E38 - Muscles, Mechanics, & Menopause: Designing Weight Routines for Women Runners

In this episode, host Alison explores the popular advice for midlife women—especially runners—to “lift heavy” and breaks down the science and strategy behind it. She explains that while lifting heavy can support muscle retention, bone density, metabolic health, and running performance during perimenopause and menopause, the real key is lifting to failure for maximum muscle fiber recruitment. Alison emphasizes that lifting heavy is often promoted because it requires less training volume, which pairs better with running, and also empowers women to shift focus from being small to being strong. However, she acknowledges that it may not feel good for everyone due to anatomical factors such as a narrow pelvic and rib cage structure, which can affect core engagement, internal rotation, and force production. The episode highlights the importance of building a strong foundation first, and introduces the Women's Running Academy as a resource for female runners to develop the necessary biomechanics and strength safely and effectively. Resources Mentioned:Women’s Running Academy Membership: Smart, female centered, run supportive strength training month after month. With the Women’s Running Academy Membership you can successfully continue to strength train year round in a way that is supportive of your running and long term health. (Enrollment opened May 21 - May 30th) Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!