If you've been feeling like women's fitness over 40 is a nonstop back-and-forth debate - like you're courtside at Wimbledon watching the ball whip from one hot take to another - you're not imagining it. Social media is loud right now, especially when it comes to what women should or shouldn't be doing in midlife. That noise can make it hard to trust your instincts or know what actually matters for building strength and aging athletically.

In this episode, I'm joined by strength for hypermobility & nutrition coach Nikki Naab-Levy. Together, we unpack the most confusing fitness narratives floating around right now and give you context that brings you back to center court so you feel confident, grounded, and clear on what works.

• What if "feeling the right muscle" isn't the best way to judge your lift?

• Are you training for strength… or just training to get tired?

• Do rest periods actually matter, or is that all overblown?

• If hypertrophy works across a huge rep range, how do you choose what you should do?

• What happens when aesthetic fears collide with long-term strength and aging well?

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

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Life is life-ing especially in midlife. One day you're fired up, smashing your lifts, and thinking the whole week will be a highlight reel; two days later you're sleep-deprived, stressed, and wondering who parked a bus on your quads. In this episode, you'll learn a structured-yet-flexible strategy to use with your lifting to ride the wave of real-life energy swings so you can keep showing up, build muscle, and actually enjoy the process.

We'll break down how to anchor your week with strength, layer in cardio, and use auto-regulation (RPE/RIR) to dial intensity up or down without ditching your plan or your progress. If you're an athletic woman 40+ navigating perimenopause, career, caregiving, and sport hobbies, this practical framework will help you train smarter, recover better, and stay consistent long term.

• Why the "go hard every day" mindset backfires once you hit your 40s and what to focus on instead.

• The approach that keeps lifters consistent even when life is chaos.

• How to tell if it's a day to push or pull back without second-guessing your training plan.

• The simple two-day strength & cardio framework that delivers results without burning you out.

• The mindset shift that turns "I missed a workout" guilt into sustainable long-term progress.

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

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If you've ever heard a coach say "it's not wrong, but it's not right either," you'll resonate with this episode. Dive into the nuance that gets lost in punchy social media hot takes – especially for athletic women over 40 who want strength, muscle, and better performance without the fluff.

Get insight into why your progress may feel stuck, what to do about it, and how to build muscle with less frustration. Get practical coaching on progressive overload, program hopping, hypertrophy, auto-regulation, and why DIY training isn't actually "free."

• What happens when you've been lifting for a while… but the weights (and results) haven't really changed?

• Why "switching things up" might be the reason you're stuck in place.

• The truth behind words like toned, sculpted, and long and lean and what they really mean for your training.

• How chasing the number on the scale can quietly derail your performance and progress.

• The real cost of trying to make up your own workouts, and what it's stealing from your gains.

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge.

Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!

Life doesn't always respect your perfectly planned training week. If you're a woman over 40 following a strength training program, you might be juggling sleep swings, work crunches, hormonal shifts, caretaking, and everything in between. This episode breaks down how to keep your momentum without falling into the all-or-nothing trap so you still get a damn good training stimulus on busy days.

Steph explains a simple framework for structured flexibility – keeping the big-picture plan while adapting the day's session. You'll learn three practical ways to modify workouts using RPE / RIR, so you can train smarter, protect progress, and stay consistent in midlife.

• Why "all or nothing" thinking keeps sabotaging your strength progress after 40

• The simple shift that lets you keep momentum even when life gets chaotic

• Three creative ways to make workouts shorter without losing results

• How to know if you're still training hard enough on those scaled-back days

• The mindset reframe that makes consistency possible long-term

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge.

Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!

Feeling like the Tin Man when your feet hit the floor – and winded on a single flight of stairs – doesn't have to be "just your 40s." In this episode, we call BS on the idea that midlife means inevitable decline and lays out a clear, doable plan for rebuilding strength, muscle, and pep in your step over the next six months. No doom and gloom here – just evidence-informed training that respects your real life.

You'll learn exactly how to structure your workouts for results: which compound lifts to prioritize, how to sprinkle in isolation work the smart way, and why adding power and plyometrics helps you feel quick and athletic again. We'll also touch on where cardio fits for women over 40 so you can train wisely without living in the gym.

• The base of your lifting should be this

• Should you do cardio with your lifting?

• Why avoiding power work or impact over 40 backfires

• When to use isolation exercises

• Why 6 day a week bro splits aren't working for women 40+

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

Ready to have the plan done for you – with full-body strength, smart power progressions, and cardio that actually fits your life? Grab a 7-day sample of Strong with Steph at stephgaudreau.com/workout – then join the program and let Steph lay it out so you can just open the app and lift.

For many women over 40, cardio brings up memories of the 90s and early 2000s – endless hours on the elliptical, chasing a smaller body, and pushing through with Red Bulls and salads. It was an era marked by toxic fitness culture, and the fallout left a lot of us burnt out, swearing off cardio completely. But now, with energy, stamina, and health markers changing in midlife, it might be time to take another look at how cardio fits into your life.

In this episode, we explore what it means to rebuild a healthier relationship with cardio. From my personal journey – burnout from endurance sports, swinging the pendulum into strength training, then finding my way back to cardio on my own terms – to practical ways you can ease it back into your routine, this conversation is about healing from old patterns and creating balance. You'll also hear answers to common questions about what counts as cardio, how to tell if it's moderate or vigorous, and how to weave it in with your lifting.

• Why so many women over 40 have a complicated history with cardio

• The role of diet culture and body ideals in shaping our relationship with endurance exercise

• How to reframe cardio as a supportive tool instead of punishment

• Practical ways to bring conditioning back without burnout or dread

• Guidelines for balancing cardio with strength training so both work together

• Simple strategies for starting small and progressing over time

Motivation for working out episode

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge.

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Ever wonder if you're lifting enough weight to truly see progress? You're not alone – this is one of the most common questions in the gym, especially among athletic women over 40 who want to keep getting stronger without wasting time on unchallenging workouts. In this episode, you'll learn a simple, almost foolproof way to gauge your lifting intensity – one you've probably never considered before – plus how it stacks up with other methods like RPE, reps in reserve, and bar speed.

We'll explore what the science says about how your body (and face) signal effort, why "playing it safe" too long can stall your gains, and how to use these cues to choose the right weight every time. Plus, we'll address the appearance-based fears that sometimes hold lifters back and reframe what really matters for strength, longevity, and performance as we age.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• A surprisingly effective visual cue to know if your weights are challenging enough.

• How facial expressions connect to effort and fatigue – and what research shows.

• Other key indicators like bar speed, RPE, and reps in reserve to cross-check your effort.

• Why small, strategic weight jumps are more effective than big, intimidating increases.

• The bigger trade-off when fear of wrinkles or "ugly lifting face" prevents pushing yourself.

Studies:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25435786/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30562370/

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge.

Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!

Starting strength training after 40 can feel intimidating—especially when all the internet advice focuses on technical minutiae like deadlift angles or optimal rep ranges. But what if the biggest keys to success weren't about that at all? In this episode, you'll zoom out to the big picture and learn four foundational lessons that will make your strength journey more effective and sustainable from day one.

Using a year of personal experience learning to play the drums, this episode draws an insightful analogy between picking up a musical skill and building your strength training practice. If you've been unsure where to begin or find yourself stuck in perfectionist mode, this is the roadmap you've been missing. These aren't quick hacks—they're timeless mindset and behavior strategies that can keep you lifting for life.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The type of mindset you need when starting something new

• The thing to seek out early – even if you're a total beginner

• What to let go of to find joy in the process

• Why these foundational lessons can help you stick with strength training when things get tough

• How to apply these ideas whether you're brand new to lifting or getting back into it after a break

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge.

Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!

In this episode, you'll learn about common misconceptions in strength training related to gym "cheating." Discover why certain training methods are not only valid but can be the right choice depending on your needs and goals.

You'll get insights into choosing the right techniques and tools for your fitness over 40, especially if you're new to lifting, managing injuries, or looking to optimize your performance.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Common myths around strength training tools and techniques.

• How gym machines can be beneficial tools in your workouts.

• Why sumo deadlifts are a legitimate lifting technique.

• Practical reasons to use lifting straps during strength training.

• The importance of individualizing your training approach.

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge.

Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!

One of the greatest rivalries I see in programming strength training for women over 40 is the battle between strength and muscle. My approach to strength training and muscle growth incorporates a cohesive and holistic approach to your programming that will help you reach your goals and incorporate these philosophies into your training program.

If You Want to Leverage Your Strength and Hypertrophy, You Should:

1. You don't have to choose between muscle or strength building; you need them both as a woman over 40, especially
2. Think about your goals and make sure your program is aligned with them
3. Use accessory work to break up the repetition and fill in the weak points of your training

I like to think of accessory work, supplementary exercises that support your main lifts, like the toppings to your delicious training burger. Accessory work can help you spice things up in your training, address imbalances, or help you understand what you want to work on.

It is not just about strength development or muscle growth; the goal is to help you weave these things together to further enhance your strength development and hypertrophy, prevent injuries, and so much more.

Building muscle takes place across a spectrum. By thinking both bilaterally and unilaterally about your accessory work depending on where you are at in your program, you will be able to find your training tempo and add the necessary context it takes to reach your training goals.

I want you to be able to understand the 'why', the rationale. You don't need to be able to repeat it all back to me, but if you can understand the why behind your programming, you will be more likely to follow through, improve your consistency, and get better results. I want to give you the resources you need to be successful with strength training and reach the goals you are striving for.

Are you ready to get your strength training guide for women over 40? Share your hopes and expectations for the next year of training with me in the comments on the episode page.

• Why accessory work is an essential part of a well-rounded strength training program (8:25)
• How to program accessory work to align with your strength training development goals (14:33)
• What is hypertrophy, and what do you need to know to build muscle (22:34)
• The importance of tempo when it comes to hypertrophy (32:20)
• Examples of what the flow of a workout should look and feel like and common mistakes (35:17)

"I want you to walk away from this podcast feeling more informed, more educated, and like you can understand the program that is being put in front of you." (4:14)

"We want to get in, be focused, make it count." (24:01)

"I can't say this enough, so slow down. You might have to use less weight, but it is going to be more effective." (32:27)

"If you are out in the world and you are looking for a program, Strong with Steph might not be for everyone, and that is totally fine. But know what your goals are." (41:22)

"Having a structured program that is written by somebody who understands programming and all of these concepts is the best bet for saving your brain space." (49:27)

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FYS 434: Progressive Overload: How to Keep Getting Stronger

FYS 435: RPE & Autoregulation: Smart Tools for Strength Gains Over 40

FYS 436: Why Movement Prep & Balance Matter in Strength Training Over 40

FYS 437: Plyo and Strength Development for Women Over 40