91- Why Muscle Matters After 30: Strength Training, Metabolism, and Women’s Health

n this episode of MilesFromHerView, Kat, a seasoned strength trainer with nearly two decades of experience, dives deep into the importance of muscle metabolism and strength training for women in their 30s, 40s, and beyond. Kat debunks common fitness myths and emphasizes the significance of progressive strength training to combat age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia. She provides a step-by-step action plan, including exercises, nutrition tips, and recovery strategies to help women build muscle, boost metabolism, and enhance overall vitality. The episode includes practical advice, real-life applications, and a free beginner's workout plan to get listeners started on their fitness journey.

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00:00 Introduction to Muscle Metabolism

01:05 The Importance of Strength Training

02:45 Understanding Muscle and Fat

03:46 The Impact of Aging on Muscle Mass

04:33 The Role of Estrogen in Muscle Maintenance

05:31 Reversing Muscle Decline with Strength Training

06:11 Progressive Overload Explained

08:27 Common Pitfalls in Group Fitness Classes

17:18 The Benefits of Strength Training Beyond Muscle

18:13 Step-by-Step Strength Training Plan

24:56 Conclusion and Call to Action

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Transcript

0:00

Today, we are cutting through the noise and talking about what actually drives strength and metabolism as you move through your thirties, forties, and beyond. We're talking muscle metabolism in a step by step action plan that you can start this week.

Kat: 0:17

Welcome to Miles From Review, the podcast powered by Cat Fit Strength, where busy women like you find practical solutions to fuel your fitness journey with authenticity and resilience. I'm Kat, your host, a mom of two active boys, a business owner, and an ultra marathon runner and a strength trainer in her forties with nearly two decades of experience. I'm here to help you cut through the noise of fads, hacks, and quick fixes. This is a space where we celebrate womanhood and motherhood. All while building strength and resilience and reconnecting with you from a place of self-compassion and worthiness. Whether you're lacing up your running shoes to go out for a run, driving your kids to practice or squeezing in a moment for yourself, I'm right here in the trenches with you. Let's dive in.

1:05

Welcome back to Miles from Review. I'm excited to go into this topic. This is one that. I love going over with women and in the social media spheres. It's, it's the wild, wild west out there. There are so many messages I get caught up in it. I have been working in this field for two decades in the capacity as from, a college track and field coach and strength and conditioning coach, to now working with. Incredible women who are in the trenches every day, prioritizing their health, running a house, a family, a career, doing all the things and want to do it, feeling strong and with more vitality than they had in their twenties. And when I get into the nitty gritty of strength training. I'm gonna provide the science behind it, but I'm not going to make it a lecture where it is going to be very cumbersome. I want to present it from a way that it is tangible and why strength training is important. We're gonna into like what is heavy lifting and how you can incorporate it. I also want you to take away that maybe you felt like your strength training, and by the end of this you're like, wait, I actually am not strength training. That all your work that you've done and put in with your current workouts and how it's structured is not for a loss. Muscle is the largest metabolically active tissue in your body. Why this matters is muscle requires energy all the time just to exist. It's constantly pulling glucose and fatty acids out of your bloodstream to support your posture, movement, repair, temperature, regulation and recovery. So fat tissue. Mostly stores energy, muscles use energy fat is important. You do need fat on your body. The goal is not to have zero fat, that's unhealthy, but we want to have a good fat to muscle percentage. So what this means is the more muscle mass you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. So in translation, you're going to be burning more calories when you're watching Netflix, scrolling on social media, working at your computer, and even while you're sleeping. But after the age of 30, you're going to naturally start to lose three to 8% of your muscle mass per decade. And why this is so important, especially for women, is if you do not strength train. This process is called sarcopenia. Men can also and do develop sarcopenia too. They also lose three to 8%, muscle mass per decade. And this slows down your metabolism as you age. So you're not gonna notice this overnight. You're gonna notice it when you're body composition changes, even though your habits don't change. Strength starts to drop off. You start to limit yourself in how you're living, and recovery is going to take longer. Your blood sugar feels harder to manage. And you feel more fragile in your body. And so why this is very important for women is as we progress through our thirties and we get into our forties, perimenopause starts to pop up on the horizon and menopause. Estrogen declines in this time and declining estrogen accelerates this muscle loss even more. So we're already, both male and female are going to be losing muscle mass on an average of three to 8% per decade. And so for women, we have a higher amount of estrogen in our body and this accelerates muscle loss even more. If our muscle. Mass is lower and we start from a lower mass of muscle and we start to lose it more. And then the declining of estrogen, we're putting ourself in a bad position here. So estrogen supports muscle protein synthesis and nor muscular efficiency. So when it drops, maintaining muscle requires more intention. So here's the most important part. The decline is not inevitable. It's not something that just happens. There are ways we can reverse this process, and that's through strength training. So you're not just slowing the decline, you can actually build muscle at any age. I have clients in their fifties and sixties who are stronger now than they were in their thirties. If you're listening to this and you're like, oh gosh. I am already in the throes of menopause. It's way too late for me. It is not too late. We just need to be more intentional about strength training and maintaining that muscle, and we're gonna go into that. So muscles don't adapt to exercise. They adapt to the progressively increasing demand. And so this is why progressive overload is a non-negotiable. When you challenge muscle appropriately, your body responds by increasing muscle fiber size, improving nervous system efficiency, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and raising the metabolic cost of maintaining that tissue. So once your body adapts, the stimulus has to change. This is where I find a lot of women get stuck with their routines. They're consistent, they lift weights, they show up, but their weights never change. Their reps never change. The challenge never changes. And at that point, you're maintaining movement. You're not building muscle. Here's what progressive overload looks like in practice. Weeks one and two, we're gonna just use, goblet squat. You're holding a 25 pound dumbbell for three sets of 10 reps, and it's challenging. When you enter weeks three to four, that same weight starts to feel easier, and that's your cue. In week five, you want to increase. To a 30 pound dumbbell. Now your muscles are being challenged again, which forces them to adapt and grow stronger. Progressive strength training doesn't mean lifting maximum weights or crushing yourself every session. It means training with enough intention that your body has a reason to adapt. Over time. When muscles adapt, the metabolism follows. And I'm gonna pull back to the point where I used an example where we're increasing the weight. I hear from a lot of women, they don't wanna get bulky. There is angst around lifting heavier what they've described to me is that bodybuilder physique, where they look over muscle. It takes a lot to do that. When we increase weight, it does not mean that. You will always increase constantly. So in one year you're gonna go from 25 pound goblet squat to a 300 pound goblet squat. I mean, that's an erroneous example there, but. With progressive strength, there are multiple factors in which we can increase the challenge. That is a brief overview of progressive strength training. What I see. In my practice is individuals come in and they are devoted body pump, orange Theory, P 90 X or any other hit type of class, and they look athletic, and they've been consistent with their workouts for years. They've been showing up the classes religiously and when. A body comp analysis is run. It tells a different story. So there's low muscle mass, higher body fat percentages than expected, and surprisingly low strength levels. So they look fit, but they're not strong and metabolically, their body composition isn't supporting them the way they thought it would. We're gonna go into why this is happening from an exercise physiology standpoint. So most group fitness classes are designed around muscular endurance. They're your ability to perform like high repetitions with lighter loads. So body pump, you're doing 50 plus reps per set. P 90 X is circuits orange theory is intervals, and here's the issue with this. Muscular endurance training primarily improves your muscle's ability to resist fatigue, but it does not create the stimulus needed for significant muscle growth. So from a physiological standpoint, building muscle requires mechanical tension, meaning you need to lift loads heavy enough, typically around 60 to 85% of your one rep max for sufficient. Volume. So usually three to five sets, six to 12 reps to trigger hypertrophy that muscle fiber recruitment. And when you're doing 50 reps with a 10 pound barbell, a 15 pound barbell, even a 20 pound barbell, the load is too light to curate that mechanical tension necessary for muscle protein synthesis. Your muscles adapt by improving their oxidative capacity and fatigue resistance, but they don't grow. And classes like Orangetheory and other hip based programs are excellent for cardiovascular fitness and calorie burning during the workout. I mean, no question about that, research also shows that higher intensity training with light resistance primarily trains your cardiovascular system and metabolic pathways, not your muscular system. You're improving your heart rate recovery, your VO two max, your lactate threshold. All valuable adaptations, but you're not going to. You're not providing that progressive overload to signal your muscles to grow. So in fact, when you're combining high intensity cardio with light resistance in the same session repeatedly, you can actually create what's called concurrent training interference, where the endurance stimulus can blunt strength and hypertrophy adaptations in your muscles. So that's that. Toned, but not strong phenomena. This is what I see most often with women who have visible muscle definition, especially in their arms and shoulders. But when we actually test strength, their ability to produce force, it's surprisingly low, and their muscle mass is also low. Here's why. Muscle definition is. Primarily a function of low body fat, not muscle mass. If you're burning calories consistently in high rep classes and keeping your body fat relatively low, you'll see definition. But definition without sufficient underlying muscle mass means you are not getting metabolic benefits or functional strength You need. When we look at body composition scans, I regularly see women who have been doing group classes for years, and skeletal muscle mass is lower, and we want them to be in a more optimal range up above 50% or higher. That does not mean, and when I say 50%. Skeletal muscle mass. That does not mean you're going to look like a bodybuilder. I cannot emphasize that enough. And women tend to be shocked, like they've been lifting weights all this time, but how are they not in a higher skeletal muscle mass? Here's the fundamental limitation of most group fitness classes. They cannot provide individualized progressive overload. So the instructor has a program for 20 to 30 people with vastly different fitness levels. So the programming defaults to moderate intensity that everyone can complete. The weight stays relatively late. The rep schemes stay in the endurance range week after week. You're doing essentially the same workout. So there's no systematic progression. There's no planned increases in the load, there's no periodization tailored to your body's adaptation timeline. And from an exercise science perspective, this violates, and I know that's a harsh word there, but it violates the principle. Of progressive overload, which is the single most important factor for muscle growth without progressively increasing the mechanical stress on your muscles. Adaptation plateaus, why this becomes critical during perimenopause and menopause is if you're relying on group fitness classes as your primary training method, and you enter perimenopause or menopause, you're fighting an uphill battle against sarcopenia without the right tools. Remember, estrogen decline accelerates muscle loss. So if your training isn't providing strong enough stimulus to build muscle when your hormones are stable. It definitely won't help when estrogen drops, and I see this pattern consistently. Women in their mid to late forties who have been doing body pump or orange theory suddenly notice their body composition changes rapidly. They're working out just as much, sometimes more. They're losing muscle mass, gaining body fat, especially around the midsection, and their strength is declining. This isn't because group fitness suddenly stopped working. It's because it was never providing enough stimulus to counteract sarcopenia in the first place. And now with the hormone changes of perimenopause, accelerating muscle loss, the gap between. Their body needs and what they're doing becomes glaringly obvious. So the frustrating part is they feel like they're doing everything right. They're consistent, they're sweating, they're burning calories. Their body composition and metabolic health are moving in the wrong direction. Progressive strength training becomes a non-negotiable during this phase. It's. The only training stimulus powerful enough to counteract and accelerate muscle loss that comes with declining estrogen. So when you're in perimenopause or menopause, you just don't need to maintain muscle. You need to actively build it to offset what hormonal changes are taking away. Now, like I said, classes do have value. And I'm not saying they are horrible. I know. It just sounded like I totally. Demonize classes and never, ever go, but they have a place they absolutely do. Body pump and orange theory and classes similar to that are excellent for building. Cardiovascular fitness, improving muscular endurance, learning movement patterns if you're new to exercise, community and accountability. Active recovery between strength sessions, yoga and Pilates. Offer different but equally valuable benefits, mobility, flexibility, mind body connection, core stability, stress reduction, and nervous system regulation. These modalities are complimentary to strength training but not replacements for it. I'm gonna say that again'cause it is very, very important. These modalities are complimentary to strength training. But not replacements for it. So many of my clients do yoga twice a week and strength training three times a week. That combination works beautifully because they are getting the progressive strength stimulus they need while supporting recovery, mobility and cardiovascular health. So if you've been showing up consistently to group fitness classes and you're frustrated that your body composition isn't changing or you're not feeling stronger, or your metabolism seems like it's stuck. It's not your fault. You're just not getting the right training stimulus. Your body's doing exactly what it's been trained to do. Perform high reps with light loads and recover quickly from cardiovascular stress. But if you want to build muscle, increase your metabolic rate and develop. Real functional strength that translates into everyday life, especially as you navigate those hormonal challenges of your thirties and forties and beyond. You need to progressively strength train with loads heavy enough to challenge your muscles, and a plan that systematically increases that challenge over time. This becomes absolutely critical for fighting sarcopenia and maintaining the metabolic health through perimenopause and menopause. All right. Let's take a deep breath there, and we're gonna tie this into why this matters in real life. This isn't just about metabolism or fitting into your like. Those are amazing aspects, but muscle mass determines your energy levels throughout the day. Your ability to keep up with your kids or grandkids. Your bone density strength training is one of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis. Your insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management, your resilience through menopause. Studies show that women who strength train have Fewer hot flashes, better mood stability, and higher energy. As well as, and this is, I feel very critical, your independence as you age. And when I work with women in their thirties and forties, they tell me, I wanna feel strong. I wanna play with my kids without getting winded. I want to go about my day without my back hurting. I wanna feel capable. And this is what muscle gives you. Not just a faster metabolism, but vitality, strength and confidence in your body. I'm gonna give you a step by step breakdown. Step one, commit to two to three full body strength sessions per week. Not cardio classes with lightweights, not 30 day challenges. Real intentional strength training. Each session should be around 30 to 45 minutes and include compound movements, exercises at work, multiple groups at once, squats, deadlifts, lunges, pushups, rows, overhead presses. These exercises are efficient and effective. You're building functional strength. Translates to real life. Step two, implement progressive overload. So without the progression, you stall over time something has to increase weight reps control, or range of motion. This is the game changer where a lot of programming misses. This is how we create the strength gains over time, as well as movement that applies to everyday life. Step three, prioritize protein, and I'm gonna just add a little aste here. This does not mean your entire world will revolve around eating protein. What I like to see here is. Incorporating protein throughout the day. When I give you the target, this is not day one. This is looking at a seven day period. I want, on average for you to be hitting as close to this as possible. So we want to increase our protein. Protein is the only macronutrient your body cannot store, so you need it daily. For muscle repair and muscle growth, approximately, you want one gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you're 150 pounds, that's 150 grams of protein per day. You might be like. Well, my goodness, that's a lot. How am I going to do that? Again, you need to become aware of where you are at. It's not, if you're at, I'm gonna pick a very erroneous example here. If you're at 20 grams of protein per day, I don't want you to say, okay, day one I must hit 150. No. We look at, let's bump that up to 30 to 40 grams. It's small, incremental, progressive changes in this area as well, and we want it to be spread throughout the day. So breakfast I'm gonna work off of the 150 grams here, breakfast, 30 to 40 grams of protein lunch, 30 to 40 dinner, 30 to 40 grams and snack 10 to 20 as needed. We wanna focus on like whole food sources like chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese beans, lentil tofu, protein shakes are a great supplement. They should not be your primary source of getting protein in. And ideally we would like to have some protein within one to two hours post-workout. This is just going to help aid in that recovery. Step four, and this is one of my favorite and overlooked recover, like a pro muscle does not grow in the gym. It grows during recovery. Sleep is. A non-negotiable aim for seven to nine hours per night. Deep sleep is when muscle repair happens. So if you have young kids and uninterrupted sleep isn't possible. Coordinate with your partner to try and split night duties. When you can rest days, take one to full rest days per week. Your muscles need time to repair. Listen to your body. If you're constantly exhausted, you're over training and under recovering. Pull back on that intensity and prioritize rest. Step five. Be consistent, not perfect. So building muscle is a long-term game, but you will see results along the way. The key is consistency. Missed workouts happen. Life gets busy. If you can only do two sessions instead of three one week, that's still progress. If you miss a workout. Get back to it. The next day, progress isn't linear. Some weeks you're gonna feel unstoppable. Other weeks you're gonna feel like you're dragging. That's normal. What matters is you have to keep showing up consistently over time. So you're like, okay, I get all this steps. This all sounds great, but I have no idea how to incorporate this. Don't worry, I've got you covered. So I've created a free, strong women's starter plan that gives you everything you need to begin building muscle and boosting that metabolism this week. So it includes a complete. Workout plan with exercises, sets, and reps all laid out for you. Video demonstrations of each movement and tips to help with progressive overload. So you can grab your free strong Women Starter Plan by clicking the link in the show notes it's completely free. You can do that plan. It is something that's gonna get you started. It's going to allow you to get in and begin with progressive strength training. the starter plan is gonna get you moving and a structured program keeps you progressing, and you can absolutely do this on your own using the framework I just gave you, but I also know how overwhelming it can be to figure out the right weights, the right progression, and how to adjust when life throws curve balls. This is what I do with online training. What you get here with KA Fit Online training is fully customized strength training programs designed around your life, your schedule, your goals, progressive programming that evolves every four weeks. So you're constantly building strength without plateauing access to me for form, checks, questions, accountability, nutrition guidance, tailored to support muscle building and metabolism. A sustainable plan that works for your body through every phase. Whether you are juggling toddlers, navigating perimenopause, or training for your first 5K. I've worked with women for nearly two decades, and I've seen time and time again when you have a clear plan that meets you where you are, and a coach who understands the unique challenges women face. Everything changes. You stop guessing, you stop spinning wheels. You start seeing real measurable progress, not just in the gym, but how you feel in your body every single day. If you're ready to stop wondering what you should be doing and start following a plan that actually works, I'd love to talk with you. Click the link in the show notes and book a free consultation call with me. We'll talk about where you are, where you wanna be, whether. I am a good fit for you and the CAFE program is a right fit for you. There's no pressure, no sales pitch, just an honest conversation about your goals and how I can help you. I'm gonna leave you with a couple things in closing here. The reality is, after 30, you lose three to 8% of your muscle mass per decade through sarcopenia, which slows your metabolism, decreases strength, hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause, accelerate this muscle loss even more. Making progressive strength training absolutely critical during this. Phase of life, the solution strength training two to three times per week with progressive overload, adequate protein, proper recovery, not group fitness classes with light weights. Actual progressive strength training provides enough stimulus to build muscle and fight sarcopenia. The result Increase MU metabolism, more energy, better bone density, improved hormone balance antibody that feels strong and capable at every age. You don't have to accept. A slower metabolism or declining strength as inevitable you have the power to change. Starting today. If this episode resonated with you, hit subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes. Leave a review to help other women find this podcast. Share it with a friend who also needs to hear this. And remember, fitness is not about perfection. It's about showing up for yourself, finding strength in every step of your journey. Until next time, keep moving forward. One mile, one rep, one choice at a time.

Kat: 27:26

Thank you for tuning in to Miles From Review, powered by Catholic Strength. If this podcast inspires you, don't keep it for yourself. Hit follow or subscribe to stay updated on the new episodes, and leave us a review to help more women and moms discover this space. Your feedback fuels this podcast and I'd love to hear what's working for you or what topics you want to dive into Next. You can connect with me on Instagram at Cat Fit or share this episode. Road with a friend who is ready to embrace her strength. Remember, fitness isn't about perfection. It's about showing up for yourself and finding strength in every step of your journey. Until next time, keep moving forward one mile at a time.