Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
We were joined by McMaster University PhD candidate Lauren Colenso-Semple who is studying the influence of exercise, nutrition, and hormones on skeletal muscle, specifically as they relate to the menstrual cycle. She has an extensive background not only in academia, having worked with a veritable “who’s who” of exercise science researchers in her journey to her PhD studies, but she also is an experienced personal trainer. In this episode she helps us understand whether “menstrual-cycle phase based training” is truly based on firm evidence, or if in some cases, the popular guidance sometimes extends beyond what we currently know (and what makes sense from a physiological perspective). Make sure to tune in to learn what we do and don’t know on this fascinating topic.
00:00 Giving the people what they want and introducing Lauren (early)
09:05 Lauren’s experience in research and menstrual phase-based resistance training research
17:39 Animal models and understanding the role of estrogen
27:09 The influences of estrogen/progesterone and the pill on training based on the current evidence
35:25 General phasic-based recommendations for training
49:05 Verifying and tracking cycle phases in research
55:33 The impact of the menstrual cycle on training
McNulty 2020 The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32661839
59:36 Practical approaches to training and the direction of Lauren’s PhD
1:21:06 Resources and information for menstrual phase-based training?
1:25:33 Irregular menstrual cycles in athletes
1:29:02 The effects of hormonal contraceptives
1:31:25 Physique athletes, disrupted menstrual cycles, and REDs
1:36:40 Closing out and where to find Lauren
Instagram @laurencs1 instagram.com/laurencs1/?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=
ResearchGate researchgate.net/profile/Lauren-Colenso-Semple
We were joined by McMaster University PhD candidate Lauren Colenso-Semple who is studying the influence of exercise, nutrition, and hormones on skeletal muscle, specifically as they relate to the menstrual cycle. She has an extensive background not only in academia, having worked with a veritable “who’s who” of exercise science researchers in her journey to her PhD studies, but she also is an experienced personal trainer. In this episode she helps us understand whether “menstrual-cycle phase based training” is truly based on firm evidence, or if in some cases, the popular guidance sometimes extends beyond what we currently know (and what makes sense from a physiological perspective). Make sure to tune in to learn what we do and don’t know on this fascinating topic.
00:00 Giving the people what they want and introducing Lauren (early)
09:05 Lauren’s experience in research and menstrual phase-based resistance training research
17:39 Animal models and understanding the role of estrogen
27:09 The influences of estrogen/progesterone and the pill on training based on the current evidence
35:25 General phasic-based recommendations for training
49:05 Verifying and tracking cycle phases in research
55:33 The impact of the menstrual cycle on training
McNulty 2020 The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32661839
59:36 Practical approaches to training and the direction of Lauren’s PhD
1:21:06 Resources and information for menstrual phase-based training?
1:25:33 Irregular menstrual cycles in athletes
1:29:02 The effects of hormonal contraceptives
1:31:25 Physique athletes, disrupted menstrual cycles, and REDs
1:36:40 Closing out and where to find Lauren
Instagram @laurencs1 instagram.com/laurencs1/?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=
ResearchGate researchgate.net/profile/Lauren-Colenso-Semple
