Effects of hormones on fitness etc?

emmab0902

Does anyone know if hormone changes in women over the month have an effect on fitness/endurance/strength??

Last week I managed a 15.7km run pretty okay and today (day 2 of cycle) I nearly died doing less than half of that!!

kuzmacombat

It most definitely does. Hormones affect everything in the body. I know you're a woman, but as an example....as men age, their testosterone and igf drop, and in turn they lose muscle mass, gain fat and lose endurance. I know, I've heard women say the same thing you did, during their cycle they get lethargic(lazy), feel bloated and gain weight, ntm can't lift as much in the gym.