Did you know that female athletes, and just women in general are more likely to injure themselves? If you’re a woman, you’re 88% more likely, in fact, to injure yourself around your ovulation period. Hormones don't just affect your moods and cravings, they affect how your muscles, ligaments, and tendons work. That’s why it’s so important to understand your hormones! So you can do the right workout at the right time to get the optimal, injury-free results!
During the first week of your
cycle, you have estrogen climbing up. Everything is starting over. You’re going to start the week a little bit tired, but as the week goes on, you'll feel more and more energy.
This is a great week to do HIIT training! It's a great week to start lifting heavier weights. That push will result in building muscle a little faster. And since you’ll be less hungry this week compared to other weeks, you’ll get a bit bigger calorie expenditure.
During your second week, testosterone starts to kick in and so of course you're going to build muscle really, really well. Your energy is up, your mood is up, and your coordination and reaction time are up! As you get close to ovulation, estrogen starts to make everything more flexible and that’s when injuries happen.
Ovulation is the worst time to do HIIT training or really rapid movements. But the peak of testosterone can be great when it comes to daring to try new things and pushing yourself to lift. Lift heavier instead of moving faster during this time.
During the third week, as hormones start to taper off, things start to tighten up.
Go back to HIIT training and lifting, but be aware that you won’t feel as strong as you did during Week 1. Be prepared for fatigue and focus on a lower weight/higher rep workout.
The good thing is, during the last two weeks of your cycle, your body becomes really efficient at burning fuel. So even though you're not able to kind of crush it at the gym, your body is helping you out because it's burning about 30% better.
During the last week of your cycle, you're tired. So be a bit more cautious with your workouts. Listen to your body and rest, and do yoga or pilates. Give your body what it needs!
Take advantage of your hormones and optimize your workouts! Once you start figuring out what workout goes along best with what’s happening in your body, you’ll notice a difference! And be sure to shoot me a message with your questions and your results!