Mel Robbins & Dr. Stacy Sims (right)
Expanding the Conversation on Women’s Fitness with Dr. Stacy Sims
Lately, Dr. Stacy Sims — a renowned exercise physiologist and women’s fitness advocate — has been everywhere, including Mel Robbins’ podcast, and for good reason. She has helped elevate an important and overdue message: women need real intensity, real strength, and real challenge, especially as we age.
On that, I wholeheartedly agree. At the same time, there are a few points I’d like to explore more deeply.
I started Mojo because I was bored with traditional (mind-numbing) exercise programs, and because I believed there had to be a better way. Seventeen years later, as a two-time grandmother, I’ve discovered a way to move that feels like a kind of Holy Grail for many of us. While many experts, including Dr. Sims, emphasize specific formulas for results, I’d like to add my own perspective to the conversation.
This discussion isn’t about arguing with science or Dr. Sims’ undeniable expertise. It’s about encouraging Dr. Sims — and trainers everywhere — to consider training from a broader, more inclusive perspective.
➡️ Dr. Sims says: Women need more intensity
Many women undertrain strength and power. Muscle and bone matter more with age, and VO₂ max is one of the strongest predictors of longevity. Training that never varies in intensity can limit progress over time.
Women deserve training that creates real change, not endless exercise that stops producing results.
⬅️ Another perspective: This is easier said than done
Agreed! However, many of Sim’s recommendations are a decisive one-size-fits-all. Intensity matters, but it has to meet us where we are, safely and sustainably.
➡️ Dr. Sims says: Prioritize heavy weights and sprinting
Dr. Sims often emphasizes prioritizing heavy strength training and short, high-intensity sprint work. She also discourages traditional group fitness classes that rely on longer, moderate cardio.
Her focus is on efficiency, strong physiological signals, and building muscle and power.
⬅️ Another perspective: Efficiency needs a realistic way in
Yes, sprint training can be an effective tool for improving VO₂ max.
While sprinting is effective, constant repetition of any single high-impact movement over your lifetime is not ideal for joint health. Variety matters when it comes to joint longevity.
Sprinting assumes:
Neuromuscular coordination
Confidence with maximal effort
Tolerance for impact
Many women, especially in midlife, are rebuilding capacity rather than arriving at peak fitness.
➡️ Dr. Sims says: Sprinting achieves this VO₂ max most efficiently, which is critical for longevity.
Peak cardiovascular capacity matters, and sprinting can raise that ceiling efficiently. VO₂ max is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and independence.
⬅️ Another perspective: Stamina matters just as much
VO₂ max and stamina are not competitors. We need both.
Stamina, the ability to keep moving, recover, and feel steady over time, is a key longevity skill that often gets less attention in sprint-focused conversations.
Strong aerobic stamina:
Improves heart efficiency
Increases mitochondrial density
Enhances oxygen delivery and use
All of these support improvements in VO₂ max, even without sprinting.
Sprint training may raise the ceiling faster. Stamina builds the foundation that makes those gains sustainable.
➡️ Dr. Sims says: Progressive overload drives results
The body needs challenge in order to change. Dr. Sims stresses heavier resistance as a key driver of muscle growth, especially for women who tend to underload. Without increasing demand, progress stalls.
⬅️ Another perspective:
Progressive overload doesn’t only mean lifting heavier and heavier weights. Gradually increasing muscle challenge can show up in other ways — using both weights and body weight — including:
- Frequency
- Range of motion
- Complexity
- Speed and power
- Coordination
- Variability and novelty
In integrated, rhythmic movement, novelty keeps the nervous system engaged and helps prevent plateaus without repeating the same stress on the same joints.
The body does not stop adapting from boredom. It stops adapting when the challenge stays the same.
➡️ Dr. Sims says: Skip group classes.
Poorly programmed classes can keep people stuck in a constant moderate-to-hard zone leading to fatigue without progress.
⬅️ Another perspective: Well-designed movement classes can extend intensity and offer additional levels of strength
Not all group classes are created equal. And even when training choices are physiologically efficient, they can still feel emotionally heavy.
For many women, joy, rhythm, and shared movement are not distractions from results. They are part of how results actually happen.
Music and rhythm:
Lower perceived exertion
Regulate breathing and timing
Disguise fatigue
Allow effort to last longer
Music-based movement does not reduce intensity. It extends it.
➡️ Dr. Sims says: High standards matter
We should not lower the bar when it comes to women’s fitness.
⬅️ Another perspective: There is more than one way to reach it
For many women, modified intensity is not a compromise. It is a smart, sustainable approach. Different bodies require different expressions of intensity, especially when longevity, joint health, and mental well-being are part of the goal.
As Dr. Sims herself often reminds us, fitness is not one-size-fits-all.
That same idea applies across the board. Sprinting, progressive overload, and stress management all work best when intensity is adaptable, sustainable, and something people actually want to keep doing.
Why I’m challenging Dr. Sims…
What Dr. Sims and many fitness professionals overlook is this: most people do not struggle with results because they do not know what to do. They struggle because they cannot sustain it.
- If someone dislikes a workout, they will not return to it again and again.
- If a program is too hard on the body, injuries eventually follow.
Consistency is the real differentiator.
Consistency does not come from determination alone. It comes from movement people want to return to, movement that offers mental relief, nervous system regulation, and hormonal support alongside physical results.
Enjoyment is not a distraction from results. It is often what makes results possible.
It creates an environment where intensity is tolerable, stress is managed, and exercise becomes something we look forward to rather than endure.
Why this matters now
In times like these, when stress is high and many of us are already isolating, exercise does not have to be another place we go it alone.
We are always better together.
If we can find movement that:
Challenges us physically
Supports us mentally
Includes all exercise levels
Is safe and sustainable
Brings connection and keeps us coming back
Then we are good to GO
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