July 22, 2024 • 2hr 28min

Dr. Stacy Sims: Female-Specific Exercise & Nutrition for Health, Performance & Longevity

Huberman Lab

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Huberman interviews Dr. Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specializing in female-specific training and nutrition. They discuss optimal exercise and nutrition protocols for women based on age and goals, covering topics like fasting, the menstrual cycle's impact on training, supplements, and strategies for longevity.

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Key Takeaways

Intermittent fasting and fasted training are generally not recommended for women, as they can increase cortisol and stress on the body. Women should eat something small before training to fuel workouts properly.
Women need more protein than commonly thought - around 1-1.2g per pound of body weight daily, especially as they get older, to maintain muscle mass and strength.
Resistance training is crucial for women of all ages, but the approach should change over time:
- 20s-40s: Train to failure to build strength and muscle
- 40s+: Focus on heavier weights with fewer reps to maintain strength
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training are important for women, especially as they age, to produce lactate and maintain metabolic health. True HIIT involves short bursts (30 sec - 4 min) at 80%+ effort.
Sauna use after workouts can enhance performance by increasing blood volume. This "Sims Protocol" involves 30 min sauna sessions post-training.
Women should track their menstrual cycles and adjust training/nutrition accordingly, as hormone fluctuations impact performance and recovery needs.
Key supplements for women include creatine, vitamin D3, and high-quality protein powder. Adaptogens like ashwagandha may also be beneficial.
For longevity, women 50+ should focus on jump training, heavy resistance training, sprint intervals, and adequate protein intake.

Introduction

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Huberman interviews Dr. Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specializing in female-specific training and nutrition. They discuss optimal exercise and nutrition protocols for women based on age and goals, covering topics like fasting, the menstrual cycle's impact on training, supplements, and strategies for longevity.

Topics Discussed

Intermittent Fasting and Women (7:03)

Dr. Sims explains that intermittent fasting is generally not recommended for active women:

Women have more oxidative muscle fibers, making them already more metabolically flexible than men
Fasting increases cortisol and stress on women's bodies
It can disrupt kisspeptin neurons, affecting appetite, luteinizing hormone, estrogen, and thyroid function

"If we're looking at intermittent fasting, where you're holding the fast up till noon or you're having days of really low calorie restriction, we see in active women, it's very detrimental," states Dr. Sims.

Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition for Women (21:06)

Dr. Sims recommends women eat something small before training:

15g protein before strength training
15g protein + 30g carbs before cardio
Post-workout: 35-40g protein within 45 minutes (more for perimenopausal women)

"If you're going to do any kind of cardiovascular type work up to an hour, then you're adding 30 grams of carb to that. So it's not a lot of food and it's not a full meal," Dr. Sims explains.

Resistance Training for Women (34:24)

Dr. Sims emphasizes the importance of resistance training for women but notes the approach should change with age:

20s-40s: Train to failure to build strength and muscle
40s+: Focus on heavier weights with fewer reps to maintain strength
Aim for 3-4 resistance training sessions per week

"When we get older, because it's so difficult to put on lean mass, we really want to focus on the strength component because that becomes more important when we're talking about longevity," Dr. Sims states.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for Women (2:12:18)

Dr. Sims explains what true high-intensity training looks like:

1-4 minutes of work at 80%+ effort
Examples: 400m-800m track repeats, circuit training with compound movements
Sprint intervals: 30 seconds all-out effort with 2-3 minutes rest

"We want you to go all out and recover well enough to be able to go all out again. You're not leaving anything in the tank," Dr. Sims emphasizes.

Menstrual Cycle and Training (59:10)

Dr. Sims discusses how the menstrual cycle impacts training:

Low hormone phase (day 1 of bleeding to ovulation): Greater capacity for high-intensity work
High hormone phase (after ovulation): May need more carbs and protein, harder to hit high intensities
Women should track their cycles to understand individual patterns

"We need women to track their own cycle and find their own patterns, because we know that there are times where you feel like c**p and you can't push intensity. But that might be on day eight for one woman, it might be day 18 for another," Dr. Sims advises.

Supplements for Women (1:52:54)

Dr. Sims recommends several key supplements for women:

Creatine: 3-5g daily, preferably Creapure brand
Vitamin D3: 2000-5000 IU daily
High-quality protein powder
Adaptogens like ashwagandha, holy basil, and schisandra

"The number one is creatine. Creatine for women doesn't matter what age, it's really important. We're seeing a lot for brain mood and actually gut health," Dr. Sims states.

Sauna Use for Performance (1:42:19)

Dr. Sims introduces the "Sims Protocol" for using sauna to enhance performance:

30 minutes in sauna post-workout
Allows for passive dehydration to stimulate blood volume expansion
Can improve cardiovascular capacity similar to altitude training

"You have an increase in your cardiovascular effort. And because you have a greater amount of blood volumes, you have more available for muscle metabolism, heat loss," Dr. Sims explains.

Training for Longevity in Women 50+ (2:06:19)

Dr. Sims outlines key strategies for women over 50 to train for longevity:

Jump training: 10 minutes, 3x/week for bone density
Heavy resistance training
Sprint interval training
Increased protein intake: 1-1.1g per pound of body weight daily

"If we're looking for longevity and we're looking at what we want to do when we're 80 or 90, we want to be independently living, we want to have good proprioception, balance, we want to have good bones and we want to be strong," Dr. Sims emphasizes.

Conclusion

This episode provides a wealth of information on female-specific training and nutrition strategies. Dr. Sims challenges many common misconceptions, emphasizing the importance of resistance training, high-intensity work, and adequate protein intake for women of all ages. She provides actionable advice for optimizing training around the menstrual cycle and offers strategies for maintaining health and performance through perimenopause and beyond. By following these evidence-based recommendations, women can enhance their fitness, health, and longevity.