Self-Test: Can I reach my goal faster when I adapt to my menstrual cycle?
- Yuli Lam
- 21. Juni 2023
- 3 Min. Lesezeit
Aktualisiert: 27. Sept. 2023
REASONS TO READ THIS ARTICLE:
Before I dealt with the subject, I always trained according to the motto:
No Pain No Gain!
I ignored that I am a woman with different hormones than men have, and also that these hormones change in the different menstrual phases.
I achieved my training goals minimally with a lot of hard work, injuries and energy expenditure.
Relation between hormones and training: Why does it matter to deal with this topic?
Female athletes may get the feeling they have to start from the beginning.
Understand the game, play it correctly.
Adaptation to timings can increase the performance of female athletes in an efficient way!
GOAL:
Adaptation of strength training to menstrual cycle and correlation with subjective energy.
Since this is a self-investigation, the personal goal is to develop a training plan, adapted to menstrual phases and subjective energy levels, to deadlift 90 kg (3 sets, 3 reps) by the end of December 2023.
I want to find out if my goals can be reached faster if I go down in the luteal phases, with the training intensity, instead of always struggling through weak days.
So, the big question is:
Can I reach my goal quicker when I adapt to my menstrual cycle?
BACKGROUND:
Menstruation Cycle comes with hormonal changes in women's body.
Hormones influence the hypothalamic communication which regulate various processes in the body.
It effects the behavior, thoughts, mood, muscle strength, estrogen level & more.
For female athletes it effects the performance!
First of all: the Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle plays a major role in reproduction. It prepares us for pregnancy. In case of non-fertilization of the egg, menstruation occurs and everything starts all over again.
1. Menstruation:
- normal length: between 21 and 35 days
- abnormal length: about > 35 days
2. Follicle Phase: - hypothalamus produces FSH (follicle hormones) which impacts the ovaries, Estrogen level (estradiol E2) rises!
- most women tend to feel energetic in this phase.
3. Ovulation (on abt. the 14th day): - at a certain estrogen level the hypothalamus produces LH
- LH triggers the ovulation by causing the follicle to mature and release the egg into the fallopian tube.
4. Luteal Phase:
- while the egg travels to the uterus, Estrogen level falls and Progesterone level rises!
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METHOD:
Participant's body composition:
- weighted July 9th, 2023, in the morning right after getting up
- total body weight: 49, 5 kg
- fat mass: 11,8 %
- fat free mass: 41,4 kg
- scaled by TANITA
Training periodization for Deadlift:
With this research, I adjusted the training plan so that in the weak luteal phases the intensity stays the same, but the volume was lowered, and in the follicular phases it was higher, to 85-90%, in order to reach the stimulus threshold.
Starting Deadlift weight in April 2023: 3 sets, 5x 80 kg
May 30th, 2023:
1️⃣ follicle phase: 4x 82,5 kg
2️⃣ luteal phase: 3x 82,5 kg
June, 2023:
❌ Training break from June 2nd, 2023 due to supination trauma.
July 8th, 2023:
- RESTART AFTER INJURY
- This was during my follical phase
- lifting weight of 80 kg, 4 reps, 3 sets.
- Subjectively, it felt heavy.
- start creatine monohydrate intake , 3 g per day in the morning as pre-training
July 18th, 2023:
- Back to progress
- luteal phase: 4 sets 3x 82,5 kg
🌟 August 1st, 2023: PROGRESS!
- no breakfast before, only 2 cups of black coffee and creatine
- start of creatine monohydrate intake (3g) on 08th July 2023
- dinner on the day before: Burger + Frites -> muscle glycogen full?
- Beginning of follicle phase, felt energetic on this day
- sleep: good
- training load: three days before only moderate training, focus was on rehab due to ankle injury and neck problems -> break supported the rehab and improved the deadlift performance?
August 8th, 2023:
1️⃣ follicle phase: 4 sets, 3 reps 85 kg
2️⃣ luteal phase: 3 sets, 3 reps 85 kg
August 22nd, 2023:
1️⃣ follicle phase: 3 sets, 5 reps 85 kg
2️⃣ luteal phase: 4 sets, 3 reps 85 kg
Starting from October 2023: -> made it earlier on Sep 26th!
1️⃣ follicle phase: 3 sets, 5 reps 87,5 kg
2️⃣ luteal phase: 4 sets, 3 - 4 reps 87,5 kg
Even the performance improved:
-> menstrual length: > 35 days
-> I was in my luteal phase
-> I gained body mass, body fat and FFM
-> trainingload 9 hrs per week
October 2023:
1️⃣ follicle phase: 3 sets, 5 reps 87,5 kg
2️⃣ luteal phase: 4 sets, 3 - 4 reps 87,5 kg
GOAL: December: 3 sets, 3 reps 90 kg
RESULTS:
Results will be updated regularly. Last Update: August 19th, 2023
CONCLUSION:
Coming Soon ...
