For the Ladies

 How to Actually Train During Perimenopause (and Not Feel Like You’re Losing Your Mind)

The other day, I was talking to a few of the ladies at Versus about how weird your body can feel once you hit your late 30s and 40s. One of them said, "It's like my body missed the memo that I'm still trying to work out."

I get it. Big time.

Perimenopause (which can start creeping in as early as age 35) throws your hormones a curveball — and the stuff that used to "work"... just flatlines.

You're not broken.
You're not lazy.
Your body is just different now.

Dr. Stacy Sims — a leading exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist (seriously, her resume is stacked: PhD, author of ROAR, advisor to elite athletes) — says it best:

"Women are not small men. We need to train around our unique physiology, especially as hormones start shifting."

Here's the cliff notes from her research — and a few other brainiacs backing her up:

• Estrogen starts dropping in your late 30s and 40s, which accelerates muscle and bone loss (up to 8% muscle loss per decade if you don't strength train).

• Cortisol levels get stubborn (especially with too much cardio), leading to more belly fat storage and higher stress.

• Recovery slows down, meaning you can't bounce back from workouts like you did at 25... and that’s 100% normal.

The Fix (and it's not "do more cardio")

✅ Lift Heavy-ish Things
Science backs it: Strength training 2-3x a week can preserve lean muscle mass, improve insulin sensitivity, and boost metabolism (Sims, 2016).
It's about functional, real-world strength that fights aging head-on.  Not mindless reps with zero progressive overload.

✅ Short, Sharp HIIT Sessions
15 minutes of high-intensity intervals improves fat-burning and cardiovascular fitness faster than 45+ minutes of moderate cardio (Gillen & Gibala, 2014 study).
Translation: less time, more results, happier hormones.

✅ Eat Before You Move
Another Sims bombshell: training fasted in this life stage can spike cortisol and cause muscle breakdown — exactly what we're trying to avoid.
Simple fix: a little protein before your workout keeps your body fueled and firing.

What We Do at Versus

At Versus Strength and Conditioning, this science isn't just some theory. It's the blueprint for how we run our sessions:

• 20-30 minutes of smart, progressive strength work (think squats, presses, deadlifts, lunges at weights that challenge you)

• 10-20 minutes of high-intensity conditioning (short bursts, sweat flying, metabolism lit)

• All wrapped up in a community that cheers for you whether you PR or just show up tired but willing.

• The best part!?  We have trainers that can help you modify EVERY workout you do.  Don't think the workout fits you the best?  A trainer can modify it to help you and your specific needs.  Want more specific attention?  We have small semi-private classes and 1 on 1 training.

Plus:

• Childcare if you've got little ones

• Showers if you need to jet to work after

• Coaches who know your name (and aren’t trying to kill you for a "good workout video")

Bottom Line:

You're not stuck.
You don't have to just "accept" gaining fat or feeling exhausted.
You just need a training plan that respects your physiology and sets you up to win.

And thats exactly what we do here at Versus.

If you're ready to take back your strength, energy, and confidence, we've got a spot waiting for you.

Call us: 601-554-6254
Come see us: 5165 Lincoln Rd Ext, Hattiesburg, MS

Your next strongest chapter starts today.

 

The Top 5 Supplements for Health, Wellness & Muscle Mass

And Why They’re Useless If You’re Not Covering the Basics

Let’s get something straight before we dive in: supplements aren’t magic.

If you’re not training consistently, drinking water, eating well, and getting solid sleep — no amount of protein powder or creatine is going to carry you to your goals. Think of supplements as just that — a supplement to a strong foundation. They help you optimize once you’re already putting in the work.

But when your habits are dialed in? These five can make a big difference in how you feel, recover, and perform.

---

1. Whey Protein

Whey is one of the most efficient and complete protein sources you can get. It digests quickly, supports muscle repair, and helps you hit your daily protein needs without having to grill chicken six times a day.

Best for:

• Post-workout recovery

• Filling in protein gaps in your diet

• Supporting lean muscle growth

---

2. Creatine Monohydrate

Probably the most studied and proven supplement out there. Creatine helps your muscles produce more energy during high-intensity training, and over time, can lead to noticeable strength and size gains.

Best for:

• Boosting strength & power output

• Muscle growth and recovery

• Mental clarity and brain health (bonus)

---

3. Fish Oil (Omega-3s)

Fish oil fights inflammation, supports heart and joint health, and may help you recover faster. Omega-3s are essential fats that most people don’t get enough of through diet alone.

Best for:

• Reducing soreness and inflammation

• Supporting joint health

• Improving heart and brain function

---

4. Multivitamin

Let’s be real — even with a good diet, most of us miss a few nutritional marks. A high-quality multivitamin can help fill in those gaps and support overall body function.

Best for:

• Covering daily nutrient needs

• Supporting energy, mood, and immune function

• Making sure your engine is running smoothly

---

5. Vitamin D3 + K2

Low Vitamin D is surprisingly common, especially for people who work indoors or avoid sun exposure. Pairing it with Vitamin K2 helps with proper calcium absorption and supports heart and bone health.

Best for:

• Hormonal health

• Immune support

• Strong bones and better recovery

---

The Bottom Line

If you're skipping workouts, living off fast food, sleeping 5 hours a night, and calling 2 bottles of water “hydrated” — these supplements won’t save you. That’s like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.

But if you’re putting in the effort, these five can help take your results to the next level. Start with the basics. Then optimize. That’s how you build lasting health and real strength.

-Steve

Newsletter

 Happy Monday Versus Fam! Take a few minutes to read what is going on at Versus:

Landon and Ellen Frazier are having a baby! The 5am class surprised them with an awesome baby shower. Congratulations Landon and Ellen!

The women's soccer team at Sumrall High school won the state championship in soccer recently! We have a few clients on that team and we also have a coach that has been providing a weightlifting program for the team all season long... Nathan Day! Congrats on the big win Bobcats!

William Carey Women's soccer team dropped in for a week worth of workouts. We had a blast hosting them!

IAV 2024 wrapped up a few weekends ago and it was awesome. Be on the lookout for a few post dedicated to the goals that were smashed during IAV.

Friday Night Lights is ROCKING!!!! Teams have been drafted, the first workout is done and we are ready for workout number 2!  Buckle up for 2 more fun workouts on Friday nights at Versus.

Meet Coach Mary Godbold:

We are delighted to shine the spotlight on Coach Mary Godbold, a dedicated member of our Versus family. Mary joined us in 2013, right after graduating from college, in search of a way to stay active as she transitioned into adulthood. Little did she know that Versus would become more than just a gym – it would become a community she would come to love.

Mary's passion for fitness and the supportive community at Versus motivated her to join our coaching staff in 2019. She takes immense joy in helping our clients feel their best and achieve their health and fitness goals. Her commitment to tailoring workouts for all ages and skill levels truly embodies the inclusive spirit of Versus Gym. Be sure to say hi to Mary the next time you're in the gym and let her passion for fitness and progress inspire you!

MOBILITY:

A Tip from the Pros: Prioritize Mobility with Dr. Kelly Starett

 Dr. Starett, renowned for his expertise in movement and mobility, emphasizes the role it plays in enhancing performance, preventing injuries, and optimizing recovery.

To help you get started, here are links to three of Dr. Kelly Starett's top stretches:

1. Hip Opener Stretch
2. Shoulder Mobility Drill
3. Ankle Mobility Exercise

We encourage you to incorporate these stretches into your warm-up or cooldown.

Thank you for being an essential part of Versus. We're here to support you, and we can't wait to see you at the gym!

Have a great week!

-Steve

Boot Camp Nutrition

Here ya go!
Boot Camp Nutrition Guide


Again, lets us know if you have any questions!

IAV 2017

Are you ready to jump start your New Year?  IAV 2017 is the best way to do it.  Here is what's in store:

• Homework assignments (scored for points)
• Re-test workout (scored for improvement)
• Gym membership boosted to unlimited for 6 weeks***
• Free T-Shirt!
• Six Cash Prizes
• Tester Workout

We listened to you and made some changes to the IAV Challenge. This year IAV will be more performance based! You will still have nutritional guidelines to follow and your coach will check in on you, but the food log is optional this year. What isn't optional is the homework assignments and flash challenges. 

Here is how you can win: Overall Points scored, Percentage of Weight Loss, and Best Performance.
If you are a gym member, you can sign up for this challenge. If you are a veteran and need a push, sign up. If you are new and want to challenge yourself, sign up. Ask some of the participants from last year. This challenge rocks! Need more info? Ask a Coach!  SIGN UP HERE

The Details:

6 Week Challenge:Open to 75 athletes (current clients at Versus Indoor and Outdoor.)

Cost: $95 a person

Kick Off & Benchmark Location: Versus Gym in Oak GroveScaled to ALL LEVELS of Fitness – no experience necessary!

The Challenge Includes:

Tester Workout

Weekly Homework

Optional Food Log Review

Nutrition Seminar

Team Accountability* 

Workouts with your team/coach

A Challenge T-Shirt

Dates You Need to Know: 

Friday, January 20th: Registration closesSaturday, 

January 28th: Tester WorkoutFriday, 

January 27th : Challenge T-Shirt Size DeadlineTuesday, 

January 31st: Make Up WorkoutSaturday, 

February 18th: Nutrition WorkshopSaturday, 

March 4th: Finale Retest Workout

Challenge FAQs:

What are the additional (at home) workouts like?  The workouts will focus on strength, endurance, and body weight resistance workouts. These are scalable to all levels.

What if I already train 5 days a week, is this challenge for me?  That depends – do you want to reach your goals FASTER? Then, YES!

How do I know which workouts to take on?  Your assigned coach will help you through all workout questions.

I can’t make the benchmark day, can I still take on the challenge?  YES! We have a scheduled make-up benchmark date. If you cannot make the make-up benchmark date your I Am Versus coach will schedule a time with you.

I just started Versus, can I take this challenge on?  Absolutely. In fact, we recommend it. Athletes of all levels take on this challenge and everyone gets results.

SIGN UP HERE




I am Versus from Versus Strength & Conditioning on Vimeo.

Are you Captain Fantastic?

 Are you Captain Fantastic? 

My wife and I decided to rent a movie via "On Demand" last night.  Side note: being able to rent movies from your couch is awesome.  Who remembers the Block Buster video days?  Man.....
Any who, we rented "Captain Fantastic".  Rotten Tomatoes gave it a good review and so did viewers so we decided, what the heck, lets give Viggo Mortensen a shot.

 Overall, the movie was pretty good.  There was some foul language and one full frontal male nudity scene (Viggo does this all the time!!!!) that we didn't really care for.  Other than those 2 takeaways, we enjoyed the movie.  I really liked one concept in particular.

Viggo, IMO,  was a huge fan of Plato.  One of Plato's thoughts about early education was of the that for the first 10 years, there should be predominantly physical education.  Basically, every school must have a gymnasium and a playground in order to develop the physique and health of children and make them resistant to any disease.

I believe that your body is a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  That is my personal believe.  During the movie there were multiple scenes where Viggo takes his kids on a run up a huge hill, teaches them some basic self defense/fighting skills, and practices yoga/meditation with them.  When I saw those scenes, I thought to myself, "That's pretty cool."  I know... deep thoughts right?  But honestly, giving your body a dose of physicality everyday is a "pretty cool" concept.

So watching this movie and those scenes in particular made me want to challenge myself/you.  Can you do something physical every day?  I'm not talking about 60+ minutes of activity.  I'm talking about performing a stretch in between commercials or downloading a tabata app and doing what the screen tells you to do for 8min.  With the new year approaching, how cool would it be if daily physical activity was your goal?  I think that would be a great way to become Captain Fantastic and take care of your temple.

-CHEERS-

The Wagon Wheel

Nutrition can be confusing.  I started "googlin" popular diet plans to follow and man... there were a ton.  Here is some of what I found.

In 1820, Lord Byron popularizes the Vinegar and Water Diet, which entails drinking water mixed with apple cider vinegar.

In 1925, the Lucky Strike cigarette brand launches the "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet" campaign, capitalizing on nicotine's appetite-suppressing superpowers.

In 1930 the Grapefruit Diet—a.k.a. the Hollywood Diet—is born. The popular low-cal plan calls for eating grapefruit with every meal.  Grapefruit does have a weird ability to blunt an insulin response!

The Cabbage Soup Diet promises you can lose 10–15 pounds in a week by eating a limited diet including cabbage soup every day.  This one seems to come and go... little devil!

In 1963 Weight Watchers is founded by Jean Nidetch.

In 1975 a Florida doctor creates the Cookie Diet, a plan where you eat cookies made with a blend of amino acids. Hollywood eats it up... literally.

1977 Slim Fast.
1979 Dexatrim launched.
1982 JANE FONDA!  Not a diet but gotta mention her right?!
1980's have way too many to list.  Liquid diets, don't eat carbs and fat together diets,  swim and eat veggies diet... not kidding!
1990's is home to the LOW FAT craze.  Fat was the enemy.
1992 The Atkins Diet!
1995 The Zone Diet! Blocks on blocks on blocks...
2003 South Beach Diet!
2006 The Master Cleanse!
2011 The HCG Diet!
2012 The Paleo Diet
2013 Intermittent Fasting
2015 Flexible Dieting/Macros

Others I may have missed, Sugar Busters, Nutri-System, and heck... folks go on Survivor/Naked and afraid and get lean!!!  Maybe not healthy, but they most certainly get lean.

I don't remember who told me the wagon wheel concept, hence the picture of the huge wheel at the top, but I never forgot it.  What lies at the center of the whole nutrition, diet, clean eating gig?  In my opinion it is two things: Good Health and Good body composition.

If we don't all agree on that, cool, its just my opinion.  But at the center of the wagon wheel, if you will, lies good health and good body composition.  What is the best way to get there????  This my friends is a grrrrreat question!

Enter Yoda speak- Many spokes the wheel has, to the center they all do lead!  (sorry, haha.)

I have personally witnessed people lose weight on a good bit of the above mentioned diets.  Family members of mine lost tons on Atkins.  My wife got SUPER lean on a low fat approach.  I lost 40ish pounds (229 to 181lbs) on Paleo.  A member of ours lost 70+ using Intermittent Fasting principles.  And I bet a ton of you out there have seen success either in yourself or others with Weight Watchers, South Beach and Atkins.

So whats the "right way"?  What makes these plans and others I may have forgotten work?  Success leaves clues, so lets take a look!

Successful Traits

• Food Amount
• Food Type
• Food Timing  

Food Amount is a huge driver in getting to the center of the wagon wheel.  Its not the only thing, but its big thing.  What we recommend and what all these successful plans recommend is 80-90% whole foods: Meats, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds.  These whole foods are low in calories but high in nutrients.

Food Type is another important factor when traveling to the center.  If you are counting macros and hitting your numbers, great!  But how are you doing it?  Are you eating powdered donuts to get in your carbs?  Are you always drinking shakes to get in your protein?  If you are, you are missing the fiber and micro nutrients whole foods contain.  The instagram account you follow probably doesn't show you the 90%.  You get the flashy 10%.  The boring 90% allows for better control of blood sugar, hormonal levels, and avoidance of foods that give us issues (allergies, gut issues, etc) by monitoring Food Type.  I can't stress how important food type is if you want to be healthy.

Food Timing is yet another way to get to the wagon wheel center.  I'm not going to get into this today because it can get really crazy.  We tend to refer to this as "Space Math".  If you are having trouble eating whole foods, why would you need to start counting carbs, carb cycling, back loading calories, bulk dieting, leaning out etc?  It is not what you know, it is all about what you can do.  So don't worry about the space math, worry about Food Amount and Food Type.

At Versus our stance is "There are many ways to good health and good body composition."  We have seen many plans work over the years.  What works best for you?  Take a look at it and I bet you will notice the food type is HIGH QUALITY and the food amount is monitored in some way.  Again, what we focus on is whole foods and their amount. If you are eating 80-90% whole foods by counting your macros or doing South Beach or going on survivor then you are well on your way to the center of the wagon wheel.

Lastly, what plan do you think you can stick with?  Do you think it is realistic to weigh and measure your food with a food scale every meal for the rest of your life?  Do you think entering food into my fitness pal for the rest of your life is doable?  Do you think living out of a drive thru is healthy?  You MUST find something you can stick with.  What we have found is whole foods are tasty, loaded with nutrients and dominate all of the successful plans throughout the years.  Why not give them a try for a week or two?

Remember, its not what you know, its what you can consistently do.

***forgive the typos!