How the Monthly Cycle Affects Training
Anyone who has ever had a period knows that the accompanying mood swings, fatigue, and cramps can be severe . Of course, everyone is different and your experience may be different, but if you do have severe symptoms, it can be difficult to get off the couch for literally any reason, including your workout.
However, it is well known that exercise can actually reduce the unpleasant cramps that occur during your period. But if you sit and think, “HIIT lessons? No thanks! ”Listen to me: the key to feeling a little better and optimizing your workout might simply be paying attention to your cycle and making a few strategic changes to how you train during certain weeks.
Bio 101: What Happens During Your Cycle
Each month, your body begins to prepare for the birth of the baby it thinks you will have by developing a new lining of the uterus in which the fertilized egg will hang. After all, if you’re not pregnant, your body needs to get rid of this lining.
The first day of your cycle begins with your period, when your hormones “plummet” and your body starts releasing prostaglandins, a substance that makes your uterus contract, explains Heather Bartos, a Texas obstetrician-gynecologist. At this point, your “estrogen and progesterone levels are near zero,” and your uterus is busy peeling off mucous membranes, she adds. Common symptoms at this stage include fatigue, cramps, headaches, bloating, and in some, general malaise.
Next comes the follicular phase. There is some overlap between this phase and your period , according to Healthline , because it actually starts on the first day of your period and ends when you ovulate, which is the next phase.
Ovulation varies from person to person, but if you have a 28-day cycle, ovulation usually occurs around the 14th day.
Finally, we have the luteal phase. This occurs after ovulation (it ends on the first day of your period and can last 10 to 17 days). According to Dr. Bartos, you can thank the rise in your progesterone levels for the bloating, breast tenderness, or constipation you feel this week.
Should you adjust your workouts?
Why does all this matter? Because being aware of how you are feeling throughout your cycle can set you up for when you feel best and might want to sweat a little harder, or, conversely, when you might want to replace your regular CrossFit with workout. a more gentle yoga session (or even if you want to skip a workout entirely).
The best workouts for every step of your cycle
Week of menstruation
Low hormone levels may make you feel deprived of energy in the first couple of days of your period, but medical experts agree that there is no reason to skip a workout; in fact, most people encourage it because of the aforementioned benefits. However, you can focus on maintaining your regular routine rather than HAM. Are the seizures so bad that you just can’t concentrate? Try yoga or Pilates, which may relieve symptoms, suggests Dr. Tanui Palvia, M.D., spine and sports medicine specialist at Physio Logic Wellness Center in Brooklyn.
Follicular phase
It’s time to step up your workout: As your hormones, including testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone rise again, you’ll probably feel great – energized, energized, over-concentrated and clear and ready to workout. shit is done. This is the perfect time for resistance training, CrossFit, high-intensity interval training, or just running the extra few miles on your regular running or cycling routine.
“I have a lot of friends who do ballet and they always say that the best time for them to be on pointe when they have the best balance is the first two weeks of their cycle,” says Dr. Bartos.
A small study from Umeå University in Sweden in 2016 confirms this claim: the researchers divided 59 women into two groups. The former trained with resistance five days a week for the first two weeks of their cycle; the second group went through the same workout, but in the last two weeks of their cycle. Results? The first group could jump higher and show more muscle mass gains than the second. A 2014 study showed similar results.
A week or two before your period
Dr. Palvia says he often recommends that patients who suffer from severe PMS “give up any physical activity” they do during the luteal phase: “You may experience loss of energy, decreased mood, increased fatigue, and increased fatigue. appetite. “He adds that at this time your body temperature rises, because this is preparation for the next period.
Of course, a humble workout might look like this to you, but it might look different to your roommate. Dr. Palvia works with many athletes for whom running 5 or 10 miles a day can be doable even if they are not in their best shape. “All people are different,” he says. “You know what your normal intensity level is.”
If you are the type of person who exercises quite intensely every day, but start to feel like a towel squeezed out too many times in the week before your period (just me?), Yoga might be a good option. Even more demanding yoga practices such as Ashtanga or Bikram emphasize turning inward and focusing on your mind and body, which means not only will you sweat well, but you will probably end up feeling a little more relaxed and younger than when you entered.
If you are new to sports or don’t exercise every day, a quick walk or softer, restorative yoga sessions may be helpful. What if you want to take a complete break from your workout because you feel a little unbalanced, moody, bloated, or tired? Take action.
What if you are using contraception?
Great question! The answer is complex. Non-hormonal forms of BC shouldn’t interfere with your cycle in the long term. However, any contraceptive can incapacitate your body a little during the first few months as you adjust – women who switch from pills to Copper Paragard often experience heavy bleeding during the first three to six months. for example, and it can certainly affect whether you want to exercise and what types of exercise you want to do.
Hormonal contraception is a little tricky. Ironically, some people report finding it harder to gain muscle with pills, and a 2009 study made headlines when it suggested that oral contraceptives may actually impair muscle growth in women. However, it was criticized for its small sample size, and the ABC at the time indicated that the study showed no effect on workout performance. So, for example, while it is possible that you may not gain as much muscle mass during the follicular phase as someone who is not using hormonal contraception, there is simply not enough research to say for sure whether contraception is affecting your workout in one way or another.
On the other hand, because the pills prevent ovulation, they also stop the dramatic drop in hormone levels, which is why many people take pills to combat severe PMS . The lack of PMS can make it easier for you to workout than for someone who does not take BC.
Bottom line
Ultimately, it all comes down to knowing yourself, as both Dr. Bartos and Dr. Palvia emphasize. You know your body better than anyone! If you just don’t feel your workout at some point or are worried about injury, don’t be afraid to take a break. As Dr. Bartos says, “Don’t go beyond what your body needs.”