While diet and weight training are an essential part of bodybuilding, hormones like estrogen and progesterone are often speculated to be somewhat of a hindrance to the bodybuilding efforts of women.
However, this cannot be farther from the truth, as estrogen and progesterone hormones can play a decisive role in your bodybuilding goals.
This post examines the impact of these two hormones in the four phases of a woman’s monthly cycle and how you can achieve an estrogen and progesterone hormone balance to optimize both your nutrition and training program.
But first, we start by briefly explaining what hormones are in general.
Understanding Hormones in the Human Body
The endocrine system is made up of glands that release hormones that travel through the circulatory system to targeted organs with the purpose of binding to cell receptors that enable vital organs to function effectively and efficiently.
There are different hormones that are released by the endocrine system, each hormone aims to influence different bodily functions including metabolism, growth, hunger, stress, fertility, sleep, and even mood.
But in the case of estrogen and progesterone hormones, they are primarily responsible for regulating the functions of women’s reproductive organs.
During a woman’s monthly cycle, these hormones play a crucial role in underlining how a woman responds to both diet and training.
The Impact of Estrogen and Progesterone during a Woman’s Monthly Cycle
Estrogen and progesterone may have both a positive and negative impact in relation to training and diet during the four stages of a woman’s monthly cycle.
Here’s a brief look at what to expect during the follicular, ovulation, luteal, and menstruation phases of a woman’s monthly cycle.
#1. Follicular Phase
The follicular phase is the first stage in a woman’s monthly cycle and during this phase, you can expect low estrogen levels early on which can lead to mood swings and fatigue.
However, by the second week of this phase, you should experience a rise in estrogen levels which will lead to improvements in your overall mood, libido, and energy level.
In addition to this, the rise in estrogen will help to curb hunger pangs which is great if you are on a cutting program.
The increase in estrogen during the second week of this phase will also help to reduce pain sensation while also stimulating your brain to make you more focused and confident during your resistance and/or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
#2. Ovulation Phase
The ovulation phase begins after the follicular stage and this is when your ovaries are active and release an egg waiting to be fertilized by the male sperm.
An egg remains active for a period of 24 hours after which it dies off if it is not fertilized by male sperm. Your menstrual cycle will end if fertilization occurs, but where fertilization does not take place, your menstrual cycle will continue to the next phase.
At the ovulation phase, your luteinizing hormone reaches its peak even as your estrogen levels remain high.
Just like the follicular phase, the ovulation phase is equally great for your weight training and dieting efforts.
#3. Luteal Phase
.By the third week of your monthly cycle, your progesterone hormone levels begin to increase and this will correspond with a rise in your appetite, as your cravings tend to go through the roof.
During this phase, you will experience physical tiredness and fatigue, as the lining of your uterus starts to thicken.
In a scenario where the released egg has been successfully fertilized by a male sperm, implantation and pregnancy occurs which further raises your progesterone levels.
Fatigue experienced during the luteal phase could be detrimental to your training efforts while a rise in your cravings could cause you to eat more and gain excess weight and fat.
#4. Menstruation Phase
In the event that implantation and pregnancy does not occur, both your estrogen and progesterone hormone levels will begin to drop.
As your estrogen levels declines, you could experience brain fog and a drop in your concentration levels.
However, with your progesterone hormone plummeting, you will witness a rise in your energy levels which is great during weight training, as you will not be prone to sudden tiredness and fatigue while you are running a strength training session.
The Bodybuilding Benefits of Estrogen and Progesterone Hormones
It is important to note that a balance in your estrogen and progesterone hormones will help you greatly in achieving your diet and resistance training goals.
Estrogen hormone offers several benefits as it relates to bodybuilding and some of these benefits are:
#1. Improved Mood
Estrogen can improve your overall mood to reduce your susceptibility to anxiety and depression which are two mental health challenges that can be detrimental to your diet and training regimen.
Anxiety could cause you to engage in binge eating which can then lead to excessive weight gain while depression can cause both physical and mental fatigue which could significantly hinder your training program.
#2. Increased Energy
Estrogen will boost your energy levels. Energy is needed if you want to have a successful training session. Without sufficient energy, you would be unable to lift simple weights, let alone heavy weights which is necessary for muscle growth.
#3. Improved Bone Structure
.Estrogen can promote bone formation to improve bone density while also stimulating the quick repair of bone fractures during rest, and recovery in your off-season.
#4. Increased Fat Deposits
Estrogen stimulates the rise in fat deposits as well as its storage with a preference for storing fat deposits in lower body parts like the thighs, hips, and buttocks.
Apart from accentuating your feminism, the stored fat deposits can provide a source of energy during lipolysis and HIIT.
In the case of progesterone hormone, you can expect the following bodybuilding benefits:
- Lower Insulin levels,
- thyroid function stability,
- improved sleep quality, and
- regulation of appetite.
It is therefore clear that estrogen and progesterone are two very important hormones if you want to maximize your diet and training efforts.
Symptoms of Estrogen and Progesterone Imbalance
It is only when there is an imbalance in your estrogen and progesterone hormones, that you could be at risk of endangering your bodybuilding program.
An imbalance in these hormones can cause a myriad of symptoms including; water retention, weight gain, bloating, low sex drive, irregular periods, fatigue, drowsiness, mood swings, anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, migraines and so on.
How to Promote Estrogen and Progesterone Balance
It is important to get to grips with your body and fully understand how you react to hormonal changes during your menstrual cycle.
Every case should be treated as unique, as women may exhibit similar reactions, but ultimately they are all different in their own ways.
As mentioned already, the follicular phase is ideal for women engaged in bodybuilding and running a diet and training program because during this phase, you will have high energy levels and therefore you can train harder and for much longer.
You also have a higher tolerance level to pain, which is good for lifting heavy and during your recovery period.
Nevertheless, you can try to maintain estrogen and progesterone hormonal balance by doing the following:
#1. Be Wary of Estrogen Stimulating Food Sources
Foods like soy products, flax seed, dark rye bread, and dried fruits are known to stimulate the release of endogenous estrogen hormone in the body.
You should therefore avoid consuming these foods unless you need to increase your estrogen levels to achieve balance.
#2. Consume Foods with High Zinc Content
Zinc is a mineral that is known to promote estrogen and progesterone balance in the body.
You should try consuming foods with high zinc content like dark chocolate, lean red meat, and oysters, if you want to balance up your body’s estrogen and progesterone hormones.
#3. Consume Food Rich in Iron
Iron is another mineral that you should consider consuming through food sources like lean meat, fish, and leafy green veggies. Iron will help promote estrogen and progesterone balance in your body.
#4. Rev up your Consumption of Vitamin B
Foods rich in Vitamin B like whole grains, bananas, and potatoes should be eaten in order to increase your vitamin B supply. Vitamin B is also essential for the breaking down of estrogen by the liver.
#5. Vitamin C should not be Ignored
Foods rich in Vitamin C, such as; tomatoes and citrus fruits should be consumed regularly, as vitamin C helps with the production of progesterone.
Conclusion
To ensure that your estrogen and progesterone hormone levels are balanced, you could also adopt a lifestyle of taking a break from a diet from time to time preferably after about 12 weeks into the diet.
This way you could avoid a shutdown of your monthly cycle while maintaining a balance in your estrogen and progesterone hormones.
If you want more information on how estrogen and progesterone hormones can influence your diet and training, you can reach out to an expert at Anabolic Coach for free consultation on the matter today.
Conclusion
To ensure that your estrogen and progesterone hormone levels are balanced, you could also adopt a lifestyle of taking a break from a diet from time to time preferably after about 12 weeks into the diet.
This way you could avoid a shutdown of your monthly cycle while maintaining a balance in your estrogen and progesterone hormones.
If you want more information on how estrogen and progesterone hormones can influence your diet and training, you can reach out to an expert at Anabolic Coach for free consultation on the matter today.
