Sport or exercise science has mostly studied how men’s bodies react to and recover from athletic activity, with many researchers and publications assuming women’s bodies would perform in a similar but smaller way. It’s almost like they didn’t really understand the significant ways women and mens bodies differ, or care about how these differences impacted female athletes.
Thankfully this is changing fast, with researchers like Dr Stacy Sims and Professor Louise Burke speaking to how a woman’s unique cardiovascular, metabolic, hormonal and anatomical characteristics impact how she performs during exercise and how she recovers. Women athletes aren’t simply “small men” who need to copy the advice given to male athletes, but possess unique characteristics that can give them an advantage over male counterparts, especially in the arena of endurance sports, when they work with and nurture their uniqueness.
The Physical Advantage
Women typically have smaller, lighter bodies than men, with proportionally more slow-twitch muscle fibres than fast-twitch, muscle fibres that more readily utilise fat for fuel. This combination offers several advantages:
– A higher surface to body mass ratio makes women more efficient at dissipating body heat, with less sweating, overheating and dehydration. This requires less fluid to cool down and rehydrate.
– Lighter bodies also make it easier and more efficient to move up inclines – great for running or cycling up steep terrains.
– Fat oxidation is when the body uses stored fat to fuel activity. Women’s bodies are better at switching from carbohydrate stores to fat stores during endurance activities, leading to better fatigue resistance than men.
Women also have superior emotional regulation and pain tolerance, which helps them tolerate discomfort and adapt to sticky situations on training and racing days. Better emotional regulation also leads to better decision making, like more sustainable pacing and fuelling choices, instead of launching hard and fading fast.
The Menstrual Advantage
The menstrual cycle has a significant impact on women athletes. Female sex hormones can change glucose regulation, metabolism, appetite, nervous system functioning, fluid balance and immune system functioning. This is one of the reasons why the same workout can feel easy one week and much harder a couple weeks later. Working synergistically with the highs and lows of the menstrual cycle enables females athletes to compound the gains from their training programmes in ways male athletes cannot.
Tracking one’s cycle is key – differentiate between follicular, ovulation and luteal phases:
1. The FOLLICULAR PHASE begins on the first day of bleeding and lasts until ovulation, usually day 1-14 of a 28 day cycle.
Pushing harder during the follicular phase, when oestrogen levels are higher, results in increased energy and metabolism, and improved mood and springboards performance during training and racing. Oestrogen helps reduce inflammation, including that caused from exercise activities, and supports active recovery.
Scheduling HIIT (high-intensity interval training), Crossfit, Hyrox or strength training sessions during this phase to take advantage of the regenerative, anti-inflammatory and uplifting benefits of oestrogen most women experience during this phase. Adjust carb intake (eat more!) and recovery (active recovery) to balance out, not burn out.
2. OVULATION is when the mature egg is released and marks the menstrual cycle midpoint – day 14 of a 28 day cycle. This phase can last 24-48 hours.
Some women experience symptoms like pain, elevated body temperature and disrupted sleep during ovulation. Taking rest during this short period is valuable as the body’s resources are occupied adjusting to the sudden change in hormone levels.
3. The LUTEAL PHASE runs from ovulation until the onset of the next follicular phase, i.e. the next first day of bleeding.
Hormones are high and pre-menstrual symptoms are peaking. Workouts feel tougher, blood sugar levels fluctuate, sleep is disrupted and recovery is slower. Care and tenderness is needed – shifting to lower-intensity training, adding in more complex carbs and protein to stabilise blood sugar, and scheduling more time for active recovery and regenerative sleep are important actions to take.
Building Endurance Excellence
As mentioned above, women’s bodies excel at endurance activities because of their unique anatomical and physiological characteristics. What are some practical steps one can take to maximise this potential?
1.1. Training in a fasted state is not advised. This triggers stress hormones and accelerates inflammation, muscle breakdown and impedes performance.
1.2. Plan to consume a mix of protein (±15g) and complex carbs (±30g) 45-60 minutes before an activity session. A serving of Phyto Pro THRIVE Daily Protein in Chocolate, blended with a banana and chilled water is a great option.
1.3. For longer duration training sessions, plan to consume a small amount of simple carbs and electrolytes every 30-45 minutes to keep the body fuelled and hydrated. Sipping on a serving of Phyto Pro SPORT Endurance Booster mixed with water in a soft running bottle is a clean and effective solution, with its three-phase carbohydrate complex, antioxidant, b-vitamin and electrolyte mix for immediate and sustained energy, hydration and CNS support. Alternatively, try Phyto Pro SPORT Active Electrolytes for clean and effective hydration support.
1.4. Plan in extra food and fuel when training over the luteal phase.
2.1. During the follicular phase, plan to push your exercise boundaries more intensely – build in training sessions that increase adaptation like interval training, HIIT and Crossfit. Cycle with strength sessions to optimise bone, muscle and connective tissue strength. Strength training does more than build stronger muscles and bones. It also improved running and cycling economies and reduces stress injuries as your body spreads the physiological burden of trying and racing over more systems. Higher loads and lower reps also counteracts the muscle loss caused by hormonal changes during other phases of the menstrual cycle.
2.2. During the luteal phase, plan lower-intensity training session. Focus on lower impact session that strengthen and build capacity in ways that compliment follicular phase activities, e.g. zone 2 cardio and interval session, low-impact strength training, yoga and pilates.
Recovery isn’t optional – it is an essential part of any training programme. Follicular phase training brings intense training activity, and active recovery ensures you avoid burnout. Luteal phase training brings added hormonal fluctuations, and active recovery ensures your body continuously integrates and balances out inputs from internal and external sources. Recovery days are when the body rebuilds stronger and prepares to do better in the next activity session. Skimping on nutrition and movement during recovery days only impedes your growth and performance.
Recovery Step 1 – Immediately after a training session, in the “golden recovery window” which is shorter for women, consume a mix of protein and carbs to replenish glycogen stores, shore up muscle damage and begin the healing process.
Phyto Pro SPORT Active Recovery Protein is the only high-protein drink designed by clinicians to work with the immune system to mitigate inflammation, initiate repair and shorten recovery. Using a serving 45-60 minutes is best for optimising replenish and repair pathways. It includes ingredients like:
– L-Carnitine, L-Glutamine and Taurine to help enhance fat oxidation, releasing more energy from fat stores and reduce recovery times.
– BCAAs and Creatine Monohydrate, to help increase neuromuscular activation and stress resilience.
– Extracts from Turmeric, Green Tea, Maca Root and Black Pepper to help the immune system manage inflammation and initiate repair and regeneration.
Recovery Step 2 – Through the rest of your day, consume adequate protein from clean, whole food sources. Aim for 1.2-2g of protein per kg of body weight daily. Spread this through the day, mixed with healthy and varied sources of carbs and fats.
Recovery Step 3 – Active recovery includes moving in a way that facilitates blood and lymphatic flow without activating the stress pathways, e.g. brisk walks or bike rides.
Recovery Step 4 – Regenerative sleep – sleep is essential for healing and integration. It’s important during luteal phase training and even more so during follicular phase training. Aim for 7-8 hours, or more, with the goal of feeling refreshed on rising. Adjust bedtimes as needed to get in required sleep time, and respect that your body’s sleep needs will shift through your cycle.
Train For Your Body
Endurance training for women isn’t about doing more or less than men, it’s about doing things differently, in ways that synergise and capitalise on the unique advantages the menstrual cycle offers women athletes. Adjusting how you fuel, move and rest your body to match the inherent rhythm of your body will only amplify the gains and performance you seek and work hard for.