Fat Burning Is Not Fat Loss: Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan on Muscle, Fat Loss and Fasted Training for Women 40+

Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains how muscle quality changes in perimenopause and how HIIT, heavy lifting and protein timing help women over 40 train smarter. In perimenopause, muscle can shift from a lean "filet" toward a "rib eye," with more fat and connective tissue inside it, and a DEXA or InBody can't detect it. Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains why heavier, higher power training recruits the type 2 fibers that fade with age, how 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT appears to reduce visceral fat in as little as three weeks, why fat burning is not fat loss, and when about 20g of protein before training helps. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why muscle quality, not just muscle size, may change first in perimenopause How 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT targets visceral fat in midlife women Why fat burning during zone 2 is not the same as fat loss When training fasted costs you results, and when it does not TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro: Muscle Quality in Perimenopause and Why a DEXA Can't Measure It 06:31 - How to Train for Muscle Quality After 40: Heavy Load, Power and Type 2 Fibers 10:13 - HIIT and Visceral Fat in Midlife Women: The 1 Minute On, 1 Minute Off Protocol 16:01 - The 30 Minute Heavy Lifting Protocol, the Norwegian 4x4 and Where Zone 2 Fits 25:38 - Fasted vs Fed Training for Women 40+: Protein Before or After Exercise 37:58 - Losing Leg and Glute Definition, HRT and Why Your Symptoms Are Valid 44:28 - Fiber, Omega-3s and Creatine Dosing for Muscle and Brain in Perimenopause 54:05 - Perimenopause Is a Metabolic Transition: Final Advice VALUABLE RESOURCES Effects of high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese women, Journal of Sports Sciences (Smith-Ryan et al. (2016)) https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1149609 The acute effect of exercise modality and nutrition manipulations on post-exercise resting energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio in women, Sports Medicine (Wingfield et al. (2015)) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-015-0010-3 The effects of nutrient timing on training adaptations in resistance-trained females, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (Pihoker et al. (2018)) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.09.236 Metabolic effects of high-intensity interval training and essential amino acids, European Journal of Applied Physiology (Hirsch et al. (2021)) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04792-4 Follow Dr Abbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asmithryan/ Explore Dr Abbie's work: https://asmithryan.com/ Thanks to my sponsor, Eight Sleep Sleep cooler, recover faster. The Eight Sleep Pod pre-cools your bed and adjusts all night for deeper sleep - dual-zone, so you and your partner each get your own temp. 👉 Visit eightsleep.com/hph and use code HPH for up to £200 off the Pod, with 30 days to try it at home. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr Abbie Smith-Ryan is an exercise physiologist and researcher in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she leads the Applied Physiology Laboratory. Her research focuses on how high-intensity training, nutrient timing and supplementation such as creatine shape muscle quality, body composition and metabolic health in women, with a growing focus on perimenopause.