131 episodes

Hosted by health coach and author Ashleigh VanHouten and nutritionist and strength and conditioning specialist Rachel Gregory - co-creators of the Muscle Science for Women training program - this podcast dives into all aspects of fitness including nutrition, training, recovery, fitness culture, and so much more, all with a focus on addressing women's unique goals and challenges. It's conversational, interactive, and will help listeners understand their bodies and how to achieve their goals.

Muscle Science for Women Ashleigh VanHouten & Rachel Gregory

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.8 • 400 Ratings

Hosted by health coach and author Ashleigh VanHouten and nutritionist and strength and conditioning specialist Rachel Gregory - co-creators of the Muscle Science for Women training program - this podcast dives into all aspects of fitness including nutrition, training, recovery, fitness culture, and so much more, all with a focus on addressing women's unique goals and challenges. It's conversational, interactive, and will help listeners understand their bodies and how to achieve their goals.

    Ep 61: Are genetic "body types" a thing, and how do you train accordingly?

    Ep 61: Are genetic "body types" a thing, and how do you train accordingly?

    This is a fun one! In today's episode, Rachel and Ashleigh discuss the concept of body types: (you've probably heard of these, ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph). They talk about:
    how these body types are characterized if there's real "truth" to these categorizations whether you can change your body composition dramatically outside of your body type how to train to optimize your body type and how all this may impact your feelings about your body and your capabilities.  They also talk about specific strength training for sports, gestational diabetes management, and they tease their brand new program launching in April: Strong & Sculpted Shoulders! Sign up to learn more here: https://www.rgfit.com/shoulders
    If you've always wanted to test some things out and try a CGM, Muscle Science for Women is partnering with NutriSense to help you!  Nutrisense combines cutting-edge technology and human expertise so you can see how your body responds to different food, exercise, stress, and sleep in real time. By pairing a CGM with their app and expert nutritionist guidance, you can help understand which foods impact your glucose levels and how you respond to foods, stress, exercise, and sleep changes. You simply pair a continuous glucose monitor with their Nutrisense app, where you can keep all your data around food, exercise and so on, and their subscription plan also includes a month of free nutritionist support. 
    Go to Nutrisenseio.com/MSW or use the code MSW at checkout to receive a $30 discount off your first month which includes 2 CGM sensors, free shipping, and a month of professional Nutritionist support.  
    If you have questions or topic ideas, send them to musclescience4women@gmail.com.
    Leearn more about the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes 
    Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com 
     

    • 37 min
    Ep 60: Talking to teens about fitness

    Ep 60: Talking to teens about fitness

    Ashleigh and Rachel are VERY excited to answer questions from some younger listeners! They answer questions from a high school listener about weight gain and birth control, training plans for weight loss, training around injury, and optimal nutrition for younger people. 
    They also dive into pesticides in your coffee (and how to avoid them); why they don't give out free workouts to help sell their programs, and more.
    Any more teens have fitness questions? Looking for advice? Do you have questions about how to talk to your teens about fitness or encourage them? Send us your thoughts about today's episode or any questions you have to musclescience4women@gmail.com.
    Get on the waiting list for their NEW Strong & Sculpted Shoulders Workshop waitlist: https://www.rgfit.com/shoulders 
    Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes
    More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com
    Thank you to our sponsor Purity Coffee! Quality coffee can be health promoting and help fight inflammation. Purity Coffee is certified organic and lab tested for pesticides, mold, and heavy metals. They use a proprietary roasting protocol that results (when tested) in up to 65% more antioxidants on average vs other organic coffees. It truly is the best of the best - and it tastes great, with a number of options for you to choose from - even a decaf and a 1/3 caffeinated option! Use our link or the discount code MSW25 to get a full 25% off your first order of the best coffee out there: https://puritycoffee.com/discount/MSW25
     

    • 39 min
    Ep 59: Essential Amino Acids: what exactly are they and why do we need them

    Ep 59: Essential Amino Acids: what exactly are they and why do we need them

    In this episode Ashleigh asks the CEO and co-founder of Kion, Angelo Keely, to do a deep dive on essential amino acids. As a life-long meat eater, Ashleigh is skeptical about EAA supplements, so they talk about:
    What essential amino acids are and why they're important The differences between BCAA's and EAA's How much you're actually getting from your food How to make sure you're getting enough to optimize your health How to best incorporate EAA's to optimize intake, muscle growth, and overall health Can you overdo it and ingest too many EAA's? Are supplemental EAA's necessary, and if you want to use them, how best to incorporate into a well-rounded diet All that and more - if you enjoyed this specific deep dive with a subject matter expert let us know and we can do more like this. Email musclescience4women@gmail.com with your questions, feedback, and topic ideas.
    If you want to try Kion's Essential Amino Acids products (which Ashleigh is currently using, as well as their creatine) you can get up to 20% off here: getkion.com/musclescience
    Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes
    More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com
     

    • 1 hr 16 min
    Ep 58: Should Ashleigh give up working out? | Can stronger glutes fix low back pain?

    Ep 58: Should Ashleigh give up working out? | Can stronger glutes fix low back pain?

    In this episode Ashleigh shares her struggles with burnout, comparing her current self to her former self, and struggling with balancing her current goals and responsibilities with her training plan. She and Rachel dive into concepts like identity and fitness, the importance of training in an organized and progressive way, and how to move past boredom and even burnout.
    They also answer questions about training with lower back pain, including which exercises may help and setting expectations around recovery time, and Rachel talks about her own struggles with back injury. 
    Finally, Ashleigh talks about a nutritional assessment test she's taking through Genova Diagnostics.
    Send us your thoughts about today's episode or any questions you have to musclescience4women@gmail.com.
    Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes
    More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com
    Genova Diagnostics is a direct-to-consumer testing company that allows you to order specific testing online that you can do easily at home and receive personalized recommendations based on the results.
    Testing options include a GI Effects gut health test that provides insight into digestive function and intestinal inflammation; Metabolomix+ nutritional testing that can identify individual needs for certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; a hormonal health test that measures sex and adrenal hormones for men and women, and more.
    Genova provides educational resources to help you understand results, and you can also work with your own healthcare provider to help further interpret and make use of your findings. Genova makes the testing process easier, so you can do your own research, advocate for yourself, and empower yourself to find the answers you’re looking for to improve your health. Learn more about the options at https://connect.gdx.net/ and use our code, MSW10 for 10% off any of the tests.
    Thank you to our sponsor Purity Coffee! Quality coffee can be health promoting and help fight inflammation. Purity Coffee is certified organic and lab tested for pesticides, mold, and heavy metals. They use a proprietary roasting protocol that results (when tested) in up to 65% more antioxidants on average vs other organic coffees. It truly is the best of the best - and it tastes great, with a number of options for you to choose from - even a decaf and a 1/3 caffeinated option! Use our link or the discount code MSW25 to get a full 25% off your first order of the best coffee out there: https://puritycoffee.com/discount/MSW25
     

    • 40 min
    Ep 57: How to "start over" in the gym | Rachel's new job

    Ep 57: How to "start over" in the gym | Rachel's new job

    In this episode of Muscle Science for Women, Ashleigh and Rachel dive into a case study of a woman looking to start over again in her fitness and strength journey, after kids and taking time away from the gym. They provide practical tips on how to overcome obstacles and mental hurdles, identify small wins and how they add up to big change over time, and how much time and effort a busy person really HAS to dedicate to their workout program to see results. They also chat about Rachel's new part time job and a work trip Ashleigh is excited about!
    If you've always wanted to test some things out and try a CGM, Muscle Science for Women is partnering with NutriSense to help you!  Nutrisense combines cutting-edge technology and human expertise so you can see how your body responds to different food, exercise, stress, and sleep in real time. By pairing a CGM with their app and expert nutritionist guidance, you can help understand which foods impact your glucose levels and how you respond to foods, stress, exercise, and sleep changes. You simply pair a continuous glucose monitor with their Nutrisense app, where you can keep all your data around food, exercise and so on, and their subscription plan also includes a month of free nutritionist support. 
    Go to Nutrisenseio.com/MSW or use the code MSW at checkout to receive a $30 discount off your first month which includes 2 CGM sensors, free shipping, and a month of professional Nutritionist support.  
    If you have questions or topic ideas, send them to musclescience4women@gmail.com.
    Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes 
    Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com 

    • 32 min
    Ep 56: Not making progress in your fitness goals? Here's the missing piece

    Ep 56: Not making progress in your fitness goals? Here's the missing piece

    In this episode, Ashleigh and Rachel talk about some of the ways their beliefs and behaviors around fitness and nutrition have changed over the past ten years; they discuss what may be missing from your plan if you seem to be doing everything right but just aren't seeing progress; and what the margin of error is when trying to determine your optimal macro ratio. 
    If you have any questions you want answered, send them to musclescience4women@gmail.com.
    Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes
    Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com
    We're excited about our new show sponsor: Genova Diagnostics is a direct-to-consumer testing company that allows you to order specific testing online that you can do easily at home and receive personalized recommendations based on the results.
    Testing options include a GI Effects gut health test that provides insight into digestive function and intestinal inflammation; Metabolomix+ nutritional testing that can identify individual needs for certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; a hormonal health test that measures sex and adrenal hormones for men and women, and more.
    Genova provides educational resources to help you understand results, and you can also work with your own healthcare provider to help further interpret and make use of your findings. Genova makes the testing process easier, so you can do your own research, advocate for yourself, and empower yourself to find the answers you’re looking for to improve your health. Learn more about the options at https://connect.gdx.net/ and use our code, MSW10 for 10% off any of the tests.
    And shoutout to our show sponsor Active Stacks! They make high-quality collagen peptide powder in two delicious flavors, chocolate and vanilla. They're made with cocoa and vanilla paste, not that unexplained "natural flavoring" you see listed everywhere, so it tastes better and mixes well into your protein shakes or baking. The chocolate flavor literally tastes like chocolate milk - it's a great way to get a collagen boost in your daily diet.
    Learn more at https://activestacks.com/discount/MSW10 and use the code MSW10 to save 10% on your purchase!
     

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
400 Ratings

400 Ratings

BP Writer ,

Great podcast, content and hosts

Really enjoy this podcast. Appreciated the conversation with Erin Powers about how we can improve our mindset to improve health by changing our approach to how we feel about ourselves as it relates to health and wellness. What really resonated was your discussion about how to navigate mindset for better health and takeaways. Very interesting! Thank you.

Auntie Becky Purrs ,

Distracted by the plethora of “and like”

Ashleigh is very good and has great knowledge of the fitness world and her solo podcasts are what I enjoy the most. Her cohost is obviously very informative but I need to set the speed 1.75 just to get past the amount of “and like” she says. She once said it 5 times in one statement. It’s very distracting.

karaclason ,

Super informative!

I just found this podcast and I’m loving it! I’m getting into fueling my body well and actually eating enough & love the science behind it all. Learning lots here!

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