PCOS, Nutrition & Strength Training
- The Shed Malta
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Why PCOS Needs a Different Lens..
PCOS is one of the most commonly misunderstood hormonal conditions in women’s health.
Despite affecting roughly 1 in 10 women, advice around PCOS often swings between extremes...aggressive dieting, excessive cardio or vague recommendations to “reduce stress” without actionable structure.
This will outline a practical, evidence based framework for managing PCOS through nutrition and strength training, with a focus on regulation rather than restriction.
Understanding PCOS from a Performance Perspective
PCOS is a hormonal condition influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. From a coaching and nutrition standpoint, it commonly presents as:
Insulin resistance or reduced insulin sensitivity
Increased reactivity to physiological stress
Irregular menstrual cycles and ovulatory disruption
Difficulty regulating body composition despite effort
Rather than viewing PCOS as a fat-loss or motivation issue, it is more accurately understood as a reduced tolerance to metabolic and hormonal stress.
This distinction matters, because it changes how nutrition and training should be applied.
The Common Starting Point (and Why It Fails)
In practice, many women with PCOS begin with one of two approaches:
Over-restriction in an attempt to “control hormones”
Unstructured eating paired with high training stress
Both tend to lead to:
Unstable energy levels
Poor recovery
Increased cravings
Minimal progress over time
The issue is not adherence or effort, it is the absence of a clear structure.
Nutrition for PCOS: Regulation Over Restriction
There is no single “PCOS diet” that works for everyone.
What does consistently support symptom management is nutrition that aims to:
Stabilise blood glucose across the day
Reduce inflammatory load
Support recovery and hormonal signalling
Be repeatable long term
In most cases, this means a balanced intake of:
Whole grains
Fruits and vegetables
Adequate protein (preferably from whole foods)
Healthy fats (seeds, un-refined oils and 🥑)
It’s not effective because it’s fancy, it’s effective because it calms the system.
Carbohydrates and PCOS: Context Matters
Carbohydrates are often the first thing removed in PCOS management, but elimination is rarely necessary.
A more useful approach is considering glycaemic response.
Lower glycaemic carbohydrates produce a slower rise in blood glucose, supporting:
Improved insulin sensitivity
More stable energy
Reduced cravings
Examples include:
Oats, quinoa, brown rice
Sweet potatoes and legumes
Wholegrain breads and pasta
Vegetables, nuts, and seeds
Higher glycemic foods are not forbidden, but frequent reliance on them can amplify blood sugar swings and insulin demand.
Consistency matters more than perfection.
Why Strength Training Is Non-Negotiable
Nutrition sets the conditions for change. Strength training determines how the body adapts to those conditions.
For women with PCOS, structured resistance training:
Improves insulin sensitivity at the muscle level
Increases lean mass and metabolic capacity
Lowers baseline stress reactivity over time
Improves tolerance to carbohydrates
The goal is not maximal intensity or daily exhaustion. The goal is predictable, progressive loading that the body can adapt to.
Why Structure Beats Random Training
High-intensity, randomised training layered on top of dietary restriction often increases stress rather than improving outcomes.
This is where structured strength focused programming matters.
A system built around:
Repeated movement patterns
Progressive overload
Planned recovery
allows adaptation to occur without overwhelming the hormonal system.
How our BUILD Sessions and Online Training Fit In
Our Build sessions are designed around this exact principle.
They prioritise:
Strength development over calorie burn
Consistent patterns rather than constant novelty
Lower stress, higher return training
Our online programs apply the same structure for those training remotely, offering progression, flexibility and reduced decision fatigue
Whether at Shed or online, the objective remains the same: create a predictable training input that supports metabolic regulation.
The Bigger Picture
Managing PCOS is not about doing more.
It is about applying:
The right inputs
In the correct order
At a sustainable dose
Nutrition becomes easier when training improves how the body uses fuel. Training becomes more effective when nutrition supports recovery.
Final Takeaway
PCOS does not require extreme solutions.
It requires structure, consistency and an understanding of how the body responds to stress.
When nutrition and strength training are aligned, progress becomes more predictable and far less overwhelming.
This is not about perfection. It’s about building a system you can live inside long term.
Written by The Shed Fitness Team
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