By Jamie Middleton in 2022.
For so long females have been influenced to think that periods suck, and that it’s a time we should just curl up in bed and eat chocolate. But what if I told you that periods are like a secret super power that female athletes and their coaches can embrace to help them become stronger, faster, and more powerful. There is so much performance potential during those 5 days. It’s time to break the narrative and embrace the power of the menstrual cycle.
In an industry so dominated by men, it is necessary that we normalise period conversations and create awareness of how the menstrual cycle can effect and enhance a female’s performance. Particularly with female snow sports athletes who constantly put their bodies on the line, it is essential for them and their coaches to be aware of when to tap into their potential, but also to recognise when it may be more beneficial to focus on the likes of technique or endurance.
Lets keep it simple. The textbook menstrual cycle is broken down into two phases; the follicular phase (day 1-14) and the luteal phase (day 14-28). There are also two main hormones which come into play here; oestrogen, which spikes during the second half of the follicular phase; and progesterone, which spikes during the luteal phase. These hormones can create a number of physiological changes in the female body which can effect a females training and their performance.
The beginning of the follicular phase (day 1) is when a female begins their ‘dreaded’ period, and also when their hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) are at their lowest. Physiologically, this is when females are most similar to men and performance can actually increase. Higher intensities can be hit, lean muscle can be built, sleep quality increases, and recovery time improves. Technically speaking, this is the most beneficial time for females to send it while feeling absolutely bulletproof doing so.
This is not to say that oestrogen and progesterone are good for nothing. In fact, they have their own super powers if we can tailor a female’s training effectively. The later luteal phase (day 7-14), where oestrogen spikes, causes the body to rely more on fat as an energy source creating an increase in endurance performance. This phase of the cycle may be more appropriate for working on technique and gaining milage as the rider will have prolonged energy at lower intensities.
Moving into the luteal phase (day 14-28), with a spike in progesterone, carbohydrate becomes the main fuel source helping to increase performance in shorter, high intensity training. Here, the rider will have a shorter timeframe of productive training, so increase the intensity but keep it short and sweet. Progesterone also reduces the bodies ability to gain muscle, so an increase in protein intake will also help to ensure they are maximising the benefits from their training. Keep in mind that we are talking about the textbook cycle here. Everyone’s cycle differs slightly so get to know your own cycle (or your athletes) so you can maximise potential.
Whoever you may be reading this, whether you’re male, female, an athlete, coach, examiner, or a maybe a level 2 candidate, I hope that you can take at least one thing away; periods are awesome. So the next time you or your athlete wakes up with their period the day before a competition, event, or Level Two exam, just know that it’s time to go out there and absolutely crush it.
Period.