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, build muscle, and actually enjoy the process. We'll break down how to anchor your week with strength, layer in cardio, and use auto-regulation (RPE/RIR) to dial intensity up or down without ditching your plan or your progress. If you're an athletic woman 40+ navigating perimenopause, career, caregiving, and sport hobbies, this practical framework will help you train smarter, recover better, and stay consistent long term. What you'll learn in this episode: Why the "go hard every day" mindset backfires once you hit your 40s and what to focus on instead. The approach that keeps lifters consistent even when life is chaos. How to tell if it's a day to push or pull back without second-guessing your training plan. The simple two-day strength & cardio framework that delivers results without burning you out. The mindset shift that turns "I missed a workout" guilt into sustainable long-term progress. Enjoyed this episode and want more? If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!
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29:25
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29:25
The 5 Hard Truths Your Lifting Needs After 40
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 frustration. Get practical coaching on progressive overload, program hopping, hypertrophy, auto-regulation, and why DIY training isn't actually "free." What you'll learn in this episode: What happens when you've been lifting for a while… but the weights (and results) haven't really changed? Why "switching things up" might be the reason you're stuck in place. The truth behind words like toned, sculpted, and long and lean and what they really mean for your training. How chasing the number on the scale can quietly derail your performance and progress. The real cost of trying to make up your own workouts, and what it's stealing from your gains. Enjoyed this episode and want more? If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!
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34:40
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34:40
How to Adjust Workouts When You're Short on Time
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 explains a simple framework for structured flexibility – keeping the big-picture plan while adapting the day's session. You'll learn three practical ways to modify workouts using RPE / RIR, so you can train smarter, protect progress, and stay consistent in midlife. What you'll learn in this episode: Why "all or nothing" thinking keeps sabotaging your strength progress after 40 The simple shift that lets you keep momentum even when life gets chaotic Three creative ways to make workouts shorter without losing results How to know if you're still training hard enough on those scaled-back days The mindset reframe that makes consistency possible long-term Enjoyed this episode and want more? If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!
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27:07
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27:07
The Over-40 Lifting Formula I'd Follow If I Started Again Tomorrow
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 your real life. You'll learn exactly how to structure your workouts for results: which compound lifts to prioritize, how to sprinkle in isolation work the smart way, and why adding power and plyometrics helps you feel quick and athletic again. We'll also touch on where cardio fits for women over 40 so you can train wisely without living in the gym. What you'll learn in this episode: The base of your lifting should be this Should you do cardio with your lifting? Why avoiding power work or impact over 40 backfires When to use isolation exercises Why 6 day a week bro splits aren't working for women 40+ Enjoyed this episode and want more? Ready to have the plan done for you – with full-body strength, smart power progressions, and cardio that actually fits your life? Grab a 7-day sample of Strong with Steph at stephgaudreau.com/workout – then join the program and let Steph lay it out so you can just open the app and lift.Â
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33:08
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33:08
How to Start Cardio Again Without Burning Out
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 take another look at how cardio fits into your life. In this episode, we explore what it means to rebuild a healthier relationship with cardio. From my personal journey – burnout from endurance sports, swinging the pendulum into strength training, then finding my way back to cardio on my own terms – to practical ways you can ease it back into your routine, this conversation is about healing from old patterns and creating balance. You'll also hear answers to common questions about what counts as cardio, how to tell if it's moderate or vigorous, and how to weave it in with your lifting. What you'll learn in this episode: Why so many women over 40 have a complicated history with cardio The role of diet culture and body ideals in shaping our relationship with endurance exercise How to reframe cardio as a supportive tool instead of punishment Practical ways to bring conditioning back without burnout or dread Guidelines for balancing cardio with strength training so both work together Simple strategies for starting small and progressing over time Motivation for working out episode Enjoyed this episode and want more? If you want a lifting program that tells you exactly what to do, try 7 days of Strong with Steph here >> https://stephgaudreau.com/workout Share this episode with a friend looking to improve their strength training knowledge. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform for new episodes!
The Fuel Your Strength podcast is all about helping women who lift weights get stronger, fuel themselves (without counting every bite of food), perform better in and out of the gym, and take up space. Strength nutrition strategist and weight lifting coach Steph Gaudreau shares how lifting weights is a catalyst for a more expansive life and how to challenge the status quo around nutrition and fitness. This weekly show brings you discussion about building strength without obsessing about food and exercise, lifting weights, food psychology, and more. You'll learn how to eat, train, recover, listen to your body, and step into your strength.
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