Female Hormones and Training
Follicular : The follicular phase is the best time for progression and gains.
Ovulation : Ovulation is characterized by a sharp increase in all hormones, including a rise in testosterone. For some women, this is the best time to hit strength PBs.
Luteal : The luteal phase is best for moderate conditioning exercises.
Menstruation : Different women are affected differently by their period. Some clients feel strong and are able to exercise at intensity or with heavy loads, whereas others do not feel good and would require a lighter session.
Above are the stages of the female cycle. How can many of us get to adulthood and not have a clear understanding of our regular hormonal structure? It’s kinda crazy really! Something as important as that, yet many women are totally clueless and remain clueless allowing their hormones to just happen to them. Many of my female clients who follow a regular cycle learn through my programs how to manage nutrition and training according to their hormones. Even if a client got on board with me and found she couldn’t stick at the nutrition or training (it happens occasionally), she walks away with a much deeper understanding of how her body functions. Make it your business to understand your body better and train holistically with your cycles. It varies slightly from woman to woman so you have to figure it out for yourself. Training hard AND being in a caloric deficit is going to be a little uncomfortable for a healthy human being whichever way you do it but we can alleviate some of it by responding to the bodies natural fluctuations.
