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Female Training Myths: What the Research Actually Shows

A myth-busting look at female-specific training claims, grounded in a peer-reviewed RCT, showing several popular train-around-your-cycle rules are not supported by rigorous data.

💪
Andy Galpin
Exercise Physiologist · Parker University
Not endorsed · Based on the published work of Andy Galpin
Daily time
Reference / evidence review
Steps
5
Difficulty
Intermediate
Sources
4
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What it is

In episode 27 of his Perform podcast, Andy Galpin interviewed Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, a McMaster-trained exercise physiologist in Stuart Phillips' lab, whose 2025 randomized cross-over study in The Journal of Physiology tested whether menstrual cycle phase changes the muscle-building response to resistance training. This is a training-literacy protocol, not a phase-based program: it teaches you how to evaluate cycle-syncing claims rather than prescribing one.

Why it works▼
Colenso-Semple's RCT used gold-standard methods (urinary ovulation tests plus blood-hormone confirmation of cycle phase, muscle biopsies, deuterium-oxide tracing) in women across follicular and luteal phases with a within-subject unilateral design. Resistance exercise significantly raised muscle protein synthesis in both phases with no effect of cycle phase and no phase-by-exercise interaction, undercutting the assumption that women should time hard lifting to a specific cycle phase for superior gains.
The evidence
Sources
Published work by Andy Galpin, cited straight to the source: long-form episodes, clips, peer-reviewed papers and their own writing. Select any to view it here.
1
Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin, Ep. 27: Female Training, Hormones & Nutrition, Fact vs Fiction
Podcast
2
Female Training, Hormones & Nutrition: Fact vs Fiction | Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin
Video
3
Female Training, Hormones & Nutrition: Fact vs Fiction (show notes)
Article
4
Colenso-Semple et al., Menstrual cycle phase and muscle protein synthesis, J Physiol 2025
Paper
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The protocol
Clinical strong human trials Mixed some or emerging evidence Commercial weak or unproven, sold widely Equipment / Test not an evidence claim How we grade →
Track for information

Track your cycle for information, not for training rules

Log cycle day and phase; do not assume you must shift training around it

Knowing your phase is useful context, but the RCT found no reason to build your training plan around it.

Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin, Ep. 27
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Train hard year-round

Train hard year-round regardless of cycle phase

Heavy compound lifts and standard progressive overload, unchanged week to week

The RCT found no phase effect on the anabolic response to resistance exercise.

Colenso-Semple et al., J Physiol 2025
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Testosterone myth

Do not assume low testosterone limits your gains

Train for relative strength and size the same way regardless of sex-hormone differences

Women build relative strength and size at rates comparable to men, including through menopause; testosterone differences do not explain a training-response gap.

Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin, Ep. 27
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Watch fueling, not phase

Watch low energy availability, not cycle phase, as the real risk

Prioritize eating enough to support training load, especially around hard sessions

Under-fueling (RED-S), not which week you train in, is what disrupts hormones and performance.

Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin, Ep. 27
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Be a skeptical consumer

Be a skeptical consumer of cycle-syncing content

Ask whether a claim comes from a controlled study with confirmed cycle-phase testing, not just a popular framework

Much popular cycle-syncing advice outruns what the controlled research actually shows.

Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin, Ep. 27
For this step
No product needed
Is this for you?
Good fit if
  • Women who lift and want evidence over hype
  • Coaches programming for female athletes
  • Anyone confused by cycle-syncing training claims
  • Readers of Sims' cycle-based protocols who want the contrasting RCT evidence
Cautions
  • This is an evidence-review / training-literacy protocol, not individualized medical advice
  • It reviews one RCT's mechanistic muscle-protein-synthesis findings and does not contradict fueling or periodization guidance elsewhere on this site
  • Individual response varies; persistent cycle-related symptoms that affect training deserve a conversation with a physician
  • Educational only, not medical advice
Related protocols
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Physical
Female-Specific Training & Fueling
Based on the work of Stacy Sims
🔄
Hormonal
Train & Fuel With Your Cycle
Based on the work of Stacy Sims
Update history
  • July 3, 2026 Protocol published.
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Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Independent curation. YourProtocol.ai is an independent platform. This protocol is based on the publicly available work of Andy Galpin and is not created, reviewed, endorsed by, or affiliated with Andy Galpin or Exercise Physiologist · Parker University.

Female Training Myths: What the Research Actually Shows
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