Women, Workouts & Periods

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ByAnurag Sharma on

Apr 22, 2018

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Women, Workouts & Periods

Women are increasingly getting conscious about fitness which is a very positive trend. A void in this trend is the understanding (read misunderstanding) about weight training. The fairer sex thinks lifting weights will make them muscular and bulky. This is plain misinformation.

These are the reasons why women should lift weights.

Everybody(all the females included) wants to lose fat. Resistance training is one of the most superior ways of doing it[1].
Sleep is the most important variable in the equation of fitness. Getting quality regular sleep comes with immense benefits. Strength training or weight training aids in better sleep.
Weight training helps to build muscle which will allows to burn more calories when at rest[3].
Weight training can help to prevent osteoporosis[4].
Weight training can help woman get that hour glass figure.

However women need to understand their menstrual cycle to maximize their progress.

The entire duration of a Menstrual cycle can be divided into four main phases[2]:

Menstrual phase (From day 1 to 5)
Follicular phase (From day 1 to 13)
Ovulation phase (Day 14)
Luteal phase (From day 15 to 28)

The follicular phase is characterised by higher tolerance for pain and increases levels of endurance. Basal metabolism rate drops during this phase. This phase should be characterised by high intensity workouts and a spike in caloric intake.

This phase is followed by the ovulation phase . Estrogen peaks during this phase. Strength peaks during this time. However injury rates are 4 to 8 times higher than normal. Insulin sensitivity starts to drop. Metabolism starts to climb. You can feel more hungry during this period.

After the ovulation phase comes the leutal phase. This is the phase just before the periods. Metabolism is at it’s peak(7.7% higher than the normal). Workouts will be very hard during this time. Keep your workout intensity less than intense during this phase. This however is the best time to burn fat. Mood swings would be high. Foods like eggs,cheese, nuts and seeds which produce serotonin can really help during this phase.

References

[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862249/

[2]https://www.menstrupedia.com/articles/physiology/cycle-phases

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862249/

[4]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23971674

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