Free Daily Podcast Summary
Muscle Science for Women: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Ashleigh VanHouten & Rachel Gregory
Muscle Science for Women is a weekly podcast for women who want to build muscle, get stronger, improve their nutrition, and understand what their bodies actually need, especially in their 40s and beyond. Hosted by Rachel Gregory, MS, CNS, CSCS, and Ashleigh VanHouten, each episode takes a question women are asking and breaks down what the research says, what matters in real life, and what you can actually do with that information. Rachel is a nutritionist, strength and conditioning specialist, and the founder of RG Fitness. Ashleigh is an author, coach, and former nationally ranked natural figure competitor and powerlifter. Together, they bring science, coaching experience, personal stories, and plenty of honest conversation to topics that are often confusing, oversimplified, or buried under a mountain of internet bullshit. You'll hear conversations about strength training during perimenopause and menopause, hormone replacement therapy, bone density, body composition, and how to train now so you can still be strong at 80. Rachel and Ashleigh also dig into the fundamentals beneath it all, including protein, fat loss, maintenance phases, muscle growth, rep ranges, cardio, training zones, GLP-1s, fasting, gut health, pelvic floor health, emotional eating, and the habits that make progress sustainable. This is not about chasing perfection or following one rigid plan. It's about understanding the why behind training and nutrition so you can make better decisions for your body, your goals, and the season of life you're in.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 5 days ago51 min
Ep 142: Emotional eating: the shame cycle and how to break it
In this episode, Rachel and Ashleigh talk about recent struggles with comfort eating, sharing the reality that nearly EVERYONE has experienced at least once: eating in secret, or feeling shame and guilt over their food choices, and eating in a way that doesn't support your goals even when you know you don't really want to. Why do we sometimes eat compulsively even when we tell ourselves we shouldn't, or don't want to? Why do we feel so much shame around "guilty pleasure" eating? Rachel also shares where she has been over the past few months, including another heartbreak/grief cycle, a period of depression, starting a low dose antidepressant, and the body image feelings that come with regaining weight. In addition to sharing some very personal stories, they also offer a range of strategies and tactics for breaking habits that aren't serving you: things like urge surfing, planning, mindfulness and other therapies that can have a big impact. Some big lessons come out of this episode, including the fact that you are not alone in your struggles; externalizing your fears can make them less scary; and there is always work to be done (and why this is a good thing!) Thank you to our sponsor, True Nutrition, where you can customize your own protein! Choose a mix of protein bases, a range of delicious flavors and sweetness level, and boost your protein with adaptogens, collagen, immune support, electrolytes and much more. Ashleigh loves the chocolate fudge brownie with a grassfed New Zealand beef protein base, and Rachel is testing different protein base combos for the ultimate protein ice cream recipe. Save time, effort, and money by combining all your supplement needs into one delicious protein powder. Head to truenutrition.com/MUSCLE and use the code MUSCLE for 20% off your custom mix! Chapters 00:13 What this episode covers instead of fiber 03:44 Listener feedback on the Strong and Sculpted Shoulders program 05:48 Using food to take the edge off 08:36 Why the brain defaults to food under stress 10:16 Shame, guilt, and eating in secret 11:43 Meeting the pattern with compassion instead of shame 15:13 Getting back on track faster instead of never messing up 16:04 Urge surfing and pausing before you react 19:30 Interrupting the pattern and building new pathways 21:16 Setting up your environment and taking a portion instead of the whole bar 24:43 Working with a coach, structure, and tracking as data 26:11 Change takes time, Ashleigh on eating two dinners 28:25 Rachel on the past few months 30:18 Getting lean while depressed 32:41 Starting an antidepressant and what changed 36:27 Body image, postpartum, and pressure in the fitness industry 39:29 Externalizing it and asking for help 41:27 Stigma around antidepressants and weight loss drugs 45:43 What this podcast is for 47:00 The work is not done 48:55 Sponsor break, True Nutrition 51:42 Sign off Takeaways Both hosts say they eat to cope with stress, and both say that knowing the mechanism does not stop them doing it. Rachel frames the goal as getting back faster rather than never slipping, and says that interrupting the pattern even once starts building new pathways you can prove to yourself. Ashleigh's tool is putting time between the urge and the reaction, five or ten minutes, then deciding, so the choice is a made one either way. Rachel's portion approach for clients: take a serving instead of the whole bar, eat it somewhere else, pay attention to it, then step away and pick a different way to cope if the feeling is still there. Rachel says a low dose antidepressant has helped alongside therapy and her own work, and she is careful to say the medication did not cause the weight gain. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vehl-lpMXM8 Programs Muscle Science For Women, 12-week strength program: https://rgfit.com/msw Grow Your Glutes, 8 weeks: https://rgfit.com/glutes Strong and Sculpted Shoulders, 8 weeks: https://rgfit.com/shoulders Fit Pregnancy Program: https://rgfit.com/fit-pregnancy Dopamine Reset Challenge, 10 days: https://rgfit.com/offers/BAQj63ya Newsletter: https://substack.com/@musclescienceforwomen Ashleigh VanHouten: https://ashleighvanhouten.com , Instagram <a href= "https://www.instagram.com
- 2 weeks ago59 min
Ep 141: What you need to know about pelvic floor health and strength training
If you've been wanting a masterclass on pelvic floor health, look no further. Ashleigh interviews Dr. Caroline Packard, DPT, a pelvic floor physical therapist, lifelong athlete, and mother of three who is changing the way women think about their bodies, their strength, and what's actually possible after pregnancy, injury, or years of being told their symptoms are just "something to manage." They discuss: What coaches and active women get wrong when they separate "core training" from pelvic floor function Symptoms women normalize that are actually pelvic floor dysfunction How to tell whether the issue is strength, tension, coordination, timing or pressure management What breath and bracing should look like during strength training to protect pelvic floor function How to modify without fear-mongering or telling women to stop lifting How to progress back to heavier training, impact or intensity in a way the body can actually support All that and more - if you have any questions or want us to continue to cover this topic, reach out at musclescience4women@gmail.com. Dr. Packard has created the Connect app, featuring an extensive program grounded in pelvic floor physical therapy principles and built around five progressive training phases: Prep, Reset, Integrate, Strength Fundamentals, and Elevated Strength. Members begin by learning how the diaphragm, deep core, posture, and pelvic floor function together to manage pressure and stabilize the body, then systematically apply that foundation to increasingly challenging strength work. Ashleigh has been using the app herself for months and calls it the most comprehensive guide to understanding and improving pelvic floor function that she's ever seen. Muscle Science for Women listeners can 20% off an annual subscription using the code MUSCLESCIENCE. Click here to learn more and sign up. Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
- Aug 18, 202650 min
Ep 140: Should Women Fast? Talking fat loss, muscle growth & sustainability
In this episode Ashleigh and Rachel talk about a recent 36-hour fast they started together: why they decided to do it, and a broader conversation on the types of fasting options, calorie-cycling, the potential benefits and drawbacks, who may benefit from fasting and who may not do well with the practice, ideal duration and frequency, what protein-sparing modified fasting is, and how any tool can be a right or wrong one depending on how you use it and what your end goal is. Have more thoughts or questions about fasting? Send them to musclescience4women@gmail.com Thank you to our sponsor, True Nutrition, where you can customize your own protein! AND they just announced that they ship worldwide. Choose a mix of protein bases, a range of delicious flavors and sweetness level, and boost your protein with adaptogens, collagen, immune support, electrolytes and much more. Ashleigh loves the chocolate fudge brownie with a grassfed New Zealand beef protein base, and Rachel is testing different protein base combos for the ultimate protein ice cream recipe. Save time, effort, and money by combining all your supplement needs into one delicious protein powder. Head to truenutrition.com/MUSCLE and use the code MUSCLE for 20% off your custom mix! Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Or send a voice message here and they may play it on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/468952/1/3h8gyc5cfc71vsbu Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
- Aug 11, 20261h 15m
Ep 139: The Science of Sprinting - Burn Fat, Build Power & Live Longer
Brad Kearns is a New York Times bestselling author, including his recent book Born to Walk. He's a #1 world-ranked Masters track & field high jumper in 2025 and a #3 world-ranked professional triathlete. He has written twenty books on diet, health, peak performance, and ancestral living, and is a popular speaker and podcast host, and creator of the Primal Fitness Expert Certification course. In today's episode, he talks to Ashleigh about a very important but mostly missing piece in our fitness regimen: sprinting. He talks about the difference between a HIIT workout and a true sprint workout, as well as what happens in the body when we do an all-out sprint: how it can improve our body composition, overall fitness, agility, power, strength, and longevity. Brad tells us how to do a sprint workout effectively and safely, how often you should be sprinting to maximize the benefits, why he believes Zone 1 training is actually underrated, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Peluva, makers of five-toe, zero-drop, barefoot-style shoes. When you put on a pair of Peluvas, you are getting an automatic foot strengthening effect, a toe spacer effect, and a healing effect from the damage caused by regular shoes. Peluva has sufficient cushioning to use for all manner of everyday movement, fitness and athletic activities, and navigating hard modern surfaces. And they look (surprisingly) good, and are super comfortable. Go ahead and use your specialized athletic shoes, work boots or even high heels when you need to, but the more you wear minimalist shoes when walking around and exercising safely, you can reawaken the natural functionality of the human foot to stand, walk, run, and perform. Visit https://checkout.peluva.com/MUSCLEMAVEN and use the the code MUSCLEMAVEN For 10% off your first pair! Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Or send a voice message here and they may play it on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/468952/1/3h8gyc5cfc71vsbu Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
- Aug 4, 202636 min
Ep 138: GLP-1's and Building muscle: What you need to know
Does it suddenly feel like everyone you know is on a GLP-1 medication? Even people who seem to be using it just to lose those "last ten pounds"? Are you feeling pressure to do the same, frustrated that doing it the "hard way" doesn't seem to be working...or are you just curious about whether a GLP-1 would be helpful for you? In this episode, Rachel and Ashleigh talk about the decision-making process for GLP-1 use, and some things you may want to consider about muscle gain and loss while using GLP-1's. As a reminder, MSW does not intend to judge, prescribe, or diagnose anyone - we are not medical professionals and your decisions are your own. Still, we hope you find this episode helpful and at the very least, gives you a framework for decision-making. Just remember, regardless of the tools you use to lose weight, the only way to get strong and build muscle is the hard way, earning it through intelligent training, but it's also the fun way, and we think it's very worth it. Hey, do you want to join Rachel and Ashleigh somewhere warm and beachy for a healthy, fun, challenging MSW retreat? Fill out this form to give us feedback on your ideal fun fitness retreat! Thank you to our sponsor, True Nutrition, where you can customize your own protein! Choose a mix of protein bases, a range of delicious flavors and sweetness level, and boost your protein with adaptogens, collagen, immune support, electrolytes and much more. Ashleigh loves the chocolate fudge brownie with a grassfed New Zealand beef protein base, and Rachel is testing different protein base combos for the ultimate protein ice cream recipe. Save time, effort, and money by combining all your supplement needs into one delicious protein powder. Head to truenutrition.com/MUSCLE and use the code MUSCLE for 20% off your custom mix! Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Or send a voice message here and they may play it on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/468952/1/3h8gyc5cfc71vsbu Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
- Jul 21, 202643 min
Ep 137: Here's what you actually need to do to lose body fat
If you listened to episode 136 and completed the six-step audit to determine if you're REALLY doing the right things to lose fat, and you're still at a loss, you may be thinking: ok, I am doing everything right. It's still not working! Am I broken? Is there something wrong? What next? This episode is for you. Ashleigh and Rachel walk you through, in a clear and non judgemental way, the fat loss equation that you have probably heard before, but broken down into steps you can actually get your head around. This episode will help you on the next stage of your fat loss journey, or perhaps even more importantly, help you figure out if you should be switching up your goal for a bit in order to give your body and mind a much-needed break. Hey, do you want to join Rachel and Ashleigh somewhere warm and beachy for a healthy, fun, challenging MSW retreat? Fill out this form to give us feedback on your ideal fun fitness retreat! Thank you to our new sponsor, True Nutrition, where you can customize your own protein! Choose a mix of protein bases, a range of delicious flavors and sweetness level, and boost your protein with adaptogens, collagen, immune support, electrolytes and much more. Ashleigh loves the chocolate fudge brownie with a grassfed New Zealand beef protein base, and Rachel is testing different protein base combos for the ultimate protein ice cream recipe. Save time, effort, and money by combining all your supplement needs into one delicious protein powder. Head to truenutrition.com/MUSCLE and use the code MUSCLE for 20% off your custom mix! Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Or send a voice message here and they may play it on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/468952/1/3h8gyc5cfc71vsbu Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
- Jul 14, 202655 min
Ep 136: Is your fat loss stalling? Check these 6 things
Have you been trying, seemingly forever, to lose fat, and just not seeing the results you want? Maybe you've tried a bunch of methods or different diets, you've tried exercising more, you've upped your protein, and you've hit a plateau. In this episode, Rachel and Ashleigh walk you through six things to check in your habits and behaviors before you give up or decide that there's something "wrong." Fair warning, going through this checklist requires you to be absolutely honest with yourself: are you really being as consistent as you think you are? Does your effort match your expectations? Have you actually been paying attention to the right things? Listen to the full episode for clear instructions on a six-step audit to determine if you're really doing what you need to do in order to lose fat. Thank you to our new sponsor, True Nutrition, where you can customize your own protein! Choose a mix of protein bases, a range of delicious flavors and sweetness level, and boost your protein with adaptogens, collagen, immune support, electrolytes and much more. Ashleigh loves the chocolate fudge brownie with a grassfed New Zealand beef protein base, and Rachel is testing different protein base combos for the ultimate protein ice cream recipe. Save time, effort, and money by combining all your supplement needs into one delicious protein powder. Head to truenutrition.com/MUSCLE and use the code MUSCLE for 20% off your custom mix! Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Or send a voice message here and they may play it on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/468952/1/3h8gyc5cfc71vsbu Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
- Jun 30, 20261h 1m
Ep 135: How Fit Moms Raise Active Kids
In today's episode, Ashleigh speaks with family and motherhood fitness influencer Kayla (@kdavis_fitness on IG) about balancing fitness and motherhood as a mom of three (who just happens to send her kids to the same school as Ashleigh's son!) They talk about shared fitness backgrounds, how Kayla's work and life changed during the pandemic and as she raised three kids, and how to encourage your kids to love movement in a pressure-free way. She also talks about what happened that time she went viral on social media when her baby did a dead hang from a pull-up bar... If you're a parent trying to figure out how to feel fit and strong again, find time for yourself, or help your kids discover a love of movement, this episode is a great place to start. Join the conversation - leave a comment on the podcast, share the episode on social media, or leave a comment, topic idea, or question on the website: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/contact Or send a voice message here and they may play it on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/468952/1/3h8gyc5cfc71vsbu Check out the MSW Substack here: https://musclescienceforwomen.substack.com Learn about all of the MSW training programs here: https://musclescienceforwomen.com/programs Subscribe to the new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclescienceforwomen
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About Muscle Science for Women
Muscle Science for Women is a weekly podcast for women who want to build muscle, get stronger, improve their nutrition, and understand what their bodies actually need, especially in their 40s and beyond. Hosted by Rachel Gregory, MS, CNS, CSCS, and Ashleigh VanHouten, each episode takes a question women are asking and breaks down what the research says, what matters in real life, and what you can actually do with that information. Rachel is a nutritionist, strength and conditioning specialist, and the founder of RG Fitness. Ashleigh is an author, coach, and former nationally ranked natural figure competitor and powerlifter. Together, they bring science, coaching experience, personal stories, and plenty of honest conversation to topics that are often confusing, oversimplified, or buried under a mountain of internet bullshit. You'll hear conversations about strength training during perimenopause and menopause, hormone replacement therapy, bone density, body composition, and how to train now so you can still be strong at 80. Rachel and Ashleigh also dig into the fundamentals beneath it all, including protein, fat loss, maintenance phases, muscle growth, rep ranges, cardio, training zones, GLP-1s, fasting, gut health, pelvic floor health, emotional eating, and the habits that make progress sustainable. This is not about chasing perfection or following one rigid plan. It's about understanding the why behind training and nutrition so you can make better decisions for your body, your goals, and the season of life you're in.
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