In one day the energy from you lashes: you are ready to conquer Everest or run a marathon. But the next day is full of despondency, disappointment and in the head only one desire - to lie like a seal under a blanket. Have you ever thought that the cause of a sharp drop in physical activity lies in hormonal upsurge? Allwomen's will tell how the menstrual cycle affects the physical form, weight loss and even muscle growth. Make the hormones work for themselves!
How does the menstrual cycle work?
Usually, when you hear "hormones" and "fitness" in one sentence, the imagination draws a picture of a bodybuilder on steroids. But if you know the subtleties about the work of hormones during the hormonal cycle, you can achieve good results without constructing any steroids in the construction of the ideal female figure. This is the interpretation of recent research by American scientists. Before we talk about hormones, let's quickly recall what happens during the menstrual cycle in the body. Progesterone and estrogen are the two main hormones that regulate "menstrual". The cycle count starts from the first "red" day and ends in the day, before the next "monthly". Each woman's periodicity is individual - from 25 to 35 days. In the first half of the cycle, estrogen prepares the uterus to ovulate the adoption of a future fertilized egg and causes the body to build up a layer of mucous inside the uterus. At this time, the amount of estrogen reaches a peak in the body. In the second half of the cycle, progesterone enters the fight and prepares the uterus directly for the implantation of a fertilized egg. If this did not happen, the exfoliated mucus exfoliates and comes out in the form of menstruation. The cycle is repeated again ...
Estrogen feeds your muscles
Over the past few years, physiologists have conducted dozens of studies to find out how the phases of the menstrual cycle affect the athletic training of women. In America and Europe already practice training, based specifically on the calendar of "monthly". In one study, scientists took muscle tissue samples from women in different phases of the menstrual cycle to show how hormones affect muscle growth. A group of women who participated in the study were offered to train on the different days of the cycle on a medical program. The results impressed both athletes and scientists. It turns out that in the first "estrogenic" phase, girls are much more effective in training and achieve high sports performance. Why? So it is inherent in nature: in the first period of the cycle the body is preparing for ovulation and conception, which means that the woman should be strong, beautiful and in good sports form (did you understand why?) Naturally, this is reflected in dedication during the training process. But the most interesting thing is that estrogen stimulates the production of protein and, consequently, the increase in muscle mass. But progesterone - our "enemy" - has the opposite effect and inhibits the growth of muscles.
Alas, everywhere there are two sides of the coin. The closer the ovulation day, the more estrogen. And in addition to feeding muscles, the hormone makes them more "vulnerable", that is, the risk of injury increases. Therefore, you do not need to be pumped to half death on the middle of your cycle, otherwise instead of muscle growth get stretching or muscle fatigue.
Suddenly we lose weight? Oh, this prankster progesterone
If you do daily weight measurements, you probably noticed an unexpected weight loss of up to one kilogram in the middle of the cycle. And in this advantage of the second phase of the menstrual calendar - progesterone accelerates your metabolism and enhances fat burning.
Is your goal to lose weight? Then devote a period after ovulation interval cardio and complex fat burning training.
Training during menstruation: yes or no? ..
We will not touch upon the common truths "be guided by the well-being and abundance of blood secretions", but let's talk about hormones. Indeed, is it not to the detriment of our selflessness during the "red days"? So, the "monthly" is the beginning of a new cycle. That is, the phase of "progesterone" weight loss is over and the development of estrogen is just beginning - our strength and activity enhancer. But since this phase takes the first steps, the woman feels an unprecedented fatigue and weakness. You can not load the body, but easy running does not hurt, if you do not want to skip sports. And even will be useful: anesthetizes the lower abdomen due to increased blood flow in the pelvic region, stimulates the production of "hormones of happiness" - serotonin, endorphin.
Do not eat hormone pills specially!
Is not it true that "hormonal games" and acquired knowledge involuntarily make you think about the additional use of hormonal tablets for weight loss or weight gain. Well, what, bodybuilders drink, but we can not? Exactly, girls, we can not. American researchers visited the same question: "And what will happen if you pump up the female body with hormonal pills? How will the hormonal storm affect the muscles? " And they immediately recruited a group of girls who took hormones for medical reasons, gave them a training program and increased the amount of protein. Results? In a group of women who did not take synthetic hormones - tablets - the increase in muscle mass is 50-60% higher than in "sitting" on pills. Conclusion: nature can not be fooled. Hormones in tablets worsen sports results and destroy your healthy hormonal background. Keep up with the menstrual calendar and plan the most effective workouts!