Research at Umeå University provides new insights into when during the menstrual cycle it is advantageous to periodise your strength training. The results show that training that is concentrated to the first two week of the cycle have more of an effect on muscular strength, power and muscle mass. The study is a part of a dissertation that also shows that periodic training could be implemented without any female specific exercise-related complications and was perceived positively by participants.
"How the menstrual cycle can affect training is in general an unexplored research area," says Lisbeth Wikström-Frisén, who is a doctoral student at the Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation and author of the dissertation.
