"A woman has needs", my grandmother used to say. And I believe that to be able to perform in this world that requires super mums, super executives, super entrepreneurs, super students, super wives and more, the main need we have is to feel good about ourselves.
Feeling healthy, strong, agile, flexible and with all the energy to tackle the demands of each day is provided by healthy habits such as exercise. That's why today, we're going to review the types of exercise and/or training that are age appropriate.
Women’s Training is Hormonal
The state of our endocrine system is an unequivocal indicator of the type of exercise or rest we need. From adolescence to menopause, hormones play a huge role in how we perform, whether it's study, work, intimate life, family life and more.
We recently mentioned cycle training, which I pick up on here and which can be applied to every age group a woman may currently belong to.
If you are a beginner or have not exercised for a long time, it is recommended that the first month you start by adapting by training your whole body every day you go to the gym. This is assuming you go 3 or 4 times a week.
During that first month of adaptation, you can attend the gym to perform 1 set of 20 or 2 sets of 20 and 15 repetitions of between twelve (12) and fifteen (15) exercises covering all muscle groups, i.e. about 4 leg and gluteal exercises, 4 for back and chest; 4 for shoulders and arms, plus abs and stretching.
After that first month, you would fall into the category of training by muscle groups, so that each muscle group has sufficient recovery time, but be aware that this is where the cycles apply and that you can see in the following table.
TABLE 1
Week 1
|
Day |
Muscle group |
Series
|
|
Monday |
Glutes and legs |
20-20
|
|
Wednesday |
Chest and back |
20-20 |
|
Friday |
Shoulders and arms |
20-20 |
In this week you can perform about 10-12 exercises for the corresponding muscle group each day, plus abdominal crunches and stretching (this is an estimate for 1 hour or 1.5 hours of training).
Week 2
|
Day |
Muscle group |
Series
|
|
Monday |
Glutes and legs |
20-15 |
|
Wednesday |
Chest and back |
20-15 |
|
Friday |
Shoulders and arms |
20-15 |
In this week you can again perform about 10 exercises corresponding to each day's muscle group and add, in addition, abdominal exercises and stretching.
Week 3
|
Day |
Muscle group |
Series
|
|
Monday |
Glutes and legs |
15-12-10 |
|
Wednesday |
Chest and back |
15-12-10 |
|
Friday |
Shoulders and arms |
15-12-10 |
This week, as there are more sets, you can do about 8 exercises depending on the muscle group you are working each day. Adding, in addition, abdominal crunches and a stretching session.
Week 4
|
Day |
Muscle group |
Series
|
|
Monday |
Glutes and legs |
12-10-8 |
|
Wednesday |
Chest and back |
12-10-8 |
|
Friday |
Shoulders and arms |
12-10-8 |
In this week you can train with heavier weights, where the last three repetitions of each set are quite difficult to perform. You would do 6-8 exercises depending on the muscle group you are working that day and add abdominal crunches and stretching.
Activities That are More Specifically Suited to the Age Group and Hormonal Situation you are Experiencing.
Adolescence
This is a time when many body changes take place, so it is a period when it is worth exploring and familiarising yourself with your new body. While strength training with weights is acceptable, prioritising cardiovascular endurance exercises such as running, jumping rope, cycling and/or swimming lays a solid cardiorespiratory foundation. Likewise, dynamic yoga, to become familiar with their limbs, their flexibility and in experimenting with inverted poses where they get to know and work with their own body weight.
Young female athletes can benefit from strength training of course, using controlled movements provided by machines in the gym or with the help of bands and dumbbells, under the supervision of a trainer.
The cycle training in table 1 can easily be followed by emphasising the specificities I have mentioned for adolescence, as well as some weight-bearing strength exercises to consolidate good posture. Some examples are,
Deadlift
Good morning
Sissy Squat
Bulgarian Squats
Push ups (push ups)
Triceps’ dips
Butt lifts from the floor or with your back on a bench
Pull-ups
Adult Women 20-50 Years
For some adult women their menstruation time may go virtually unnoticed and would not interfere with the way they want to organise their training. However, for others, pre-menstrual syndrome and menstruation days can significantly affect all their daily activities.
For your training to produce the results you are looking for, training with the hormonal changes that occur at this time can facilitate this process, as well as help you to better understand your body.
Planning your training according to your Period or Moon Time
Some research indicates that strength training during the follicular phase, i.e. the two weeks following the moon or menstruation, are conducive to increased strength compared to the luteal phase, the days that would correspond to the onset and duration of menstruation.
Hormonally, oestrogen is highest during the follicular phase, which has a positive effect on mood, energy, and physical strength. These elevated oestrogen levels also facilitate a good recovery.
Let's say week 1, according to the Table, would correspond to your moon time or menstruation, and your symptoms could last until the middle of week 2. From this point onwards you feel stronger and more energetic including week 3 and possibly up to the beginning or middle of week 4.
Towards the end of week 4 you may start to have the swelling that accompanies your period and some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. We see a change in hormones which can increase the possibility of injury due to changes in ligament laxity. During this time, it is important to pay special attention to warm-up before training and flexibility exercises at the end of training.
Recommendations:
- During the time of the moon or menstruation, avoid inverted yoga postures as in some people it may cause uncomfortable symptoms or exacerbate pain.
- Stay well hydrated. Sometimes it is difficult to drink the water you need, but broths such as broth will hydrate you, keep you warm and provide you with some electrolytes.
- It is still advisable to take electrolytes, especially those with a good concentration of potassium.
Training for Women in Their Menopause and Beyond
It's never too late to start exercising. The key is to start slowly and do activities that motivate you, such as walking, cycling, swimming or other activities.
As with the other groups, strength training and cycle training can work very well for you because in addition to shaping your body, lifting weights strengthens your skeletal system and prevents sarcopenia, which is the deterioration of skeletal muscle as a result of ageing. Just as in adolescence, the body is changing, but mostly on the inside and there would be an increased hormonal sensitivity, especially regarding cortisol production, while oestrogen production decreases significantly.
In general, an exercise programme for postmenopausal women should include endurance (aerobic) exercises, strength exercises and balance exercises. Of these, cardiorespiratory, weight-bearing and resistance exercises are effective in increasing spinal bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.
A specific weight training plan such as the one mentioned in table 1 is effective three days a week (every other day). Efforts should be made to exercise all muscle groups in rotation, preferably with the supervision of a trainer. On the remaining days of the week, brisk walking at a speed of five to six kilometres per hour, cycling, or treadmill can be practised.
Recommendations:
- Remember to start with a warm-up to help reduce soreness from previous workouts. At the end of the workout, deep breathing exercises, yoga and stretching can help manage life stresses and menopause-related symptoms.
- If you have early osteoporosis, high-impact aerobic exercise and activities where a fall is likely, such as exercise on slippery floors or step aerobics, should not be included. Activities that require repeated or forced trunk flexion, such as squats or toe touches, should also be avoided because of the increased loads placed on the spine during such activities, which can lead to a spinal fracture.
- Certain medical conditions make exercise absolutely inadvisable. These conditions include:
- Recent electrocardiogram changes or recent myocardial infarction.
- Uncontrolled arrhythmia
- Unstable angina
- Third-degree heart block
- Acute progressive heart failure
- There are other conditions that would contraindicate exercise on a case-by-case basis and should not be performed unless medically approved. These conditions include,
- High blood pressure
- Cardiomyopathy
- Valvular heart disease
- Complex ventricular ectopy
- Uncontrolled metabolic disease.
Women can enjoy a good quality of life even after menopause and without the use of hormone therapy.
Research indicates that women who undertake an exercise programme benefit from maintaining a healthy body, bone density levels and good mental health. Osteoporosis, the major ailment of older women, can be kept under control with exercise. Even a moderate exercise programme can not only keep body weight stable, but also reduce the risk of stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which tend to appear in abundance during and after menopause.