Do you track your cycles? Are they regular? Consistent?
If so.. let’s talk about how we can monopolize on your hormones to get the most bang for your buck out of your training!
Let’s assume that your cycle is fairly regular- your period comes approximately every 21-28 days.
Did you know that about one to two days into your period, till about day 14 you are in a position to build more muscle and get greater benefit from your strength training?
In addition, from when you start bleeding until about day 14 of your cycle, your pain tolerance is higher as well as your force and power production.
So what if you dialed in your training to align with your cycle?
Here are some suggestions to make the most out of your hormones:
Lift heavier and more often during your low hormone phase (Day 1- 14/15). You can even play around with adding in additional strength training to your regular program (we’ve added this option in our CFT programming).
Work on your shorter metcons, power production, and explosiveness during the low hormone phase. Practice things like jumping, sprint workouts, and barbell cycling.
Do longer, lower intensity training during your high hormone phase. You’re more efficient at using fat during this time (with an estimate of up to 30% MORE fat utilization because of the upswing in progesterone and estrogen) which is more suited for longer aerobic training.
Focus on technique and movement during your high hormone phase. You may find that your coordination is affected during the second half of your cycle- so here is an opportunity to slow things down and be mindful of HOW you are moving.
Now this is not to say that we don’t want you lifting heavy during your high phase or training long during your low phase- as CrossFit athletes you must be ready to train hard no matter where you land in your cycle.
However, if you have an opportunity to dial in pieces of your training with your hormones we are optimizing HOW you train- if you improve your 100% then you improve your 80% by default!
Questions? Comments? Let us know!
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