Send us Fan Mail

This week on The Weekly Riff, Louise Green dives into one of the biggest debates currently happening in women’s fitness: should women over 40 be lifting heavy weights, or can lighter weights with higher reps deliver the same benefits?

Inspired by the ongoing conversation between leading experts Dr. Stacy Sims and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, this episode explores the science behind strength training, muscle growth, menopause, aging, and performance while cutting through the noise that often leaves women feeling overwhelmed and confused.

But this conversation goes far beyond reps and sets.

Louise challenges the fitness industry to confront a larger issue that rarely gets enough attention: millions of women are not struggling with optimization, they are struggling with consistency, confidence, and access. In a culture where many women feel judged, excluded, intimidated, or unsupported in fitness spaces, the “perfect” workout program becomes irrelevant if people cannot sustain movement long term.

Inside this episode, Louise breaks down:

• Heavy lifting versus lighter weights
• Menopause and resistance training
• Muscle hypertrophy and aging
• Bone density and fast twitch muscle preservation
• Progressive overload explained simply
• Accessibility and inclusivity in fitness culture
• Motivation, consistency, and long term adherence
• Redefining what “successful” fitness looks like for women over 40

Keywords

Women’s fitness, menopause fitness, strength training for women over 40, heavy lifting, high reps, muscle growth, hypertrophy, healthy aging, bone density, progressive overload, fitness accessibility, inclusive fitness, resistance training, midlife health, women’s health, longevity, exercise adherence, gym culture, confidence in fitness

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

In this week’s episode of The Weekly Riff, Louise Green explores the complicated relationship many people have with numbers in fitness and how metrics can quietly shift from being helpful tools into emotional scorecards.

After experiencing frustration in her own training week, Louise reflects on how quickly performance numbers can impact mindset, confidence, and motivation. From scales and calories to lifting stats and clothing sizes, fitness culture has conditioned many of us to attach meaning and self worth to data, often at the expense of building a sustainable relationship with movement.

Louise discusses why some people thrive with metrics while others become discouraged, obsessive, or emotionally derailed by them. She also explores how stress, sleep, hormones, aging, recovery, and mental health all influence performance, reminding listeners that bodies are not machines and progress is rarely linear.

This episode is a conversation about learning how to use numbers as information rather than identity and why emotional resilience may be one of the most important skills in long term fitness.

In This Episode

• Why numbers can become psychological quit points in fitness
• The emotional impact of scales, lifting stats, calories, and tracking
• How fitness culture conditions us to equate performance with worth
• Why performance fluctuations are a normal part of being human
• Different fitness personality types and how some people respond better to metrics than others
• The importance of separating self worth from performance outcomes
• How to build a more sustainable and compassionate relationship with movement

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

In this powerful episode of The Weekly Riff, Louise Green opens up about the book she has been trying to write for years: Fitness Justice.

This conversation goes far beyond exercise. Louise unpacks the systemic bias, cultural conditioning, and exclusion deeply embedded within fitness culture and explores why so many people, especially those in larger bodies, feel alienated from movement spaces that are supposedly designed to support health.

From weight stigma in healthcare to toxic fitness messaging, inaccessible gym environments, and the psychological impact of never seeing yourself represented in fitness media, Louise examines the hidden inequities shaping our relationship with movement.

This is not a conversation about motivation.
It’s a conversation about belonging.

Louise also challenges the deeply ingrained belief that people in larger bodies simply “lack discipline,” revealing how shame, humiliation, and exclusion directly impact exercise participation, mental health, and long-term wellbeing.

But this episode is not about hopelessness. It’s about rebuilding fitness culture into something more humane, inclusive, and accessible for everyone.

This episode explores:

• The hidden psychological impact of exclusion in fitness spaces
• Why weight stigma reduces movement participation
• How healthcare bias impacts people in larger bodies
• The damaging legacy of shame-based fitness culture
• Why representation in fitness media matters
• The connection between belonging and exercise consistency
• The pressure women face to shrink, optimize, and control their bodies
• Why “lazy” is often a misunderstanding of trauma, shame, and exclusion
• The difference between performative inclusion and true accessibility
• How fitness culture can evolve toward dignity, safety, and equity

Sound Bites

“Most people don’t hate movement. They hate humiliation.”

“We are demanding participation from people while refusing to build systems that support participation.”

“Fitness culture has normalized body surveillance.”

“When people don’t feel represented, they stop believing they belong.”

“Movement should not require humiliation as the price of admission.”

Chapters

00:00 – Why Louise Is Finally Writing Fitness Justice
03:12 – The Contradiction at the Heart of Fitness Culture
06:45 – Weight Stigma, Shame, and Exercise Avoidance
10:20 – How Fitness Media Shaped Body Image
13:40 – Why Women Feel Exhausted by Fitness Culture
16:18 – Medical Weight Bias and Healthcare Harm
19:22 – Accessibility, Representation, and Belonging
22:35 – Why Most People Don’t Actually Hate Exercise
24:50 – Rebuilding Fitness Culture Through Justice and Inclusion

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

Barbell training is one of the most misunderstood tools in fitness, especially for women and especially for women in larger bodies.

In this episode, I break down why the barbell is not just for elite athletes or smaller bodies, but one of the most effective, empowering ways to build real strength at any size.

We talk about what actually happens in the body when you lift heavy, why larger bodies often have untapped strength potential, and why strength sports like powerlifting and Olympic lifting are some of the most diverse spaces in fitness.

This is a conversation about shifting the goalpost from aesthetics to performance, and finally giving women permission to take up space, get strong, and redefine what being an athlete looks like.

What You’ll Learn

• Why barbell training is more effective than dumbbells for building full body strength
• How larger bodies can have real mechanical and physiological advantages in lifting
• The difference between powerlifting and Olympic lifting, and where to start
• Why strength sports are more diverse than most areas of fitness
• What it actually means to train for performance instead of appearance

Key Takeaways

• Strength is not size dependent, but size can influence force production
• The barbell allows for progressive overload in a way most tools cannot
• There is no single “athletic body”
• Women of all sizes belong in strength spaces
• Performance based training shifts your relationship with your body in a powerful way

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and why this conversation matters
00:25 The biggest myths about barbell training
01:19 What strength sports actually look like today
02:22 Why body diversity shows up in lifting
02:52 The advantage conversation no one is having
03:46 Types of barbell training explained
06:55 Foundational lifts and how to approach them
08:55 Safety, confidence, and getting started
09:25 Barbells vs dumbbells and why it matters
10:21 The science of strength and body mass
11:18 Force production and how bodies generate power
12:01 Fairness and diversity in strength sports
13:23 Redefining the word “athlete”
14:13 Getting started without intimidation
15:06 What strength does for your identity
15:34 Closing thoughts on freedom and strength

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when you never see a body like yours in fitness… and what changes when you finally do? This week’s Weekly Riff explores the psychology of representation and how it shapes belief, confidence, and whether someone engages with movement at all. Because this isn’t just about visibility. It’s about access, inclusion, and whose health is directly impacted by who feels like they belong and who doesn’t. Take a listen, and remember, you in a public space moving your body is actively changing the fitness landscape for others to see. We are all in this together.

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

As we head into the spring and summer vacations will mostly likely be more prevalent and sometimes people worry about vacations long before they head out because it will mess with their exercise routine that they have worked so damn hard to put in place. This is especially so for people who have had fraught relationships with exercise and consistency in an "all or nothing" mindset but have since done the deep work to move past that. There can still be a lack of trust so this Riff is dedicated to preparing people to trust themselve and enjoy the vacations they deserve.

In this episode, Louise Green reveals her secrets to staying active and maintaining a healthy routine, even when you're on the go. Discover how to blend adventure with wellness, ensuring your travels are both exciting and beneficial for your body and mind.

Key Take aways:

• Consistency in exercise is crucial for both physical and mental health.
• Adapt workouts while traveling by planning and researching in advance.
• Incorporate active travel, like walking and exploring, into your routine.
• Plan around vacations to maintain momentum and prevent setbacks.
• Understand the science of habit formation and the effects of taking breaks.
• Make workouts accessible with minimal equipment like bands and bodyweight exercises.
• Focus on movement for connection and mental well-being, not just calorie burning.
• Use re-entry strategies after breaks to avoid injury and regain progress.
• Explore new gyms and workout environments for fresh experiences.

Breakdown

00:00 - How travel affects consistency and the mindset shift needed.

02:21 - Practical ways to stay active while traveling.

05:34 - Planning ahead for vacations without losing progress.

09:18 - Habit formation research and the importance of consistency over intensity.

13:09 - Re-entry strategies for getting back into training after time off.

15:02 - Adapting workouts for travel with minimal equipment.

21:04 - The mindset: movement for connection, not just calorie burn.

24:46 - The significance of long-term consistency over perfectionism.

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

Protein is everywhere right now.

From “hit your macros” to “1 gram per pound,” the messaging is loud, constant, and often overwhelming. But what happens when those recommendations don’t actually fit your life?

In this episode of The Weekly Riff, Louise breaks down what protein actually does, where common recommendations come from, and why this conversation starts to fall apart for many people, especially women over 40 navigating strength training, menopause, and years of diet culture conditioning.

This isn’t about dismissing protein.

It’s about understanding it in a way that is realistic, sustainable, and actually supportive.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why protein has become such a dominant focus in fitness right now
• What protein actually does for muscle, recovery, and overall health
• The difference between baseline intake and higher performance recommendations
• Why standard formulas can feel unrealistic or overwhelming
• How protein messaging can turn into pressure instead of support
• The impact of diet culture on how we approach nutrition targets
• What a more sustainable, flexible approach to protein looks like

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

Send us Fan Mail

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s being told your body was wrong, and now you’re being told to lift heavy, eat more, and take up space… this episode is for you.

Because that shift? It’s not simple. It’s whiplash.

In this episode, Louise Green breaks down the complicated relationship women have with exercise after decades of diet culture, and why so many are struggling to connect with strength training today.

She dives into the generational divide between Gen X and younger women, the role social media is playing in shaping body image, and why “just start lifting” isn’t landing the way the fitness industry thinks it should.

This isn’t about motivation. It’s about unlearning.

Key Takeaways

• Why Gen X women are carrying a completely different fitness history than younger generations
• How diet culture still shows up… even inside strength training
• The double message: be body positive, but also optimize everything
• Why social media is both progress and pressure
• What it actually takes to rebuild trust with your body
• A more realistic, sustainable way to approach strength training

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong