Women Over 40: The Strength Training Plan for Muscle, Brain Health & Longevity | The Proof of Practice
Proof of Practice PodcastShow Notes
This episode breaks down what exercise actually does for women, from the hormonal quirks wearables miss to exactly how heavy you need to lift, at any age, to stay strong for life. Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, Dr. Stacy Sims, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Gabby Reece, and Amber Taylor dig into one of the most searched and most misunderstood topics in women’s health: exercise. They tackle the wearables problem head-on, explaining why HRV algorithms were designed around male physiology and how hormonal shifts through the menstrual cycle and menopause distort the data. WHAT WE EXPLORE * Why fitness tracker algorithms are not built for women’s physiology * How HRV readings shift with progesterone and why that does not mean you are under-recovered * Hormone replacement therapy and body composition: what it can and cannot do * The minimum effective exercise dose to avoid losing ground as you age * How to define heavy lifting relative to your training age, not a fixed number * Resistance training and brain health: why lifting heavy protects against dementia and cognitive decline * Reps in reserve: the practical tool for loading smarter on any given day * Why walking alone is not enough to maintain muscle mass after 40 * The community factor: why training with others changes how hard you push * Strength training for kids and teens: debunking the growth plate myth Timestamps * 00:00 Introduction: The Exercise Episode and Why the Science Has Missed Women * 01:10 Wearables and Women: What Your Fitness Tracker Is Getting Wrong * 03:00 HRV, Hormones, and Why Your Whoop Thinks You Are Not Recovered * 06:20 Hormone Replacement Therapy and Body Composition: What It Does and Does Not Do * 11:00 Managing Stress and Life Load: The Invisible Variable in Women’s Health * 12:00 Exercise as Medicine: The Minimum Dose to Maintain Physical Function * 17:30 Resistance Training Three to Four Days a Week Is Non-Negotiable * 21:00 The Community Factor: Why You Work Harder When You Are Not Alone * 25:00 How Each Host Actually Trains: Real Schedules from Five Busy Experts * 31:00 How Heavy Is Heavy: Reps, Load, and What the Research Actually Says * 35:15 Reps in Reserve: The Smarter Way to Measure Your Training Load * 38:00 Lifting Heavy and Brain Health: Why Strength Training Fights Cognitive Decline * 43:00 Weighted Vests, Machines, and the Best Starting Point for Beginners * 47:00 The One-Minute Protocol: The Simplest High-Intensity Interval That Works * 47:55 When to Start Loading: Strength Training for Girls, Teens, and Busting the Growth Plate Myth – ABOUT THE PROOF OF PRACTICE The Proof of Practice: Where Science Meets Practice Hosted by five of the most respected names in women’s health: Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, Amber Taylor, Gabby Reece, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, and Dr. Stacy Sims, this show exists because women have been studied less, treated as afterthoughts, and given advice built for men. We’re changing that. Every episode brings evidence-based, experience-backed conversations on strength, metabolism, hormones, longevity, and performance: for women, by women who’ve dedicated their careers to getting it right. No trends. No shortcuts. Just the proof that practice works. – JOIN THE PROOF OF PRACTICE COMMUNITY The conversation doesn’t stop when the episode does. 📷 Follow us for evidence-based clips and the kind of content that makes you feel less alone in what you’re going through. This is where the conversation stays alive. 👉 https://www.instagram.com/proofofpractice_ 💌 Some things deserve more space than an episode allows. Join us on Substack for deeper dives, exclusive resources, and the nuance that actually helps you make sense of your health, not just follow a trend. 👉 https://proofpractice.substack.com/ 🎧 If this episode moved you, challenged you, or gave you something you needed to hear, there’s more where that came from. Subscribe so you never have to go looking. Every new conversation lands straight in your feed, ready when you are.
This is a public episode. If y
More from Proof of Practice Podcast
Elissa Goodman is a holistic nutritionist diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 32 who declined chemotherapy and rebuilt her health. We talk about stress, the self love work, cutting sugar, gluten, and dairy, the blood panels most doctors skip, peptides for hair and skin, and a five day cleanse built on real food. Plus why GLP-1s shut her business down. WHAT WE EXPLORE * Saying no to chemo, half the radiation * Cutting sugar, gluten, and dairy for inflammation * Peptides for hair, skin, and gut health * Blood work markers most doctors skip * 50 grams of fiber, five day cleanse * What GLP-1s did to how women eat
Dr. Tiffany Lester, is a board-certified integrative medicine physician and Women’s Health Medical Director at Function Health, breaks down what standard labs miss in women. From “normal” ferritin that isn’t optimal to hidden thyroid antibodies and lab ranges built for men. WHAT WE EXPLORE: * Top biomarkers for women: ferritin, fasting insulin, thyroid * Low ferritin in active women and optimal levels * Full thyroid panel and TPO antibodies explained * Leptin resistance and perimenopause weight gain * Why lab reference ranges aren’t built for women * Perimenopause heart health: ApoB, Lp(a), and CAC scans * How chronic stress and trauma affect biomarkers
Navy SEAL veteran Marcus Capone talks about his ibogaine treatment and effects on addiction and faith and the work he and his wife Amber do through VETS Solutions. It is one of the most raw and hopeful conversations on veteran mental health you will hear. WHAT WE EXPLORE * Ibogaine treatment for veteran PTSD and trauma * Ibogaine’s four effects: brain, addiction, spirit, mind * Why antidepressants and talk therapy failed him * Heart risks and safety screening before ibogaine * Why integration support matters most
Mel Strong, founding partner of Next Ventures and ex-Nike Women VP, joins Gabby Reece, Amber Taylor, and Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan on why women’s health is the smartest bet in tech and the research and tools finally putting women first. WHAT WE EXPLORE Women-led companies deliver stronger returns Decision frameworks for major career changes Evidence-backed women’s health claims Why AI trained on old data misleads women Hormone monitoring technology for women GLP-1 dosing and female metabolism The women’s health gap
Dr. Vonda Wright, Gabby Reece, Dr. Stacy Sims, and Amber Taylor break down why estrogen loss, grip strength and gait speed as early predictors of decline, the GLP-1 driven “skeletonization” trend, and the difference between sarcopenia and dynapenia. WHAT WE EXPLORE * Skeletal longevity and estrogen’s role in cartilage * GLP-1 use and the skeletonization trend * Redefining longevity beyond weight and youth * Why men get hormone testing and women don’t * Building bone and muscle density after 40 * Grip strength and gait speed as biomarkers Timestamps * 00:00 The Zone 2 Training Confusion * 04:43 What Is Skeletal Longevity and Why It Matters * 10:39 Redefining Longevity Beyond Skinny and Age * 15:49 Why Health Basics Beat Biohacking Gadgets * 18:55 The Biggest Unanswered Question in Orthopedics * 22:37 New Study Links Inflammation to Joint Damage * 29:34 Why Men Get Hormone Tests and Women Don’t * 37:39 How to Build Bone and Muscle at Any Age * 45:30 Why Grip Strength Predicts Early Decline * 54:30 How to Talk to Patients Scared of Estrogen * 57:05 What the WHI Study Really Showed About Dr. Vonda Wright Dr. Vonda Wright is an orthopedic sports surgeon and leading expert in women’s health and longevity. For over 20 years, she has helped women build muscle, strengthen bone, and extend their health span — with science, not guesswork. Her mission is simple: help women age with power. Connect with Dr. Vonda Website: http://www.drvondawright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright/ – ABOUT THE PROOF OF PRACTICE The Proof of Practice: Where Science Meets Practice Women have been understudied, undertreated, and given advice built for men. This show exists to change that. Hosted by five of the most respected names in women’s health — Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, Amber Taylor, Gabby Reece, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, and Dr. Stacy Sims — every episode brings evidence-based, experience-backed conversations on strength, metabolism, hormones, longevity, and performance. No trends. No shortcuts. Just the proof that practice works. YOUR HOSTS Gabby Reece One of the most iconic athletes in American sports history, Gabby Reece is a former professional beach volleyball player, Nike’s first female spokesperson, New York Times bestselling author, and lifelong advocate for how women should train, eat, and live. She co-founded the Hamilton House Experience wellness program with her husband Laird Hamilton and hosts The Reecet women’s wellness retreat. Gabby brings decades of real-world performance experience to every conversation. 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabbyreece/ 🌐 http://gabbyreece.com Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, PhD, CSCS*D, FACSM, FNSCA Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory, Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan has published over 190 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is one of the leading researchers in female physiology, metabolism, and sports nutrition. A three-time NSCA award winner — including Outstanding Sports Scientist of the Year (2022) — she translates cutting-edge lab science into practical strategies that actually work for women across every life stage. 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asmithryan/ 🌐 http://asmithryan.com Amber Taylor Amber Taylor is a New Zealand–based digital health and product leader who builds evidence‑based fitness platforms designed to better support women’s physiology, safety, and long‑term wellbeing. Drawing on two decades in technology and digital roles at Amazon, Nike, and Les Mills, she uses AI, behavioral insights, and omnichannel delivery to create inclusive training experiences that help women move consistently, recover smarter, and integrate exercise into real life. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, DO Board-certified in family medicine and fellowship-trained in nutritional science and geriatrics, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is the founder of muscle-centric medicine — a framework that positions skeletal muscle as the cornerstone of metaboli