Fat Burning Is Not Fat Loss: Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan on Muscle, Fat Loss and Fasted Training for Women 40+

Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains how muscle quality changes in perimenopause and how HIIT, heavy lifting and protein timing help women over 40 train smarter.

In perimenopause, muscle can shift from a lean "filet" toward a "rib eye," with more fat and connective tissue inside it, and a DEXA or InBody can't detect it. Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains why heavier, higher power training recruits the type 2 fibers that fade with age, how 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT appears to reduce visceral fat in as little as three weeks, why fat burning is not fat loss, and when about 20g of protein before training helps.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why muscle quality, not just muscle size, may change first in perimenopause

How 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT targets visceral fat in midlife women

Why fat burning during zone 2 is not the same as fat loss

When training fasted costs you results, and when it does not

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro: Muscle Quality in Perimenopause and Why a DEXA Can't Measure It

06:31 - How to Train for Muscle Quality After 40: Heavy Load, Power and Type 2 Fibers

10:13 - HIIT and Visceral Fat in Midlife Women: The 1 Minute On, 1 Minute Off Protocol

16:01 - The 30 Minute Heavy Lifting Protocol, the Norwegian 4x4 and Where Zone 2 Fits