Women go through the menstrual cycle because of which there are some hormonal fluctuations that affect how they feel. Due to these fluctuations, it ultimately reflects on the strength levels. They feel strong on certain days and relatively weaker on other days. This article intends to establish recommendations for training adjustments that will practically suit the best for women and it will also answer some of the common questions around the topic of the menstrual cycle.
Before discussing the recommendations, let's understand a little bit about the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is a 28-day cycle that women go through to develop a healthy environment in the body for successful fertility where the day 1 is the first day of the period.
Recommendations
Studies( Sung et al., 2014 ; Wikström-Frisén et al., 2017 ) have shown that women are stronger during the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle, especially after periods when compared to the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle.
So how should we use this information to our advantage?
It's smarter to train with heavier weights during the first two weeks and go with light weights for a higher rep range during the last 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle.
What about training during the periods?
It is up to an individual if she is able to manage to workout during the periods.
Some women are comfortable and some are not. In case one is not comfortable then the training plan must be adjusted so that the individual can take rest days during the period and workout on the remaining days of the week post the periods.
Recommendations for athlete
S trength athletes who want to incorporate deload week may place it a few days prior to getting periods when they are the weakest.
This way the athlete can perform the best and keep improving the strength without letting the menstrual cycle affect the peak performance.
Now the question is, is it for every woman?
Well, it can be an effective strategy for women who are affected severely by the menstrual cycle, especially during PMS but if a woman is not affected much by the menstrual cycle then she can train normally.
Reference
- Sung, E., Han, A., Hinrichs, T., Vorgerd, M., Manchado, C., & Platen, P. (2014). Effects of follicular versus luteal phase-based strength training in young women. SpringerPlus, 3 , 668. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-3-668
- Wikström-Frisén, L., Boraxbekk, C. J., & Henriksson-Larsén, K. (2017). Effects on power, strength and lean body mass of menstrual/oral contraceptive cycle based resistance training - PubMed. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 57 (1–2). https://doi.org/10.23736/S0022-4707.16.05848-5
