As the superior sex, we need to think about things a little more...
Joking (sort of) - but as women, our bodies are beautiful + complex + as such we need to consider a lot if we want to get the most out of ourselves.
So what do we need to think about? Although they all nearly always loop back to hormones I'll list them all separately as they all have unique considerations...
Hormones
Metabolism
Age
Pre/Post Natal
SO...when considering what type of training we should choose there's a touch more to think about than "the other guys"...
Hormones
We all have em, but we don't all have em equal! This is why it's such an important consideration. I'll go with the most common scenario for ease. If you have a fairly normal cycle you'll more than likely follow this pattern:
Week 1: You feel lethargic for day 1-3 of your period, with things picking up from day 3-7 energy-wise.
Week 2: You are feeling muy bueno, life is good, no one needs to die - you're crushing it.
Week 3: Things are still fairly good, energy can start to dip but overall, you're good.
Week 4: As we head to our period, you tend to get low energy, hungry as hell + a touch more introverted.
With all this in mind, this is how I alter my training to suit my hormones (which look a lot like the above)...
Week 1: More strength based sessions. Low + slow with my reps.
Week 2: Up the cardio/metabolic conditioning pieces.
Week 3: More fun elements, all of the above but focused around what I want to do.
Week 4: Ditch the cardio, drop the weight a little + move how feels good.
Metabolism
Fun fact...we are born with slower metabolisms than men...more fun facts...our already slower metabolisms then slow down further at around 2-3% for every decade....WHY JESUS!
Because of this we actually have to work smarter + harder to maintain these temples!
Ontop of this, we all have vastly different metabolisms.
To cut a long story short, this is why I encourage some form of metabolic conditioning pieces in everyones training. Cardio is boring but high intensity circuits is the honey to your medicine here.
What is metabolic conditioning?
Just think of it as giving your metabolism a little boost giving you either a short, mid or longer term boost depending on the exercises.
Keeping our ever slowing metabolisms in mind, I'd suggest adding in slightly more Met Con pieces the older we get, to give the old gal a lil helping hand!
Age
You know what I'm going to say...
As we get older, we get new health considerations...yay!
Lets choose some real goodens - Osteoporosis + Menopause.
Osteoporosis - it affects 1 in 3 women over the age of 50! As such, I highly recommend strength training to help combat this, by regularly *testing* your bones, you encourage them to stay strong.
Menopause - this can be a wild ride, your hormones are changing + one way to normalise these is...exercise! As well as boosting your mood day to day, exercise can give you so much more when it comes to dealing with menopause.
Pre/Post Natal
Finally! My mummas + mummas-to-be, it's a tricky one to navigate either end, so let's break it down.
Pre-Natal:
While I'm not saying you can't start exercising when you're pregnant, it's an easier ride if you have always been active leading into pregnancy. Pregnancy is amazingg + you actually get some cheeky cardio gains (thanks tiny human) - the most important thing is your energy levels...
The first trimester is when I find people's energy to fluctuate the most + you must work with your body not against it. How long you train into your pregnancy is total personal preference, same goes with how you train. You'll need to alter how you lift + avoid jumping movements with your cardio.
Post-Natal:
I'm hoping getting back in shape is the last thing on your mind for the first 6-12 weeks! Your body needs to recover fully from birth. Natural births its recommended to wait 6-8 weeks with C-sections it's recommended at least 12 weeks.
When you return, you'll still need to modify your workouts, lifting lighter with a heavy focus on the pelvic floor stability, same with your cardio keep it lower impact to begin with.
**additional note - when it comes to lifting whether Pre or Post natal, you need to remember you will have elevated levels of Relaxin - a hormone that makes your joints + structures more flexible. As such, you need to be so much more careful during both periods!
If I were to generalise for everyone (which we shouldn't) I would summarise this:
As women we have so much to navigate, but we need to mix up how we train regularly to challenge our bodies in a variety of ways. Most importantly, we need to listen to our bodies first + foremost.
In order of importance I'd say:
1. Lifting, strength based work
2. Metabolic conditioning
3. Whatever feels good!
If this was helpful let me know! Drop me a message for a free consultation if you're unsure of how you should be training.
Find more at @wildwomen_fitness
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Email: wildwomenfitness@outlook.com
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