Why Winter Training Is Critical for Female Testosterone

Let’s kill a myth straight out of the gate.

Testosterone is not “a male hormone”.

Women actually produce around 10 times more testosterone than oestradiol and when testosterone drops, women feel it fast:
low energy, anxiety, poor sleep, loss of confidence, stubborn fat, flat mood and libido quietly disappearing.

Winter is where this either gets worse… or gets fixed.

And no, lifting weights won’t make you bulky.
It will make you hormonally resilient.

Why Female Testosterone Matters More Than You’ve Been Told

Testosterone in women supports:

• energy and motivation
• confidence and mental clarity
• mood stability and stress resilience
• fat metabolism
• muscle tone and bone density
• libido and sleep quality

When testosterone drops, women are often told:
“it’s stress”
“it’s perimenopause”
“it’s just ageing”

Sometimes it is.
Often, it’s under-supported testosterone.

Female Testosterone & Menopause: The Missing Piece

Here’s what rarely gets explained properly.

Women with healthy testosterone levels going into perimenopause and menopause consistently experience less severe symptoms.

Low testosterone is linked to many of the hardest-hitting menopause symptoms, including:

• anxiety and low mood
• loss of confidence
• brain fog
• broken sleep
• night sweats
• hot flushes
• loss of libido

Oestrogen gets all the attention, but testosterone plays a critical role in mental health, resilience and quality of life during this transition.

Supporting testosterone doesn’t stop menopause, but it can make it far more manageable.

Why Winter Training Is So Important for Women

Winter brings:

• less movement
• poorer sleep
• higher stress
• comfort eating
• lower vitamin D

All of which suppress testosterone.

Winter training isn’t about aesthetics.
It’s about protecting your hormonal baseline, especially as you approach perimenopause and menopause.

1. Lift Heavy (Yes, Heavy)

Resistance training is the most effective way for women to increase testosterone naturally.

Heavy, controlled lifts send a clear message to the body:

“We need strength. Repair. Resilience.”

This doesn’t bulk you up.
It tones, tightens and stabilises hormones.

Think:

• squats
• deadlifts
• presses
• rows

Light weights forever = light hormonal signal.

2. Stop Overdoing Cardio

Endless cardio spikes cortisol.
Cortisol suppresses testosterone.

Short, intense sessions outperform long slogs, especially in winter when stress is already high.

Train smarter, not longer.

3. Rest Is Hormonal, Not Lazy

Female testosterone responds better to recovery than punishment.

Longer rest between sets (60–90 seconds) supports hormone balance and nervous system recovery.

If training leaves you wired, exhausted or anxious, it’s working against you.

4. Sleep Is Where Testosterone Is Made

Testosterone is produced during REM sleep.

Broken sleep = lower testosterone = worse menopause symptoms.

Winter training should improve sleep, not sabotage it.

Magnesium, stress control and daily hormone support matter just as much as the workout.

5. Winter Is for Building Hormonal Resilience

Summer shows results.
Winter builds the system.

Women who support testosterone through winter often enter spring:

• calmer
• stronger
• leaner
• more confident
• better equipped for perimenopause and menopause

Ageing is unavoidable.
Feeling old is optional.

Final Thought

Female testosterone isn’t about becoming masculine.
It’s about becoming resilient, confident and hormonally supported especially during menopause.

Winter training protects that.