Loading...

PODCAST

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40

Philip Pape | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40

Strength training and fat loss for men and women over 40 is the foundation of this show. In every episode I put a popular piece of fitness advice under the microscope, find the hidden reason it doesn"t work, and give you the deceptively simple fix that does. For skeptics of the fitness industry who are tired of following the rules and still not seeing results.If you"ve been lifting weights, tracking macros, and doing "all the right things" but your body composition hasn"t changed, you"re probably

health & fitness nutrition

All Episodes

28:43

Do Weight Loss Challenges Work? (What to Do Instead)

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/10/05

We evaluate weight loss challenges and why they can make you "win" on the scale while losing muscle, bone, and momentum toward your true goal of improving how you look and feel.Learn what the research says about rebounds after incentives end and the 3 metrics to track instead for sustainable fat loss over 40, including:How challenges can reward extreme dieting and too much cardio while devaluing lifting What studies show about lean mass and bone loss despite similar weight lossWhat

en-us

54:45

Why the Most Convincing Nutrition Advice Is Usually...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/10/01

Why does bad nutrition advice sound so convincing, and how do you know who to trust?Registered dietitian Kylee Van Horn and journalist and elite ultrarunner Zoë Rom, hosts of Your Diet Sucks podcast, join me to expose how nutrition and fitness claims get distorted from actual research into confident prescriptions.We break down why mechanisms and individual studies aren’t enough, how social media rewards certainty over nuance, and why women’s fitness and hormone health have become especially

en-us

28:35

Carb Cycling, Workout Carb Timing, and the Menopause...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/28

It turns out that carb cycling does NOT improve fat loss or your metabolism. But does it have other benefits?You've heard you should load carbs on lifting days and cut them on rest days, especially after 40. Where did this idea come from?I'm breaking down the one study that comes closest to testing carb cycling and what happened when a second group of researchers reanalyzed the data. You'll also hear why the insulin and fat storage argument doesn't hold up, what one study found

en-us

23:05

The 8 Hours of Sleep Myth for Longevity and Muscle...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/24

Do you actually need 8 hours of sleep to build muscle after 40?We put that claim under the microscope and separate what sleep research actually shows from what fitness culture spreads online.Learn about the simple rules that protect your strength training, fat loss, and daily energy even when your night falls a bit short:Where the 7+ hours of sleep guideline comes from and what it does and does not coverThe effect of sleep restriction on a calorie deficit, including fat loss vs fat-free (lean /

en-us

27:24

Creatine for Women in Menopause (Dosage, Bone, and...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/21

The claim that women need more creatine is everywhere right now, especially if you're strength training over 40.Maybe you heard that women carry 70 to 80% lower creatine stores than men, so you need a bigger dose.What about bone health (especially in postmenopause), brain health, and loading? How much should you actually take and when? What will creatine do for you?Get those answers and more, including:The REAL reason creatine worksWhy “lower creatine stores” does not mean depleted muscle

en-us

67:46

5 Rep Ranges You MUST Know for Hypertrophy After 40...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/17

If 5 to 30 reps can all build muscle, why do some rep ranges clearly work better than others? After 40, could the “science-based” advice you’re following be the exact reason your progress has stalled?I brought strength coach Andy Baker back to challenge one of the most oversimplified ideas in evidence-based fitness: that rep ranges are basically interchangeable.We break down the five rep ranges you need to understand, from heavy 1 to 4 rep strength work through 20 to 30 rep sets, and exactly where

en-us

22:25

Do Diet Breaks Actually Work for Metabolism Recovery...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/14

A diet break won't give you more fat loss. Two weeks at maintenance won't "reset" or "restore" your metabolism either. But I still use diet breaks with almost every client over 40, but for totally different (but beneficial) reasons.We lay out a simple framework for using maintenance breaks to reduce diet fatigue, improve adherence, and avoid panicking when the scale jumps, including:Where diet break claims come from, including metabolic adaptation and the MATADOR trial

en-us

28:46

You Don't Need a Calorie Surplus to Build Muscle Over 40

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/10

You don't need a calorie surplus to build muscle after 40.The common surplus numbers are shakier than most people realize. I break down the real energy cost of muscle, what the research says about maintenance versus surplus, and how to tell whether body recomposition is the right approach for you.I'm breaking down the real energy cost of building a pound of muscle and the 3 conditions that decide whether body recomposition works for you. You'll also hear where the anti-surplus crowd

en-us

29:48

Perimenopause Doesn't Cause Weight Gain (Your...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/07

Perimenopause doesn't cause weight gain.But if you ARE gaining weight over 40 (or struggling to lose weight), then what's actually going on?Menopause changes body composition in ways the scale can hide, but it does not suspend the basic rules of energy balance. You'll learn:Medical consensus vs. social media claims about menopause weight gain SWAN DEXA findings on steady scale weight and shifting fat and lean mass Visceral belly fat and trunk fat increases during menopauseWhy

en-us

11:11

Stop Rushing Your Rest Periods (How to Shorten Your...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/05

Cutting your rest periods to save time could backfire. Obsessing over rest periods between sets is usually the wrong way to save time in the gym when it comes to strength training over 40. Learn what the research says for hypertrophy and strength for a smarter strategy to get in those hard sets while shortening your time in the gym. Join my email list to get the exclusive 30% off Fitness Lab for life during our Labor Sale. Offer ends September 13. Hit play if you want a shorter session withou...

en-us

38:48

5 Beliefs I Got Wrong About Strength Training Over 40...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/09/03

Are you still following outdated advice for strength training over 40 when it comes to building muscle and losing fat?After 500 episodes of Wits & Weights, I’m revisiting 5 pieces of strength training and nutrition advice I used to give and explaining what changed my mind.Learn why starting at maintenance calories can still make sense, just not for “metabolic repair,” why total daily protein matters far more than perfect meal timing, and why cardio probably isn’t stealing your muscle gains.I

en-us

39:12

The 4 Essential Skills of Body Recomposition After 40...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/31

Why do weight loss and body recomp results often fade even after you have success?The real win is learning skills that still work when life changes or support (like a coaching program) goes away.We walk through 4 practical skills that make fat loss maintenance and muscle building feel simpler, calmer, and more repeatable:Why short-term results can regress even with good effortWhat the 3.9-year weight regain finding from research suggests about the best approachHow cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

en-us

30:19

Cut, Maintain, or Build and Still Lose Fat WITHOUT...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/27

You can lose fat without losing muscle, but only with the right approach.Most of us decide what to do (often out of fear) and then go collect the data that agrees with our bias. I have done it too, and so have my clients!I'm breaking down why most people choose a cut, maintenance, or a muscle-building phase incorrectly for body recomp over 40. We share the specific situations where your preference doesn't matter (your body is telling you otherwise!), plus a simple question that prevents

en-us

31:21

Stop Letting a Calculator Set Your Macros and...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/24

Your app or online calculator is likely wrong about calories for fat loss.It can be off by a few hundred calories, and your wearable is even worse. We challenge typical advice by showing how inaccurate maintenance calorie estimates can derail your fat loss before it even starts. I share my 7-week runway that uses consistent tracking to measure your real energy needs so you can execute a calorie deficit with confidence instead of guesswork. Why calculator-based maintenance calories can be off by

en-us

59:45

Testosterone, GLP-1s, and Fat Loss Over 40 (Jay...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/20

Over 40 and suddenly struggling to lose fat or build muscle? It must be your hormones... right?Not so fast.Jumping straight to TRT, HRT, peptides, or GLP-1s could be solving the wrong problem.Jay Campbell, author of The Testosterone Optimization Therapy Bible and co-founder of BioLongevity Labs, breaks down where hormones actually fit into fat loss, muscle building, metabolism, and longevity.We cover why testosterone boosters usually disappoint, what free versus total testosterone can tell you,

en-us

28:14

Menopause Strength Training and the Bone Density Myth...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/17

Heavy lifting does build bone density. That part is true. But the rule going around that women must strength training with 5 sets of 5 at 85% of your max (1RM) plus box jumps or you lose your bone density, is a much bigger claim than the evidence supports.We dismantle this claim and explain what the best studies can and cannot prove. We also share a simpler approach that still allows you to train hard, lower fracture risk, and keeps you consistent through perimenopause and postmenopause. If you want

en-us

5:00

Did I Trigger the "Fat Folks" on Social Media?

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/16

Am I mansplaining to the "fat folks" on social media and stripping away their bodily autonomy? It all started with a Threads post about GLP-1s and lifting weights. Apparently, people hear the same facts in totally different ways (if they want to hear them at all). In this bonus episode, I share a comment on a viral post about lean mass loss in the GLP-1 weight loss research, a positive message on resistance training that wasn't taken that way, and why clearer language matters online. If...

en-us

31:07

How Long Body Recomposition Takes If You're Skinny...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/13

How long does body recomposition really take? Cutting calories to lose weight can make a skinny fat physique worse by stripping away the little muscle you have while giving you misleading “progress” signals. Learn the realistic week-by-week body recomp timeline for noticeable changes, plus the simple tracking methods that prove your plan is working. If the scale hasn't budged in 3 weeks and you're about to call it off, hit play. And shout out to listener Dhiren A. on Spotify for

en-us

35:03

Reverse Dieting Is a Dead End for Metabolism Recovery...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/10

Reverse dieting gets sold as a slow, safe way to “fix” your metabolism after fat loss, but the evidence and the real-world experience rarely match the promise. Reverse dieting came out of coaching, not research. Add 50 calories a week, bring your metabolism back up, stay lean while you do it. We break down why most people cannot execute it, why it often delays recovery, and how to transition out of a cut with faster metabolic and hormonal rebound while keeping your head straight about the scale. If

en-us

49:03

Tissue Capacity and Training Through Pain for Lifters...

Wits & Weights | Strength Training & Fat Loss Over 40 ·

2026/08/06

Can resting an achy joint actually make it weaker? What should you do when pain flares during strength training? Dr. Tom Walters, board-certified orthopedic physical therapist and founder of Rehab Science, joins me to challenge the idea that pain always means you should stop moving.Learn why there are no inherently bad movements, only loads and positions your body may not be prepared to handle yet. We cover heavy, slow resistance training for tendinopathy, why mild discomfort can be acceptable

en-us

685 results

Similar Podcasts

Доктор Тройняшкин

Доктор Тройняшкин

Healthy Chat

DR ALI BANIHAMOUR

Dingue ‐ RTS

RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse

To Birth and Beyond

Anita Lambert & Jessie Mundell

The Fitness League

Alessandra and Josh Scutnik, Joelle...