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Fitness

Does the Menstrual Cycle Influence Athletic Performance?

Athletes and coaches have long questioned the role that the menstrual cycle plays in a female athlete’s athletic performance.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by Mindith Rahmat Last updated on October 12, 2011

Athletes and coaches have long questioned the role that the menstrual cycle plays in a female athlete’s athletic performance. Understanding the impact of the menstrual cycle and hormonal fluctuations on athletic training and performance is essential when manipulating programming for an athlete.

During the menstrual cycle the hormone estrogen plays a significant role in the cardiovascular system, bones, and brain functioning, whereas the hormone progesterone primarily influences thermoregulation and ventilation. Most research to date has not demonstrated a significant connection or difference in aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, aerobic endurance, or muscle strength during the menstrual cycle of female athletes.

New research in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (2011), investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle phase on substrate oxidation and lactate concentration. Researchers studied 11 female rowers, who completed a rowing ergometer test at 70% of their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max). Measurements calculating body energy expenditure, oxygen consumption, respiratory exchange ratio, substrate oxidation, and lactate blood levels were taken on all athletes. The athletes were followed during two different phases of the menstrual cycle, the follicular phase and the luteal phase.

Results indicated that endurance performance was not influenced by the normal menstrual cycle. Researchers found that energy expenditure, VO2 max, and heart rate were also not significantly different during the menstrual cycle phases. Overall, it appears from this new research that there was no significant changes during menstrual cycle on athletic performance in the female athletes sampled. Further research should be conducted with a larger sample of female athletes from different sports to further assess these findings.

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

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