working out on your period?

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Replies

  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    i'm usually exhausted but i try to still move.
  • FitGirl0123
    FitGirl0123 Posts: 1,273 Member
    I wouldn't overcomplicate things. Sure our periods sometimes affect our energy levels. Sometimes we just have better days in the gym than other days. Just keep going and don't stress it.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    mochapygmy wrote: »
    There is actually some decent information about how your period affects training. I'm on my phone and can't link nor find the exact article I like but Google menstrual cycle and training and lots of options pop up. Most, most not all, feel strongest the week after their period and weak during.

    A few articles:

    * http://breakingmuscle.com/womens-fitness/period-periodization-harnessing-the-power-of-your-cycle
    * http://www.optimumh.co.uk/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-on-strength-training-and-timing/
    * https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters
  • mochapygmy
    mochapygmy Posts: 2,123 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    mochapygmy wrote: »
    There is actually some decent information about how your period affects training. I'm on my phone and can't link nor find the exact article I like but Google menstrual cycle and training and lots of options pop up. Most, most not all, feel strongest the week after their period and weak during.

    A few articles:

    * http://breakingmuscle.com/womens-fitness/period-periodization-harnessing-the-power-of-your-cycle
    * http://www.optimumh.co.uk/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-on-strength-training-and-timing/
    * https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters

    Thanks jemhh! There is a new article that just came out a couple days ago as well. I haven't read it yet but it is floating around on my fit friends' fb pages.
  • time2cutnow
    time2cutnow Posts: 150 Member
    That's when preworkout comes most in handy.
  • alismommy1992
    alismommy1992 Posts: 72 Member
    I get really heavy periods some months and omg if i workout i feel so exhausted to the point i want to pass out but i try my best at least to eat a light diet or do a bit of dancing at home everyone is different do what u are comfortable with
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    No excuses! Plus, I usually eat more on my period, and want to take advantage of that and get a few good lifting days in. Exercise helps my cramps. I bloat about 3-4lbs and exercise makes me feel better about that too. I saw some complaining about the smell and being able to see pads- I would hope tampons are an option for most with the exception of religious beliefs, or are there medical conditions that don't allow women to wear them?

    I may be tired, but this is always the case if I don't work out- I find it gives me more energy!

    If you have difficult periods it's a completely different story, but I believe the majority can get along with some preworkout and a dose of willpower.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
    >_> Call me crazy - I can't see where the OP might have mentioned she was using this as an "excuse," so I'm not entirely sure why some replies are insinuating she did. In fact, she seemed to say she pushed through it - and that it just wore her out.

    So... we're not allowed to have "off" days? When we aren't smiling and dancing on the treadmill and doing sumo squat jazz hands because exercising is just SO AWESOME? TOMs can be different for every woman, so please refrain from telling the OP "it's not that bad" unless you've lived inside her body.

    As you can probably tell by my tone, I can really relate to this, OP, at this exact moment. On Day 1 and Day 2, I just want to curl up in a nap. I'll push through too unless I'm literally debilitated from my cramps (this can happen to me from time to time), but regardless, the beginning my TOM always impacts my performance and energy levels. I've fallen asleep on the mat between crunch sets before.
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    If you seam really tired maybe you should check your iron levels or take a iron supplement while on your period and/or a good prenatal vitamin Exercise seams to help my cramps actually.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    To be fair, periods can be pretty harsh. I mean, your body just spent 3 weeks getting the kid's room ready, found out you aren't going to use it, and is trashing the joint in a fit of rage. No wonder there's no energy for much beyond chocolate and Netflix.

    Thanks this made me laugh so hard.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    ManiacalLaugh wrote: »
    >_> Call me crazy - I can't see where the OP might have mentioned she was using this as an "excuse," so I'm not entirely sure why some replies are insinuating she did. In fact, she seemed to say she pushed through it - and that it just wore her out.

    So... we're not allowed to have "off" days? When we aren't smiling and dancing on the treadmill and doing sumo squat jazz hands because exercising is just SO AWESOME? TOMs can be different for every woman, so please refrain from telling the OP "it's not that bad" unless you've lived inside her body.

    As you can probably tell by my tone, I can really relate to this, OP, at this exact moment. On Day 1 and Day 2, I just want to curl up in a nap. I'll push through too unless I'm literally debilitated from my cramps (this can happen to me from time to time), but regardless, the beginning my TOM always impacts my performance and energy levels. I've fallen asleep on the mat between crunch sets before.

    All of this. Also, not only can periods vary from woman to woman, but it can vary for that same woman from cycle to cycle. I have months where it's no big deal and business as usual. Other months I just want to curl up in a ball and pray for deliverance. You just never know who is dealing with what.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,692 Member
    lillihuhn wrote: »
    I feel the same way when I'm on mine. Do you guys feel a few pounds heavier right before you start your period?

    I am slightly heavier just before and during the first couple days of my period. I know because I weigh myself daily and it is a regular pattern. I first noticed this pattern when I was in my early teens. 3 decades later, the pattern is still there.

    Even my husband notices ... he can see the three places I tend to retain fluid (face, abdomen, ankles).

  • Helloidentitycrisis
    Helloidentitycrisis Posts: 64 Member
    Must be because I'm seriously angry for the duration of my period, but I do upto 150% of my usual workouts!

    I tend to get really angry that my weight loss isn't going to show (I tend to bloat) and take it all out on the rowing machine hahaha!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,692 Member
    Heavy exercise triggers my periods to start ... even mid-cycle.

    I'm a long distance cyclist. During the summers when I was doing the most long distance cycling (2001-2008), I was having 2 periods a month because I was cycling the ultra-distances about every 2 weeks.

    There I'd be 150 km into a 400 km randonnee and ... whoosh! Complete with cramping and that feeling like your insides are being pulled out.

  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    I'm tired and achy for three days a month and there's no way I'm doing anything strenuous. A 10 minute yoga stretching routine to get me started those mornings is all I even want to manage. If it's a particularly bad day I may only manage child's pose and some meditation, and I'm completely okay with that.

    For me, the "no excuses, balls to the wall no matter what" outlook to exercising doesn't work. I like to think fitness is about self-care and keeping stuff in balance. If that means totally relaxing and resting three days straight instead of pushing myself to the extreme, then that's what it is. I prove my bad-a$$ery in 1000 different ways. I don't need it to be by hitting the gym every single day if I don't have the energy to pull it off. (But on days I do have the energy, it's flipping awesome! :smile: )

    OP, listen to your body and do what's best for you, TOM and all month long.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    I generally do, except for my heaviest day, and thats mainly because I bleed so heavily, i have to change out every hour regardless of what i use. I just dont want to deal with it at the gym.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    mkakids wrote: »
    I generally do, except for my heaviest day, and thats mainly because I bleed so heavily, i have to change out every hour regardless of what i use. I just dont want to deal with it at the gym.

    Ditto. I'm housebound for two days. Good thing I work from home.

    Due to the loss of blood and sleep, if I can manage picking up a few sticks in the yard and going up stairs, I'm doing well.

    This has only been true for the past few years; for the previous 30, exercising during my TOM was not a problem.
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