Does strength training raise cortisol?

On Ep. 182, Nikkiey takes on the confusion she sees in the fitness space, where women are told to avoid strength training because it raises cortisol. She explains that the short rise during and right after an intense workout is a normal stress response. It meets the energy demand of the session and helps you power through. Over months and years, regular strength training helps lower your baseline cortisol. The steady release of feel-good hormones counteracts cortisol's negative effects and improves your ability to handle daily stress. She ties that long-term benefit to consistent training paired with proper recovery, sleep, hydration and eating right.

In her video on overtraining and menopause weight gain, Nikkiey says exercise itself is not the problem. Chronic cortisol is. Picture a woman already running high cortisol from hormonal changes, under-eating and poor sleep. Then she stacks five or six cardio sessions plus strength training every week with no real recovery. Cortisol never gets a chance to come back down. In Nikkiey's view, that chronic state signals the body to store fat in the midsection and hold on to it. Her fix is not to stop exercising. It is the right type of exercise, with enough recovery and enough food.

On Ep. 345, she calls consistent, moderate exercise one of the most effective tools for regulating cortisol. Consistency matters more than intensity, and it is fine to move a workout when you wake up exhausted. On Ep. 186, she adds that physical activity lowers cortisol over time and releases endorphins.

If your midsection won't budge despite all that effort, it is likely the plan, not you. Too much output on too little fuel keeps cortisol elevated. If you have concerns about hormones or menopause, work with your doctor.