Fuel Your Strength

Deadlifts have earned an unfair reputation – especially for women over 40. Scroll social media long enough and you'll hear that they're "too risky," "bad for your back," or something you should stop doing as you age. But the truth is, a well-executed deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for building strength, resilience, and confidence. The key isn't avoiding the movement, but rather le...

What happens when the thing that keeps you grounded, confident, and connected to yourself suddenly gets taken away by injury? In this episode, you'll hear from strength coach, combat athlete, and student physical therapist Adam Duthie of Gray Beard Black Belt to unpack the messy middle between getting injured and getting back to the activities you love. You'll hear about the physical and psycholog...

If you train early in the morning, you might be wondering what to eat before your session to arrive fueled and perform well. In this episode, you'll learn how to approach pre-workout nutrition for early morning workouts, especially when you're short on time but still want enough fuel to make it through your session without gassing out. You'll learn how to factor in  training intensity, how much ti...

If you're a hobbyist athlete over 40 who loves your sport – cycling, running, pickleball, martial arts to name a few – but you've been hesitating to start strength training, this episode is for you.  In today's episode of the Fuel Your Strength podcast, you'll hear exactly  how to strength train as an athletic woman over 40 without sacrificing time for your sport. This is a simple, sustainable blu...

Story time! I'm sharing a personal story from my early triathlon days that still shapes how I coaches lifters today. What started as a scary open-water swim became a powerful lesson about progress, patience, and why perfection is not required to move forward. In this episode, you'll reframe how you think about missed workouts, imperfect weeks, and all-or-nothing thinking in fitness. If you've ever...

If I could go back and talk to beginner-me in 2010, there are a handful of strength training lessons I would absolutely whisper in her ear. Not because I did everything wrong, but because so much frustration, second-guessing, and spinning my wheels could've been avoided with a little context and coaching. In this episode, I'm reflecting on more than 15 years of consistent lifting, coaching, and le...

Is it really never too late to start strength training – even if you're in your 80s and you've never touched a barbell? You'll hear from journalist Clare Johnston of the "Rebuilding Mum and Dad" project, about what happens when older adults begin true progressive strength training from scratch – and why the results can feel straight-up miraculous (without being magic). Clare shares how her parents...

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...

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, buil...

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 fru...

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...

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 you...

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 tak...

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...

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...

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...

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. Key Takeaways If You Want to Leverage Your Strength an...

True strength development isn't something that should be skipped at any age. However, when you are a woman over 40, these training tools become key assets to your overall training, health, and longevity. When you understand the key components that go into making a proper strength training program, you can better equip yourself to obtain your goals in the best way possible. Key Takeaways If You Wan...

When it comes to creating a progressive overload plan, we have touched on a lot of elements so far. However, when it comes to how to specifically create your program, whether you are creating a program for yourself, finding one online, or looking to work with a trainer in person, there are some nuances that need to be discussed. Key Takeaways If You Want to Improve Your Strength Training, You Shou...

I get a lot of messages about RPE, Reps in Reserve, and Autoregulation. These are powerful tools, that when practiced, can help you as you implement a long-term strength training program, especially as a woman over 40. However, it takes understanding the pieces that go into these tools, and a well-rounded program, to really make the most of their benefits. Key Takeaways If You Are Looking for Trai...

Whether you are new to strength training or a seasoned lifter, progressive overload is two common words you have probably heard before. But what do they really mean, and how can you apply them both as a lifter and as a coach? If you are feeling stuck because you are not seeing the gains you are hoping for in your programming, progressive overload could be the puzzle piece you still need to include...

Have you ever asked yourself what there is to learn from the pursuit of strength? How do the lessons we learn in the gym translate to our lives outside of strength? Alyssa Ages set out on a quest to answer these questions, and in return found a multitude of answers that can help any athletic person get more from their training regime and their life. Key Takeaways If you are curious about the true...

Combining the world of strength training and sport, specifically Brazilian jiu-jjitsu, might seem counterintuitive, but it is exactly the opposite. My guest today is here to show you how a crossover between these two worlds can help you train better, prevent injury, and enjoy the sport you love for longer. Key Takeaways If you want to use strength training to improve your sport, you should: Track...

Most women in mid-life have a common rebuttal that keeps them from taking the next step when it comes to their fitness and health journey. The pressure that women put on themselves or the expectation that they believe is there to be perfect and execute their workouts without any interruption could be limiting their ability to reach their goals.  Key Takeaways If You Want to Show Up For Yourself, Y...

I want you to imagine a heavy deadlift. How challenging it is, the focus needed, to tune everything else out and give it your best. Now, imagine that the barbell weighs over 650 pounds. That is the reality for Tamara Walcott, a world record holder in powerlifting. But Tamara didn't always have this confidence. Having to overcome obesity and single mom guilt made Tamara the inspiring and powerful w...