The sport played during the first part of the menstrual cycle causes more effect on muscle mass and power, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal according to a press release from Umea University in Sweden. Hormones are believed to be responsible for these effects.
Researchers at Umea University conducted a study with 59 women who were asked to follow a cycle of resistance exercise for 4 months, 5 sessions per week to study the effects on muscle strength and power when l physical activity is practiced during the cycle.
Female hormones are said to modify the effects of sport on women
Scientists have observed that women who participated in this program during the first 2 weeks of their cycle achieved a more significant muscle result than those who followed the same exercises during the last 2 weeks of the cycle.
They also noted that the use of oral contraceptiondid not change the results.
“These results have implications, either to improve the positive results of exercise, without increasing its practice, or to further increase athletic performance in competitive sports” explains Lisbeth Wikström-Frisén, author of the study.
“But these results are still not very surprising,” says the researcher. “Whereas ‘the period’ is a central moment in the life of women. It is therefore a question of taking them into account better in the optimization of all day-to-day activities ”.
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