Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio

15/05/2026

When in doubt, K.I.S.S. The more skill it takes to do an exercise, the harder it is to build muscle. Another great video from Bryce Lee from StrengthSpace, LLC

In Lesson 7, we talk about skill. It's tempting to incorporate a lot of skill based exercises into your training. The trouble is, the more skill is involved,...

07/05/2026

Does exercise really help you live longer. Here is what the research says.

15/04/2026

I need to address something that has been bothering me for a long time.

There is a pervasive narrative online that menopause destroys a woman's ability to build muscle. That estrogen loss is catastrophic for lean mass. That without hormone replacement therapy, postmenopausal women are fighting a losing battle. You have seen it from influencers, from supplement companies, and unfortunately from some clinicians who should know better.

It is wrong. And we now have the data to say so with real confidence.

Isenmann et al. (2026) just published the largest systematic review and meta-analysis ever conducted on resistance training in females across the lifespan. This is not a small study. This is 126 studies and 4,019 women. What did they find? Premenopausal and postmenopausal women gained strength at virtually identical rates. The standardised mean differences were 1.50 and 1.46 respectively, with a p-value of 0.520. Functional mass increased and fat mass decreased in both groups. Menopausal status made no difference to either outcome.

Let me say that again. No difference.

Now, what about hormone therapy? If estrogen were truly essential for maintaining muscle, then replacing it should produce a measurable effect. The Javed et al. meta-analysis looked at exactly this question across 12 randomised controlled trials and 4,474 women. The result? Menopausal hormone therapy added 0.06 kg of lean mass compared to placebo. That is sixty grams. The weight of a single egg. And it was not statistically significant (p = 0.26).

So where does the idea come from that menopause causes muscle loss? It comes from observational studies showing that postmenopausal women have 2.5% to 5.7% less lean mass than premenopausal women. But when you do the arithmetic, normal age-related muscle loss runs at 0.4 to 0.7% per year, and the menopausal transition spans roughly 7 to 10 years. That gives you an expected loss from aging alone of 2.8% to 7.0%, which fully accounts for the observed difference. There is nothing left over to blame on estrogen.

I wrote an editorial on this recently. The conclusion is straightforward. Women lose muscle as they age for the same reason men do. They get older, and they stop training. Blaming estrogen is not just scientifically unsupported, it is actively harmful. It tells women that their situation is hopeless without pharmaceutical intervention. It discourages them from doing the one thing that actually works.

Resistance training is the most effective intervention for maintaining and building muscle at any age. That is not opinion. That is what 126 studies and thousands of women tell us.

If you are postmenopausal and you have been told you cannot build muscle, you were told wrong. Pick up the weights. The evidence is on your side.

References:
Isenmann et al. (2026) J Sci Med Sport: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244026000964
Currier et al. (2026) ACSM Position Stand, MSSE: https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003620
Phillips (2026) Editorial, J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.70248
Javed et al. (2019) JAMA Netw Open: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2749051

01/04/2026

As you get stronger and in better shape the workout gets harder. Another great message from Bryce Lee from StrengthSpace, LLC.

Have you been training for a while, and find that you are getting *more* out of breath during your exercise? Dr. Lee explains why, as our strength improves, ...

01/04/2026

Fewer than 1 in 5 women over 50 meet the guidelines for muscle-strengthening activity. For women over 65 it's closer to 1 in 10!

We have the largest body of evidence we've ever had, showing that resistance training improves strength, muscle mass, power, bone density, and physical function across the lifespan. The ACSM Position Stand (Currier et al., 2026) synthesized 137 systematic reviews covering over 30,000 participants, and the conclusion is unambiguous: resistance training works. For everyone. At every age. And you don't need to go maximally heavy. Moderate loads, 30 to 70% of your max, enhance hypertrophy. Variable prescription works. The key is consistency and progressive challenge, not perfection.

And yet the vast majority of women never touch a weight.

This isn't a knowledge problem. It's a messaging problem. For decades, women have been told that cardio is their lane. Weights will make them "bulky." That bone loss and muscle loss after menopause are inevitable. None of that is true.
Menopause does not accelerate muscle loss. When you control for physical activity and age, the supposed acceleration largely disappears (Menzies et al., 2026). The driver is disuse, not hormones (Phillips, 2026). Menopausal hormone therapy changes lean mass by a grand total of 0.06 kg across 12 RCTs and 4,474 women (Javed et al.). That's 60 grams. Not meaningful.

The single most effective thing a woman in midlife can do for her muscle, her bone, her metabolic health, her function, and her independence is pick up something heavy-ish and put it down again. Repeatedly. Once-twice a week, at a minimum.
You don't need a special program. You don't need a supplement stack. You don't need to train like a powerlifter. You don't NEED to LHS! You can if you want, but it's a matter of choice and goals.

You need to start. That's it. Just start.

The gateway to better health in the second half of life isn't a pill, a powder, or a protocol. It's a barbell. Or a dumbbell. Or a kettlebell. Or a band. Or your own bodyweight.

Any resistance training is better than none. And right now, for the majority of women, "none" is exactly what they're doing.

Let's change that!

Currier BS et al. (2026). ACSM Position Stand. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 137 systematic reviews, >30,000 participants.
Menzies FM et al. (2026). J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.70232
Phillips SM. (2026). J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.70248
Javed AA et al. MHT meta-analysis. 12 RCTs, 4,474 women.
CDC/National Health Interview Survey (2020). Muscle-strengthening activity participation data.

27/03/2026

What qualifies as strength training? Another great post from Bryce Lee from StrengthSpace, LLC.

There are many healthy activities that involve using our muscles. But which of them actually "count" as strength training? In this video, Dr. Lee discusses t...

03/03/2026

Why we keep the temperature cool at Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio

Should we focus on breaking a sweat while strength training?

26/02/2026

I love that more and more research is being published that supports what we have been saying about strength training for decades.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254625000869?via%3Dihub&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQNLAJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEedlSgxpyUELCAjkPwMLBcGsnKSM1LLpC5r-wnktPcBNi8FZkf_xiFQqf_6hE_aem__hUu9D6XvQMRdrihpmWMHw

15/02/2026

Exercise is an ineffective weight loss tool because it’s very inefficient at burning calories. You wouldn’t use a screwdriver to hammer a nail, so don’t expect exercise to significantly impact weight loss. However, exercise is still really good for you in many other ways.

Another Great post by Bryce Lee from StrengthSpace, LLC.

Just a small snack can undo a whole workout. So don't look at your workouts as a way to burn calories. Instead, manage calories first on the intake side (die...

12/02/2026

You will not get slower by lifting slower.

In this video, Dr. Lee addresses the common concern that training with a slow, controlled tempo will make our muscles become slow and less powerful.To be cle...

29/10/2024

**What REALLY Stimulates Resistance Training-Induced Hypertrophy? 💪**

When it comes to building muscle, what actually causes hypertrophy through resistance training? 🤔 Science has come a long way in breaking down this complex process (PMID: 37382939, 32148775, 35389932), and here’s what you need to know:

🔹 Mechanical Tension: The #1 driver of muscle growth. It’s all about applying force to the muscle fibers. When muscles experience tension, it signals them to grow. Both *intensity* (load/effort) and *volume* of the load matter! What this doesn’t mean is that heavier is better since we know load doesn’t drive growth (PMID: 37414459, 35015560). In fact, fatigue, however, induced, is the great equalizer. But fatigue is merely sufficient and not necessary for growth (PMID: 33497853)

🔹 Muscle Damage: While muscle soreness often follows intense workouts, it’s not the main trigger for growth. Damage can help build resilience, but damage is not the trigger nor is it a big contributor. Relying solely on soreness for growth?

🔹 Metabolite accumulation: I don’t think anybody really believes this anymore, but to assuage any doubt, the evidence that metabolite accumulation is playing a role in hypertrophy is (very) thin.

🔹 The pump: That “pump” you feel after a tough set? It’s short-lived, and mechanistically, it’s hard to imagine how the pump creates any strategic advantage. Several studies have shown enhanced flow and little to no effect on growth.

🔹 Hormones: C’mon… you’re not still believing in leprechauns, are you? PMID: 32218059, https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/400, and https://journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/fulltext/2024/10000/hormones,_hypertrophy,_and_hype__an.2.aspx (lots more)

🔹 RT variables: Load for strength (entirely consistent with principle of specificity – practice what you want), Volume for growth. After those? Mostly small tweaks and marginal gains. Effective reps?

🔹 In Summary: 📝 Hypertrophy happens best when we blend mechanical tension with consistency of practice. To see real results, focus on progressive overload, balanced volume, and lifting with proper form. Stay tuned for some great up