Previously, I did a post on how the female cycle impacted our life. As women, our nutritional needs vary throughout the month. The same goes with our physical fitness needs.
I am going to list some of the best workouts for women. These workouts are great as your body cycles through the hormones. They will take advantage of the highs and lows and also help your body as you age.
Before I get into the workouts, however, we need to talk about heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is what your body can handle without doing damage. It's generally measured in beats per minute. The best formula to find your personal maximum heart rate is to take your age and multiply it by 0.88, now subtract your answer from 206. You now have your maximum heart rate.
Example, if my heart rate maximum is 166 beats per minute, then 80% of my maximum heart rate would be 133 beats per minute. If I'm giving it 100% My heart rate should go no higher than 170 beats per minute. Then I should take a rest and let it drop to at least 75% of my maximum heart rate (or 124 beats per minute) before pushing it any further.
As with any workout, you want to listen to your body. Do you have the energy to push yourself? Are you nursing a sickness or an injury? Ignoring these will not help you; it may end up costing you! Find what your body needs and do that.
The first workout that I'd like to talk about is HIIT. This stands for high intensity interval training. With this type of exercise, you want to bring your heart rate to 80% or more of your maximum rate. With HIIT the intervals are between 1 to 5 minutes long with 30 second rests between sets. You can extend this rest period up to 2 minutes if your body needs longer.
With HIIT, you will notice that it helps with calorie burn, boosts your metabolism, improves blood vessel function, helps muscle integrity, and can help Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which can help with learning and memory.
Another workout that is close to HIIT only more intense is SIT- sprint interval training. With this exercise you will get your heart rate to 100% in a short period of time. It's an all out sprint usually lasting only 30 seconds or shorter with long rest periods between sets that allow your heart rate to return to normal (for me that's about 80 beats per minute). You would do between 4 to 8 rounds of this at each workout.
The benefits of SIT are wonderful! This type of workout helps your muscles to update glucose. It'll increase lean mass while decreasing fat store. You'll also see improvement in your endurance and reaction time, which is great as you age and find yourself getting a little clumsy.
Probably the one that is most focused on is resistance, or strength training. Lifting with weights or using bands to create resistance is one of the more popular workout types out there. And it does have some great benefits! No, you will not get bulky without outside help (like metabolic hormones). But you will find that it helps with strength, stability, and bone mineral density, as well as increasing lean muscle mass while decreasing visceral fat.
For women, you want to focus on heavier loads and lower rep counts along with working multiple muscle groups- both large and small. Start with something light, say 3 to 5 pound dumbbells, and see how many reps you can get in. Don't call this the final weight until you see how you feel the next day. Are you sore? Then stick with that weight until you no longer have muscle soreness the next day. Did you feel nothing? Increase your weight until you do. You want to feel like you've used your muscles, not abused them!
Another great workout, that is often overlooked unless you're an athlete is power training. This type of workout increases speed and power. It's usually explosive, hard movements. Think plyometrics- jump squats, medicine ball slam, Plyo pushups, Banded jumps, box jumps, etc.
Why would you want this? Because it helps with muscle quality, mitochondria, bone mineral density, and allows you to absorb impact without excessive damage. The more you incorporate this workout the less likely you will be seriously injured during a fall- which is something we should all care about as we age.
Last, but not least is movement training, or functional movement training. This is something that not many people actively seek out. But when you move your body in various positions through fluid motions in all different ranges and directions, you are helping your mobility and agility.
How often do you pick something up off the floor and put it up high so that a child doesn't get it? Well, do you focus on proper muscle control while doing that? Movement training can strengthen your body through graceful flowing, dance-like or animal-like movements that help you when you need to squat down or jump to the side, or even move your head quickly so as not to get it knocked on something.
More movement training can keep your joints loose and pliable and your reactions time quicker with fewer injuries. It's important for people of all ages!
You can sign up for a workout program, go to a gym, or workout at home. However you decide to train, you should make sure that you train appropriately for not only how you feel, but also for your level of fitness and personal needs.
Aligning your training with the phases of your monthly cycle may seem a bit daunting, but once you can identify which phase you are in, you can then tailor your training to your energy levels, mood, and physical needs thereby getting the most out of your workout sessions.
There are really four basic types of workouts that you will focus on- Prime, Build, Maintain, and Recover.
Prime is where we begin; it can be day one or three of your menstrual cycle or even a few days before your cycle begins. It's all about individuality. You are gently transitioning your body out of recovery and into the strength building portion of your workouts. You don't just jump from one to the next, that's where you can injure yourself. It's a lighter/ scaled back version of our strength training workouts which give your body a sort of "warm up" for the days ahead. Concentrate of your form more than your weight or rep numbers.
Build is when your body is ready to move from "warm up" into giving it your all. This is where you will build muscle and stamina while growing your endurance and agility; that means hard workouts more frequently in the week- at least two HIIT or SIT workouts weekly, daily strength training where you are alternating which body parts you are focusing each day on can be achieved, and Power training can also be thrown in once or twice a week if you have the energy! Your motivation should be raring to go and you should be seeing great recovery times after each workout. Don't forget to listen to your body- if you need a rest day then take it. Again, this is as unique as you are.
At or around ovulation, you may notice that you don't feel as strong or as ready to hit it hard. This is when you will transition to the Maintenance phase. In this phase you don't push yourself to fatigue; it's all about maintaining what you've built. Depending on how you feel you may want to lower the weight of the dumbbells with an increase in repetition, or throw a couple rest days between each workout session. Add in more cardio (about three workouts a week) or get some movement training sessions in (yoga and pilates are great during this phase).
Your body is more focused on the possibility of a baby during this time and that is where it is sending most of its resources. You can do great harm by pushing yourself to the extreme during this phase. Nutrition is at its most important during this time. Listen to your body, recognize its needs, and change your routine as necessary.
Recovery will come at the end of this phase before your cycle begins again. It's a time for movement training to become the star of the show. Rest is a vital part of growth and just as important as training. You should be giving your body the care it needs. Take epsom salt baths and get some time outside (grounding yourself with your toes in the sand or grass) to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Try some Wim Hoff breathing exercises. Gentle activities that help you recharge are the focus of this phase.
If you are going through perimenopause or menopause, then it is more important for you really assess how you feel since your hormones are all over the place. If you feel strong and motivated then go for it up with a build phase workout; if you feel tired and uninspired then pick a workout from the Maintain phase.
If you understand where you are then you can set realistic expectations for your body. Hormonal shifts affect every part of our body- nutritionally, spiritually, and even the way you train. Be mindful of where you are and make adjustments where and how needed. Flexibility is a lady's best friend.
