How Women Actually Get Lean & Toned (It's Not Cardio!) | Dr. Mike Israetel
Samantha Christine
461,635 views
I've been afraid of the same things most women are. That lifting would make me bulky, that I needed to be in the gym five or six days a week, that cardio was doing the work. I wanted the opposite from someone who could show me science, not anecdote.
Dr. Mike Israetel is an exercise scientist and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization. He tells me women need two days a week in the gym for a full-body recomp, explains why cardio is the wrong tool for fat loss, and answers the question I get in my DMs most: why do I feel puffy in the first three weeks of lifting? We also get into GLP-1s, creatine, seed oils, and why chasing strength is what gets you toned.
Chapters:
00:00 Women, Muscle & Fat Loss: What Actually Works
01:15 Welcome to the EMPWR Podcast with Dr. Mike Israetel
01:45 Will Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky?
03:20 What Weight Training + Protein Really Does to the Female Body
07:40 Can Women Build Muscle in a Calorie Deficit?
09:40 How to Find Your Calorie Intake Without Guessing
10:50 Why You Feel Puffy the First 2-3 Weeks of Lifting
13:20 Scale Anxiety: Should Women Weigh Themselves Daily?
14:50 Menstrual Cycle Weight Fluctuations Explained
15:55 Kinsyn Women's Health Platform
18:00 Jones Road Beauty
19:40 Building Muscle vs Losing Body Fat: Is There a Lag?
21:45 Consistency, Lifting Technique & Progressive Overload
25:45 Negative Self-Talk and Trusting the Fitness Process
29:15 How Long Should You Stay on a Workout Program?
30:30 Train for Strength and the Aesthetics Will Follow
33:20 Progressive Overload for Women: What It Actually Looks Like
36:20 Remi Night Guards for Teeth Grinding
38:20 Clearstem Acne & Anti-Aging Skincare
40:20 Why Repeating the Same Exercises Every Week Builds More Muscle
44:55 Master Your Lifting Technique Instead of Switching Exercises
46:15 Why Being Distracted in the Gym Kills Your Results
47:10 How Many Days a Week Should Women Lift Weights?
48:35 Training 2 vs 3 vs 4 Days a Week for Muscle Growth
50:20 You Only Need 4-6 Exercises Per Workout
51:30 Choosing Compound Exercises and Using Supersets
54:00 The 30-Minute Full Body Workout Structure
55:40 Cozy Earth Bamboo Bedding
57:20 iRestore Red Light Therapy Face Mask
59:00 Should Women Train Differently in Their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s?
59:50 HIIT, Cortisol and the Women's Hormone Myth
1:01:30 Why High Intensity Training Matters More As You Age
1:02:45 Why You Feel Wrecked After a Workout
1:03:50 Strength Training for Beginners Over 60
1:05:10 Dr. Mike's Cardio: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1:06:20 Should You Add Cardio for Fat Loss?
1:08:50 Cardio Burns Fewer Calories Than You Think
1:09:30 Half Ironman Training and Losing Muscle Mass
1:11:40 What Cardio Is Actually For (Not Weight Loss)
1:12:30 Body Recomposition: How Big Should Your Calorie Deficit Be?
1:13:45 Why Fast Weight Loss Always Fails
1:16:00 How Slow, Sustainable Fat Loss Compounds
1:19:20 The Mental Reframe You Need Before Losing Weight
1:20:15 Does Dr. Mike Israetel Track His Macros?
1:21:40 Dream Recovery Mouth Tape
1:23:00 Kane Footwear Recovery Shoes
1:24:20 Should Women Track Macros for Body Recomp?
1:26:00 Snacking and Sneaky Calories
1:26:40 Dr. Mike's Full Day of Eating
1:29:55 Are Seed Oils and Artificial Sweeteners Bad for You?
1:32:20 Deep Frying, Oxidation and Reused Oils
1:32:50 Is There a Hidden Poison in Our Food Supply?
1:33:45 The Twinkie Diet Experiment Explained
1:35:00 The Real Reason Junk Food Makes You Gain Weight
1:37:20 Dessert, Diet Soda and Low Calorie Ice Cream
1:38:45 Why Cravings Disappear When You Eat Well
1:40:15 GLP-1s Explained: Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, Retatrutide
1:43:20 How to Keep Muscle While on a GLP-1
1:44:55 Rapid Fire: Women's Fitness Myths Debunked
1:48:50 Creatine for Women: Dosage, Puffiness and Acne
1:50:30 Where to Find Dr. Mike Israetel
1:51:40 Outro
Follow Dr. Mike Israetel:
Instagram: Instagram: drmikeisraetel
YouTube: @renaissanceperiodization
Website: https://rpstrength.com
Thank you to our sponsors:
Kinsyn
https://kinsyn.com | Code: SAMC for 20% off your first subscription
Jones Road Beauty
https://jonesroadbeauty.com | Code: EMPWR for a free full-size mascara on your first purchase
Clearstem
https://clearstemskincare.com | Code: SAMCFIT for a FREE Mini Hydro Glow Plumping Moisturizer on orders $75+
Remi Night Guards
https://shopremi.com | Code: SAMCFIT for up to 50% off
Dream Recovery
https://dreamrecovery.io | Code: SAM15 for 15% off
Kane Footwear
https://kanefootwear.com/empwr for free shipping
iRestore Face Mask
https://irestorelaser.com | Code: SAMCFIT for a discount at checkout
Cozy Earth
https://cozyearth.com | Code: SAMCFIT for 20% off, plus a 10-year warranty and 100-night risk-free trial on bedding
Sam's LINKS:
ELEVATE App | free 7 day trial: https://www.elevatebysam.com/
Macro Guide: https://samanthachristine.co/nutritio...
Running Programs: https://samanthachristine.co/running-...
Follow Sam:
Insta: @samcfit_
YouTube: @samantha_christine
20 Comments
Anyhow, I'm definitely someone who has to modify my strength training for my health. I have fibromyalgia (potentially EDS that was misdiagnosed, planning to see Dr for that soon). Chronic pain and fatigue and crunchy joints make HIIT workouts impossible for me. I can't do high reps @ less weight because the high reps is too taxing on my joints. Lower reps at higher weight, more akin to powerlifting, works best for me. I've done some higher rep intensity in classes before and my body says nope and will trigger me "forgetting how to breathe" and forces a shutdown if I push a little too far. I don't recover as well from it either.
How Women Actually Get Lean & Toned (It's Not Cardio!) | Dr. Mike Israetel
Samantha Christine
461,635 views
I've been afraid of the same things most women are. That lifting would make me bulky, that I needed to be in the gym five or six days a week, that cardio was doing the work. I wanted the opposite from someone who could show me science, not anecdote.
Dr. Mike Israetel is an exercise scientist and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization. He tells me women need two days a week in the gym for a full-body recomp, explains why cardio is the wrong tool for fat loss, and answers the question I get in my DMs most: why do I feel puffy in the first three weeks of lifting? We also get into GLP-1s, creatine, seed oils, and why chasing strength is what gets you toned.
Chapters:
00:00 Women, Muscle & Fat Loss: What Actually Works
01:15 Welcome to the EMPWR Podcast with Dr. Mike Israetel
01:45 Will Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky?
03:20 What Weight Training + Protein Really Does to the Female Body
07:40 Can Women Build Muscle in a Calorie Deficit?
09:40 How to Find Your Calorie Intake Without Guessing
10:50 Why You Feel Puffy the First 2-3 Weeks of Lifting
13:20 Scale Anxiety: Should Women Weigh Themselves Daily?
14:50 Menstrual Cycle Weight Fluctuations Explained
15:55 Kinsyn Women's Health Platform
18:00 Jones Road Beauty
19:40 Building Muscle vs Losing Body Fat: Is There a Lag?
21:45 Consistency, Lifting Technique & Progressive Overload
25:45 Negative Self-Talk and Trusting the Fitness Process
29:15 How Long Should You Stay on a Workout Program?
30:30 Train for Strength and the Aesthetics Will Follow
33:20 Progressive Overload for Women: What It Actually Looks Like
36:20 Remi Night Guards for Teeth Grinding
38:20 Clearstem Acne & Anti-Aging Skincare
40:20 Why Repeating the Same Exercises Every Week Builds More Muscle
44:55 Master Your Lifting Technique Instead of Switching Exercises
46:15 Why Being Distracted in the Gym Kills Your Results
47:10 How Many Days a Week Should Women Lift Weights?
48:35 Training 2 vs 3 vs 4 Days a Week for Muscle Growth
50:20 You Only Need 4-6 Exercises Per Workout
51:30 Choosing Compound Exercises and Using Supersets
54:00 The 30-Minute Full Body Workout Structure
55:40 Cozy Earth Bamboo Bedding
57:20 iRestore Red Light Therapy Face Mask
59:00 Should Women Train Differently in Their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s?
59:50 HIIT, Cortisol and the Women's Hormone Myth
1:01:30 Why High Intensity Training Matters More As You Age
1:02:45 Why You Feel Wrecked After a Workout
1:03:50 Strength Training for Beginners Over 60
1:05:10 Dr. Mike's Cardio: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1:06:20 Should You Add Cardio for Fat Loss?
1:08:50 Cardio Burns Fewer Calories Than You Think
1:09:30 Half Ironman Training and Losing Muscle Mass
1:11:40 What Cardio Is Actually For (Not Weight Loss)
1:12:30 Body Recomposition: How Big Should Your Calorie Deficit Be?
1:13:45 Why Fast Weight Loss Always Fails
1:16:00 How Slow, Sustainable Fat Loss Compounds
1:19:20 The Mental Reframe You Need Before Losing Weight
1:20:15 Does Dr. Mike Israetel Track His Macros?
1:21:40 Dream Recovery Mouth Tape
1:23:00 Kane Footwear Recovery Shoes
1:24:20 Should Women Track Macros for Body Recomp?
1:26:00 Snacking and Sneaky Calories
1:26:40 Dr. Mike's Full Day of Eating
1:29:55 Are Seed Oils and Artificial Sweeteners Bad for You?
1:32:20 Deep Frying, Oxidation and Reused Oils
1:32:50 Is There a Hidden Poison in Our Food Supply?
1:33:45 The Twinkie Diet Experiment Explained
1:35:00 The Real Reason Junk Food Makes You Gain Weight
1:37:20 Dessert, Diet Soda and Low Calorie Ice Cream
1:38:45 Why Cravings Disappear When You Eat Well
1:40:15 GLP-1s Explained: Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, Retatrutide
1:43:20 How to Keep Muscle While on a GLP-1
1:44:55 Rapid Fire: Women's Fitness Myths Debunked
1:48:50 Creatine for Women: Dosage, Puffiness and Acne
1:50:30 Where to Find Dr. Mike Israetel
1:51:40 Outro
Follow Dr. Mike Israetel:
Instagram: Instagram: drmikeisraetel
YouTube: @renaissanceperiodization
Website: https://rpstrength.com
Thank you to our sponsors:
Kinsyn
https://kinsyn.com | Code: SAMC for 20% off your first subscription
Jones Road Beauty
https://jonesroadbeauty.com | Code: EMPWR for a free full-size mascara on your first purchase
Clearstem
https://clearstemskincare.com | Code: SAMCFIT for a FREE Mini Hydro Glow Plumping Moisturizer on orders $75+
Remi Night Guards
https://shopremi.com | Code: SAMCFIT for up to 50% off
Dream Recovery
https://dreamrecovery.io | Code: SAM15 for 15% off
Kane Footwear
https://kanefootwear.com/empwr for free shipping
iRestore Face Mask
https://irestorelaser.com | Code: SAMCFIT for a discount at checkout
Cozy Earth
https://cozyearth.com | Code: SAMCFIT for 20% off, plus a 10-year warranty and 100-night risk-free trial on bedding
Sam's LINKS:
ELEVATE App | free 7 day trial: https://www.elevatebysam.com/
Macro Guide: https://samanthachristine.co/nutritio...
Running Programs: https://samanthachristine.co/running-...
Follow Sam:
Insta: @samcfit_
YouTube: @samantha_christine