- “Under-fuelling is the most common error among active women.”
- “Load the follicular weeks; recover the luteal ones.”
Practice
- · Log your cycle alongside your training for two months.
- · Add two heavy strength sessions a week and eat protein after each.