Training During Pregnancy

Whether you are a new mum to be, wanting to have kids sometime in the future or a coach training women, there are a few considerations to take into account when training or coaching clients. The following information is only a small guide and there is alot more information out and you should always consult your GP, Women's Health Physio or Pre/Post Natal Specialist.

First things first:- 

Clinical Examinations by the Dr/Gyno/Mid Wife are always crucial. This is to ensure there are no medical reasons to avoid exercise and safe to start a program. Understand how far into the pregnancy you are/client is, as there is a higher risk early in for miscarriages.

Having open communication between the trainer/client around appointments/scans/tests and asking questions that may help while training around effort and certain movements.. 

Training Age and Training History.
Have they been strength training for the past 5 years or are they brand new into a gym or any type of exercise? 

Are there any Injuries?

General training pre-screen questions and also questions around injuries are to be asked.

If there are issues based on the clinical examination, new to a gym or exercise or any injuries, it would be beneficial to seek a Pre/Post Natal Specialist or Physio. 

General Guidelines for Recommendations for Exercising while Pregnant

See next slides for more detailed understanding where along in the pregnancy the client/woman is as to what considerations there are. 

• Minimum 3 sessions per week - taking into consideration contraindications and risk factors

• Monitor blood glucose level before and after - education for women of foods to fuel and replenish is important here.

There are alot of low impact types of exercise that can be done at most stages of a pregnancy. These include: Walking, swimming, cycling, low impact aerobics, strength training (STRONG MUMAS) Modified pilates and yoga. 

Certain activities such as contact sports, high fall risks, scuba or skydiving, high intensity exercises that raise the heart rate, and excessive heat are all considered unsafe during the first trimester.

Warning signs to stop exercise during any stage of pregnancy:
If there are any of the following signs while exercising, stop and seek assistance from a Dr/Hospital. 

• Vaginal bleeding

• Chest pain

• Dizziness

• Headaches

• Calf pain or swelling

• Amniotic fluid leakage

• Muscle weakness affecting balance

• Regular painful contractions pre labour

Training Considerations for Pregnancy - based on No Complications during pregnancy. 

First Trimester - 0-12 weeks

More prone to:

• morning sickness

• tiredness

• Misscarriage is higher risk

Considerations for training:

•  Be more conservative, so lower intensity, based off how they are feeling, morning sickness, food intake and sleep. 

• Consider the pelvic floor

Second Trimester - 12-26 weeks

Less prone to 

• Morning sickness (can still have this though)

• Miscarriage

Considerations for training:

• Depending on training age, continue with all movements but start to make adjustments to fit a growing belly/centre of mass

• Moderate Intensity - RPE7/3RIR 

• No longer Bracing, breathing throughout the movements. 

• Lighter loads than what they were doing pre pregnancy

• Lower intensity but more volume

• Training time to 45mins daily

• Include proper rest periods

• Consider the pelvic floor

• Keep an eye on the heart rate response and blood pressure

Some Adjustments for exercises - 

• Squat - Back squat, lighter, no brace / Front squat / Box Squat

• Bench Press - Feet Up Bench Press/Incline Bench Press

• Deadlift - Trap Bar Deadlift / Sumo Stance / DB or BB RDL

• Leg Press - wide stance 

• Bent over row -DBs over BB

• Seated over standing movements 

• No chest supported exercises, not alot of core exercises - Planks are fine

Third Trimester - 26-40 weeks

Considerations for training:

• Moderate Intensity - RPE7/3RIR

• Similar to 2nd trimester

• Make adjustments on exercises to fit a growing belly/centre of mass

• Consider the pelvic floor still

• Make adjustments on training for how the client is feeling

• Limit supine lying positions

Bladder Leakage when Lifting

So the question was asked last week about bladder control issues in deadlifting. This is something that might not be openly discussed, it could be feared and feel embarrassed if it was to happen. But here we are, lets discuss it.

**for the nazis that will pipe in: NoT aLl WoMeN. No, not every woman will have this issue, If you do you can reach out to a Women's Health Physio**

If you're curious of what it is, read on.

Stress Urinary Incontinence is known as bladder leakage and it can be fairly common but not normal, among women especially if they’ve had children and returning to lifting.

It happens, to the best of us.
My experience - peak hour in the gym, bright red tights, deadlifting 140kg for the first time.
I felt it happen, in my own head I was embarrassed and tried to pass it off as sweat.
Packed my things up and called it a day.
IT HAPPENS.

There are a few things you can do to help improve and manage this.
Don't fear it, don't slide it under the rug and dont turn and run from lifting, get the issue addressed and don't just bandaid it.

How’s it caused?
When there is a greater amount of applied force (Intra Abdominal Pressure) than the tissue tolerance (Uretheral Closing Pressure). As the pressure is put on the bladder there can be a weakness in the pelvic floor structures that support the sphincter, urethra and bladder.

For example: When deadlifting with a belt on, bracing into the belt, breathing into the diaphragm, the diaphragm compresses, the pressure from that breath and brace with the belt pushes the pressure down onto the bladder and pushes the pelvic floor which can then cause bladder leakage.

Learnt this little tip from the @awpt_university course is to start with some Pelvic Floor Contractions:
Relax - Contract - Cough/Lift/Jump/Laugh/Sneeze/Squat - Relax

Training Considerations:
-Try training at a lower load and beltless
-Incorporate some pelvic floor exercises
-Emergency Pee before each lift
-Pack panty liners in your gym bag
-Reduced Fluid intake

The Pelvic Floor

Now this isn't just a topic for the females, but also the men. Yes, men also have a Pelvic Floor, just slightly different to a female. 

First up, lets understand what the Pelvic Floor is then let us understand how it comes into play when training. 

What is it?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles - think of it as a “sling or a hammock” - that is holding up all of our pelvic organs and it goes from the front of the pubic bone and to the coccyx. The muscles work with the abdominals and also deep back muscles and diaphragm to help stabilize the spine. 

When the pelvic floor muscles weaken, it can create issues with bladder and bowel control and a possibility of a prolapse (if severe).

Basic anatomy:

Levator Ani - there are 3 muscles that sit either side and attach to the pelvis, which supports and raises the pelvic visceral structures. 

Perineal Body - is the tendon where the PF muscles and connective tissue attach onto.

UrogenitalTriangle -  is responsible for the bladder and anterior reproductive organs

Anal Triangle - the posterior half 

The main driver for this post is:
How do we utilize the Pelvic floor when lifting?

When lifting weights, there is a greater amount of force from Intra Abdominal pressure. With the increased downward pressure, the bladder is then forced down onto the muscles of the PF. Some exercises do tend to put a more increased pressure and can weaken the connective tissue and muscles than most. Sometimes the muscles cannot contract quick enough and the timing of muscle activation is off. 

When using a lifting belt the contracted pelvic floor can be overpowered by the amount of downward pressure. As the diaphragm compresses, then with the breath and then the abdominal brace forcing more pressure downward, the IAP into the belt also pushes down further. It is more common with women when lifting with a belt where bladder leakage occurs. (revert back to Bladder Leakage when Lifting)

How to help strengthen the Pelvic Floor?

• basic breathing drills to activate the Transverse Abdominis but also utilize the pelvic floor lift. 

• Go Beltless - train without a belt

• Pelvic Floor Contractions 

• Kegels

• See a Womens Health or Pelvic Health Physio

How do the pelvic floor muscles become weakened?

• Becoming pregnant

• Child birth - tearing

• Excessively overweight

• Heavy lifting (dont be scared off by this theres ways to train and incorporate the PF, if you are concerned speak with a Womens health physio)

• High impact exercises

• Long term cough - asthma/bronchitis/smoking

• Age

• Lifting Belts (again not a bad thing to use, but if the PF is weak the IAP goes downward)

Why should we train the pelvic floor muscles?
Honestly, just to incorporate some exercises or breathing drills to strengthen the muscles, it can help in training and with everyday life.

• Help Reduced risk of prolapse

• Help Recovery for childbirth

• Help Recovery for prostate surgery

• Improving bladder and bowel control - especially when lifting

• Help Improve Quality of life

Birth Control

Over half of you reading this is Female so I know you can relate. 

Ive previously mentioned that I didnt know SHIT about the menstrual cycle, well along with that i knew sweet fuck all about Birth control. 

Back in the day the Dr gave me a script for ‘The Pill’ without much of an explanation as to why. All they mentioned was it can prevent an unwanted pregnancy. 

No other reasons why I had to take this little pill everyday. 

No side effects, no implications to my health and well being. Just take it and she’ll be right. 

In the following information I'll refer to Birth Control as BC, saves me typing it trillions of times. 

So what is BC?

It is any type of method below that is used to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. 

By preventing the follicle from developing and ovulation occurring.

It can also be used to help track a menstrual cycle and alleviate some of the symptoms that come along with it (PMS/PMDD). 

Along with peak fertility for a womans cycle, it can be used with another type of barrier for protection when unprotected sex happens. 

BC can be useful to help treat some medical conditions to control levels of hormones to help treat these conditions, such as PCOS, Endometriosis, endometrial and ovarian cancers, Menstrual Cycle Dysfunctions, insulin resistance and elevated test levels.

Why do we use BC?
Note: Different personal situations will be the reason a woman will start BC

It can be used to:

• help keep control of differing levels of hormones

• aid in relieving PMS/PMDD Symptoms that can often be severe

• manipulate the cycle for sports competitions/holidays/convenience

• Reduction of pain or heavy bleeding

• Maintain a regular period

• Reduction of Acne

Some side effects when using BC?
Note: Not every single person will experience these but it can happen. 

• Spotting/bleeding between periods

• Headaches/migraines

• Weight Gain

• Weight Loss

• Lean muscle mass loss 

• Change of moods

• Decreased sex drive

• Depression

• Nausea

• Bloating
  

If you are concerned about anything listed above, take this with a grain of salt, this is research i've found and read as well as some personal experiences, speak to a women's health care professional. 

Types of oral BC:

Most oral BC will contain synthetic forms of progesterone and estrogen hormones where some can be a combination of both hormones or solely a progestin only. This tells the brain all hormones are normal, there is then a reduction in the release of Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone which in turn can prevent pregnancy. 
‘The Pill’ is usually to be taken everyday at the same time, not to be forgotten about. 

Other types of BC:

• IUD - Localised to the uterus, releases 2nd gen progestin for 5 years with continuous BC. Can continue to have a cycle each month, but symptoms of PMS, heavy bleeding and pain does reduce. 

• Implanon - releases 3rd gen progestin for 3 years with continuous BC.  a small plastic rod inserted into the arm/under the bicep. 

• Injection - Depo shot - Progestin only which is long lasting. To be had every 3 months for continuous BC. 

• Patch - releases synthetic estrogen and 3rd gen progestin into the body via the skin. 

• Vaginal Ring - flexible ring inserted into the vagina, releases and absorbs synthetic estrogen and 3rd gen progestin into the vaginal lining. Needs to be replaced every 21days. 
  

Forms of BC:
These are the patterns of hormone release using BC. The most commonly used will be Monophasic and Triphasic forms.
Monophasic - maintains a continuous level of hormones across the cycle

Diphasic - BC raises the level of progestin for the last 11 days of the cycle, not commonly used. 

Triphasic - a complex pattern where the ethinyl estradiol (synthetic Estrogen) are raised in the middle of the 21 day cycle before reduced again, progestin levels are increased twice over the 21days. This attempts to mimic normal hormone changes if you were off BC.

Quadriphasic - alters progestin levels 3 times over the 21day cycle, not commonly used. 

Menopause

In a conversation with a close friend they explained this to me as the “old lady hormones”.

For the likes of myself who had grown up not knowing what hormones were, I sure as hell didnt know what Menopause was or what happens or what to expect the female body to go through later on in life.

As a coach, ive started to gain more clients over the age bracket of 40+, so there's a few things personally I need to keep in mind for them, also to understand what my own mum is going through and what to expect in the years to come for myself. 

Females bodies are amazing, but what we go through astounds me. 

SO, what is Menopause? 

Menopause occurs when there is a drop in estrogen and progesterone causing the permanent cease of a reproductive menstrual cycle. 

Perimenopause is the time period normally between 45-51 years old where the last menstrual cycle will occur leading up to menopause.

The reproductive system starts running out of eggs to fertilize and signals for the reproductive system to shut down.

Estrogen levels will rise to a peak then fall to very low levels post menopause as well as Progesterone. 

How does Menopause affect training?

Some of the best advice given for women during their perimenopausal, pre menopausal and menopausal phases is to continue or start resistance training.

Strength training isnt just about gaining bulk amounts of muscle.

It can help with improved sleep, posture, reduce the risk of falls and injuries, balance, gaining bone density, weight loss maintenance, muscle mass maintenance. 

With the drop of hormones, estrogen levels at a minimum, this can be a higher risk for these women to develop rapid bone loss and can develop osteoporosis. As this is higher risk, most women will opt for the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy. 

Understand if the client/friend/family member is going through HRT(Hormone Replacement Therapy) post menopause, as their physiology will be different to those who arent. 

HRT is a synthetic form of the hormone estrogen and progestin, this is to reduce or eliminate the affects from menopause (as above). This is best paired with exercise to be most beneficial to increase the effectiveness of both. 

Some common symptoms when entering those perimenopausal years can be:

• Metabolic decline

• Insulin resistant

• Higher testosterone levels (more visible male sex characteristics)

• Infrequent or very last of the menstrual cycle

• Muscle loss (ill touch on this soon)

• Body fat patterning

• Decline of sexual interest

• Decline of bone density

• Estrogen slowly declining

• Progesterone declining

• Shut down of the reproductive system 

• Vaginal dryness

• Cloudy thinking

• Chills

• Weight gain

• Anxiety

• Depression 

When entering Menopause the above symptoms become more pronounced.

Progesterone

Moving on from the Estrogen post... 

As ive mentioned, Hormones are interesting as fuck! 

So the next one to tick off the list is……. Progesterone.

Well, what the hell is Progesterone?

It is another major reproductive hormone that is released from the corpus luteum after the release of the egg. It plays a role in the reproductive system and its health especially in the cycle and pregnancy.

In preparation for a pregnancy, progesterone antagonizes/reverses the effects of estrogen and  will increase those blocks and will cause the female body to store more fat in the fat cells and will burn more muscle. 

The effects in training that progesterone produces, it tends to decrease tendon strength (re read the post about the cycle and find out when and use the training considerations listed) and the ability to build muscle. 

Did you know (because I surely didn't)… 

Due to an increase in progesterone during the cycle, the Basal Body Temperature rises, this is when you can determine when ovulation has occurred. 

There's some changes in vaginal mucus (from estrogen) and can help determine Peak Fertility Times. 

Also during Shark Week as the progesterone levels drop, it's partially responsible for symptoms like sore boobs, mood swings, and water retention. 

  
UM SORRY WOT! 

MIND BLOWN 🤯

There's a huge rabbit hole you can go down for the effects it has on the body when it comes to dieting and fat loss, but that's a whole other story. 

Look up Lyle McDonald's - Womens Series Vol 1 for more info. 

Its function in the Menstrual Cycle is to promote gestation. To help fertilization and the implantation of the egg for pregnancy. 

Its to prepare the endometrium lining for potential pregnancy, the uterus lining will thicken to get ready for the fertilized egg to implant to. 

If the egg is fertilized:

• The corpus luteum continues to produce progesterone in the placenta

• Levels of progesterone remain elevated throughout pregnancy

• Encouragement of milk producing glands in the breasts

If an egg is not fertilized: 

• Estrogen and Progesterone levels drop

• The Endometrium breaks down

• Menstruation happens

Estrogen

For the longest time, I had no idea what on earth hormones were.
Was it just a female thing?
Are they little demons in the body that wreak havoc and are involved with the cycle?

NOT 👏 A 👏 FUCKING 👏 CLUE

What I HAVE learnt is that hormones are quite interesting to understand what they are and their roles in the body.

Men and Women will have different levels of Estrogen, Progesterone & Androgens.
Women will have 9x more Estrogen than men.
Men will have 15x more Testosterone than women.

Shall we start with Estrogen?
It is a female sex hormone and its primary function of the female body is to develop the secondary sex characteristics, starting at puberty.

These include the growth of breasts, the uterus, endometrium and also to regulate the menstrual cycle. It has other roles in the body such as bone health and cognitive function.

Its function in the menstrual cycle is to grow and mature the oocyte.
The oocyte is an immature egg, it matures in a follicle, which is then found in the outside layer of the ovary.

It has anti catabolic effects which helps decrease our muscle loss.

Estrogen levels are most dominant in the Follicular phase and there are a number of things that can cause the levels to drop or rise. Menopause being the main contributor to the dramatic drops.

There are also 3 types:
Estradiol - the main type in women during reproductive years
Estroil - this main type during pregnancy
Estrone - the only type left in the body after menopause.

Lets talk about Body Dysmorphia.

I have a hell of a lot of body confidence 95% of the time. 

That other 5% my mind fucks me hard.

Unfortunately that 5% is a result from when I was severely overweight, developing body dysmorphia. 

How I can easily explain it, is that if im not directly looking into a mirror or reflection, my mind perceives my body that its still the 120kg girl I once was. 

The last major trigger was the 5kg weight gain and comp photos. Healthy weight gain mind you.

Like a light switch, my brain immediately saw the flaws, the imperfections, the weight I had gained and how my belt sat. 

I had picked myself apart in the matter of 10 seconds. 

I had dove straight back to negative self sabotaging behaviours like Ive done in the past. 

It hit me in the feels SO HARD, I bawled my eyes out for ages. 

The negativity that I let consume my mind overtook the positives and the outcome of the day. 

• Deadlifted 150kgs

• Achieved new PBs

• Performance was on point

• Amazing mental clarity

• Ability to switch on and off to perform

I’m no longer allowing certain things to trigger it, learning to control my thoughts and focusing on the positives. 

What is it?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is classed as a mental illness that can usually be misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed. 

It's the constant worrying or perceived perception about how one looks or defects of the body. 

A person with BDD tends to compare their appearance to others or constantly check their reflection on all surfaces. To obsess or imagine flaws.  

The preoccupation of how one thinks of themself can be extreme and can cause severe emotional distress, depression, anxiety and also suicidal tendencies. 

What Causes it? 

It is likely a combination of environmental, biological and neurological factors. 

It can stem from negative childhood situations such as bullying/teasing, low self esteem, anxiety or depression and social pressures. 

Recognising some signs of BDD:

• Negative thoughts about body image

• Comparison

• Asking for reassurance about looks and not believing the answer received

• Avoiding any reflections or Covering up mirrors

• Constantly looking at their reflection

• Over exercising or under eating - this can then potentially turn into eating disorders

• The want/need for cosmetic/plastic surgery to treat the issue

• Depression, anxiety and also can include suicidal thoughts. 

• Low self esteem 

• Compulsive behaviours

• Attempting to hide the “flaws” 

• Avoiding social situations

Where you can get help:

Recognising some of the signs above can in turn help a friend or family member, someone close to you or even yourself. 

Reach out to the below for help. 

• GP

• Psychiatrist

• Psychologist

• LifeLine

• Beyond BLue

Why we need to eat to perform

Well i'm no expert, but over the past few years i've invested time and money into learning the role of nutrition when it comes to training and competing, especially in Powerlifting. Knowing how much food needs to be consumed each day and the fitting amount for an individual prior to a training session. Because our main goal is to increase muscle mass, increased strength and be fueled before lifting heavy weights. 

Surely eating dirty to get bigger and make gains will suffice? Mostly Wrong, ensuring you hit all targets for both micro and macronutrients can be a big contributor to performance. But if there comes a point of under eating and not able to fulfil the remaining calories for your day, then you may want to fill those calories with more satiating foods.  

While we are participating in exercise or strength sports, some may under look the importance of nutrition and the need for adequate amounts of food to perform and for the body's ability to recover at a much quicker pace. We need to fuel our bodies before each session to be at our best.  As an athlete, you could honestly have the best training program in the world, but if your nutrition isn't matching then you are doing yourself a disservice. 

Most novice lifters may not have the basic understanding of nutrition or knowing how to educate oneself on where to start. My advice first up is to get in contact with a sports dietitian to assist and help educate. If that's not possible, use the internet and do some research on sports nutrition, how to calculate your daily caloric intake and how to track food. The amounts of food will vary depending per person and different lifestyle factors. 

Some advice - Start with the basics:

• eat well balanced meals full of whole foods with a decent serving of protein, a serving of good carbohydrates and fats. 

• Drink plenty of water 

• Incorporate 3-5 serves of vegetables daily

• Incorporate 2-3 serves of fruit daily

• Incorporate wholegrains and omega 3 fats into your diet

• Limit but dont restrict processed foods

• Dont be afraid of carbohydrates and make sure you have enough before training.

How do you know if you need to be in a surplus or deficit?

Coming into a competition, there is no harm for someone to be in a slight caloric surplus. The athlete (unless cutting weight to get to a weight class) would benefit from this to optimise performance in the last few blocks of training. Being in a surplus can also help with fatigue management (if all other stressors are managed), stress, mood swings and irritability and also recovery. 

Athletes needing to cut weight for competition will need to be in a deficit but can maintain strength with a higher protein target. Performance may be affected - depending on the individual.

Surplus - onwards from a >5% increase of total calories on top of maintenance calories. To gain muscle we must be in a surplus. This may also result in some fat gain if the surplus is large. 

Deficit - onwards from a >5% decrease of total calories from maintenance calories. To drop body fat and weight we must be in a caloric deficit. Working with a dietitian or sports nutritionist will be best to get the best results. 

So, What should you eat and when before a training session?

Getting in a meal of simple carbohydrates and a serving of protein roughly 60-90mins before any session is best to have a positive effect on performance. This allows the body to digest the food and not have too much of a discomfort while training. 

If you aren't able to get a meal in 1-1.5hrs before hand, try to have a meal with complex carbs 2-3 hours prior then some easy digestible snacks like bananas, jam sandwiches, muesli bars, lollies, gatorade etc 45-60mins. ( I am all about the snack life)

What about Post training?  

A decent serving of protein should be consumed in a rough 2hr window post training, as well as a serve of complex carbohydrates to follow. 

Other things not to be overlooked that go hand in hand with nutrition include:

Sleep - BIIIG factor to make a priority in your life. 

Sleep plays a vital role in our health, if you are not getting enough sleep it can affect us in many ways. It can take away our recovery time, play a part in injury risk management, strength decrease and performance, motivation and also energy levels. The ideal number of hours of sleep for the average adult is 7-9 a night. 

Hydration - Hydration is also very important, its ideal to get in an adequate amount of water throughout the day. Try to have some upon waking up, then with each meal and also pre workout to make sure the muscles are also hydrated. Dehydration has alot of negative impacts on the body. 

Supplementation - 

Creatine  - There are many benefits to consuming creatine in regards to muscle growth. It can help increase intra muscular water content and improve athletic performance. 

Caffeine - A stimulant to help increase performance, to help create the hyped and alert  feeling and sensation. 

How do you track your progress?

One of the easiest ways for someone to clearly see progression is to track it.

Whether that be visually (images or colours on a board/pretty graphs) or data in a spreadsheet.

These are two of many ways to keep accountable and see what's possibly lacking in terms of how you are going to reach your goals.

Depending what the goal actually is - is it Strength? Fat Loss? Health Reasons? simply having data recorded, equations in place and pretty diagrams to show the progressions towards that goal.

When data is recorded you can pick up on trends that you make either week to week or month to month.

Some trends i've found since starting to track my own data is when my PMS week comes along:
- Appetite is HIGH - GIVE ME THE SNACKS AND NO ONE GETS HURT
- Training performance feels semi trash. A deload is welcomed here 👌🏻🙌🏻
- Energy levels drop
- Measurements are higher
- Clothes are tighter
- More emotional - will cry at nothing, again, cheers hormones.

A few things to factor in when tracking progress -
- Time of day - morning on an empty stomach and after a trip to the bathroom
- Time of the month - compare month to month, understand when your cycle is, where you are with hormones.
- Bowel Movements - regular? Not regular?
- Water retention - due to hormones and carbs
- Sleep - Huge factor when adhering

A few things to Track:

Scale Weight - weight will always fluctuate and will vary depending on goals, training phases and cycle.

Photos - front, back and side for visual comparison.

Measurements - chest, waist, hips, butt, thigh, arm, calf.

Skin Folds - if capable of getting this done.

Clothes - how do they fit compared to last week or month?

Tracking Sets, Reps & Weight on a program.

Training Hours & Performance Levels

Daily Activity - what's your steps like, are you sedentary or really active?

Stress - what's your stress level like? What's causing stress? Keep note of that.

Appetite - High, Medium or low, want to eat everything in the house or not too hungry but eat all your meals/macros.

Water - getting enough water?

Sleep - getting enough sleep? Is it broken or quality? Sleep is important!

Energy Levels - what is your energy like and when does it start to drop off during the day?

Sex Drive - extreme dieting can cause sex drive to be low, increase of cals can definitely increase the sex drive.

Why Women Should LIFT.

In my opinion (not that anyone asked) is that ALL women, no matter the age, shape or size, should embrace the iron, and lift weights or partake in a type of strength training.

Not to say that any other training isn't needed, its just that strength training would be one of the most beneficial activities for both mental and physical health and has a long list of overall health benefits as well.

Something I wish I knew when I had first started my journey all those years ago was to get straight into Strength Training.
Not just the cardio BS I did.
Don't get me wrong, Cardio has its time and place, but not JUST that.

I hear these two statements weekly:
“I don't want to lift weights as it will make me BuLkY”
“I just want to tONe”
First off, you cannot get bulky too quickly, it takes years to gain a decent amount of muscle mass and you can't tone a muscle.

Our bodies are functional, it needs stimulation, so getting into strength training sessions each week as well as nutrition and daily movement, will allow you to change your body composition (drop/gain body fat, gain lean muscle mass) increase improvements with overall health and make you feel FUCKING GREAT.

My most favorite thing about the women I train is getting them to push past their capabilities, get them to understand how strong, powerful and confident they really are.

If you don't know where to start:
- Hire a coach that knows what they are doing (hint hint)
- Start face to face sessions with them
- Get a program to follow
- Understand nutrition and how to fuel your body
- Be on top of your recovery as well as sleep, hydration, stress, activity.

Health Benefits for Strength Training:

• Improved Body Composition

• Improved Mood

• Increased Energy

• Stress Relief

• Mental Stimulation

• Reduce risk of Injury (if training correctly)

• Increase Muscle Mass

• Improvement on Sleep

• Heart Health

• Quality of Life

• Improved Confidence

• GET STRONG AS FUCK

Understanding the Menstrual Cycle and its Phases (Copy)

Having the knowledge and understanding of your own or your clients Menstrual Cycle will play an important role when it comes to planning training programs, deloads, PBs and also nutritional considerations. 

Each woman is different and should always be treated as an individual, they each will experience symptoms or their cycles very differently.  Normally most cycles are on average around 28 days, sometimes they can last between 21-35 days

When training women take into consideration and ask the questions 

(males, be as open and empathetic as you can be):

• What are the Clients goals?

• Do they HAVE a menstrual cycle? (ill touch on this in another post)

• Is their cycle regular? 

• Where they are at in their cycle?

• Do they experience any PMS symptoms the week before their period? . 

• Do they track their cycle?

Based on the discussion, you will be able to pre plan training programs to suit, and allow the client to execute. 

A healthy menstrual cycle is going to be key for a healthy environment for the female body. Now hear me out, this isn't just about having a healthy cycle to produce a baby, its also telling us a lot, among other things, about other processes of the female body too. Normally most cycles are on average around 28 days, sometimes they can last between 21-35 days.

Below is a very brief description of the function of the menstrual cycle and some considerations for training and nutrition around each phase. In the following posts to come, I will dive deeper into each of the phases, some irregularities and dysfunctions surrounding what a woman may go through. 

Menstruation (Bleed)

1-7 Days

Hormones are low

PMS Symptoms start to diminish

Training Considerations 

• Energy levels start to rise

• Favourable time to intensity for training

• Best time to hit heavy numbers or heavy week of training or PBs

Follicular - Menstruation is at the start of this phase

7-10 Days

FHS & Estrogen hormones are most dominant

Training Considerations

• More risk for injury 

• Muscle growth increased

• Energy levels are high

Nutritional Considerations

• Easier to diet/stick to macros during this phase

• Best for increase of carb ratios 

Ovulation - Releasing of the egg 

3-5 Days

FHS, Estrogen & LH peak.

• Peak Energy Levels

• High Sex drive

• Very Fertile

Training Considerations

• Higher risk for injury

Luteal - includes PMS

10-14 Days

Progesterone Rises. Progesterone will block the effect of estrogen in this phase.

Training Considerations

• Decrease training intensity, volume and more rest periods

• Best plan for a deload week

• More tired and sluggish feeling

• PMS Symptoms high 

Nutritional Considerations 

• Increased cravings due to PMS symptoms

• Slightly increase of calories ~100/day with a higher fat ratio to carbs

• Choose to eat at maintenance calories to help prevent binges

So now you have a brief rundown of each of the phases as well as some training and nutrition considerations, but to get more of an understanding I've provided some detail into each phase and what happens in the female body. 

Menstruation (Bleed)

The Menstrual flow in the female body is where the built up thickened lining of the uterus breaks down and is discarded with blood, endometrial cells and tissue/mucus out of the vagina. If an egg is fertilized from sperm cells then the egg is housed in the uterus attaching to the thickened lining. If an egg is not fertilized then this is where it is discarded. 

The menstrual flow can last between 3-7 days on average. Hormones are generally low in this time, energy levels start to rise as PMS symptoms start to disappear. 

Follicular - Menstruation is at the start of this phase

During the follicular phase which can last between 7-10 days, the pituitary glad releases FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which is most dominant in this phase. Throughout the follicular phase the FHS produce tiny sacs that contain eggs in each ovary, one of these follicles will be the dominant. Estrogen rises and the lining of the uterus is thickened to prepare for an egg to be released for ovulation. 

Ovulation - Releasing of the egg 

Ovulation is where an egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube so that it can be fertilized by sperm to make a baby, if it's not met by sperm the egg then dies after 24hrs. The dominant follicle that was formed in the follicular phase grows larger as estrogen rises to its peak. LH - Luteinising hormone and LSH is at its peak as well as our energy levels and a very high sex drive. Women are highly fertile in the 3 days before ovulation.

Luteal - includes PMS

After ovulation has occurred, the dominant follicle changes to corpus luteum and produces progesterone and estrogen. Progesterone levels peak during this phase. The rising in progesterone and estrogen keeps the uterine lining thick and ready to house a fertilized egg. If no fertilization occurs then the corpus luteum will break down, hormone levels decrease then menstruation happen which can cause onset of PMS. 

PMS - What is it and how does it affect women. 

PMS Stands for Premenstrual Syndrome. During the luteal phase is where 30-40% of women will experience PMS symptoms. There are also huge differences in how much of an effect PMS has on any given woman.

The physical and emotional symptoms in the leadup to the menstruation (bleed) can range from mild to severe. 

Severe cases are called PMDD (Pre Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder). This disorder is seen to only occur in 5-10% of women. In this disorder some of the symptoms that arise are depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

With PMDD, serotonin and dopamine levels can be affected and is where some antidepressants may help.

Some PMS symptoms can include : 

• Low back pain

• Bloating

• Fatigue

• Food cravings

• Hormonal acne

• Cramps

• Sore or swollen boobs

• Headaches

• Joint aches

• Mood swings

• Irritability

• Anxiety

• Highly Emotional

• Sluggish/Tired

• Serotonin and dopamine levels affected

Its unclear the cause of PMS but most symptoms can be managed. 

Ways to help manage PMS Symptoms:

• Regular exercise is great to help reduce some PMS symptoms, unless the PMS is too severe and stops you from completing exercise. 

• Diet considerations can be made, this could be where you eat at maintenance calories and change the carbohydrate to fat ratio so fat is higher. 

• Make sure you get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can affect serotonin and dopamine levels.  

• There has been studies showing essential fatty acid (omega 3 & omega 6) and magnesium can help. 

• Ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin  

• Heat - hot water bottle or heat pack

• Manage stress

Do Goals Matter?

Of course Goals Matter… Goals are set in place in our personal or professional lives to allow us to create a life thats full of change, accomplishments, learnings and growth.

Goal Setting is quite a powerful tool to help us create our future to how we wish it to be and have certain events or items that we've worked hard towards.

The process is a challenging component and pushes past the boundaries of growth, creating a more satisfying life.

Do you set goals or just wing it and hope for the best? 

Some may say that goal setting is not an easy task. There is the hard task of asking yourself and questioning your thoughts and beliefs, also understanding your hopes and dreams can be more than just that. 

Setting up ambitious goals for your personal or professional life will always have its challenges especially if you have an unrealistic way of setting them up. If you are the type of person to set goals and not stick to them (guilty), it may be time to reflect your current way of thinking, planning and execution. 

Everyone will have their own take on how they set their goals up. 

Some of the below tips may help me to plan my own process,  but there might be things you do differently. As you have a read through, keep a note against what you think you will be able to implement in your own goal set up. 

• Sit down with pen and paper, IPad or a white board ready to go. 

• Write them down - Question yourself -  do they motivate and inspire you? Do you believe in them? Do you value them? 

• What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats surrounding achieving that goal? 

• Can you BREAK IT DOWN to smaller goals or more manageable tasks

• Can it be created into a visual to support the written 

• Create a Deadline - creating a plan for what you need to do and when to achieve them by

• Be Accountable to someone other than yourself.
  - Tell a friend/partner/family member/coach

• Do you have the right support system surrounding you to achieve them? 

• Can the goal/s be measured?

• Commit and Prioritize them - create daily habits or to do lists that include the goals or part of your plan into each day. 

• Frequently Reflect and Re evaluate 

The secret trick is to not overwhelm yourself too much at once. Break it down into smaller more manageable tasks to help tick them off your list. 

We all know life can get hectic and you may tend to lose the motivation or the discipline and allow your goals to start to slip to the side. But making sure that you do set yourself up for success, take a bit of time to incorporate a realistic approach to plan, manage, execute and evaluate your list of goals.

For more information, guidance or resources on how to get on top of your stress email myself ladylucklifting@gmail.com or brooke@epiconline.com.au

Okay, time to switch on!

How to set Mental Triggers

Powerlifting, it’s usually not synonymous with words like pretty or seen as a glamorous sport (gym face anyone?). You might agree that it's pretty simple to execute though.
Step 1: Push your body towards attaining bouts of strength through training each week

Step 2: Perform on a platform.  

Sounds simple right?  

Talk to any powerlifter though, and most will say that pushing your body to the limit is extremely taxing, both physically and mentally. When starting out, going to a gym, performing in front of a crowd, competing with others and yourself; it can all become overwhelming.  Pushing through those mental barriers are just as important as pushing through physical barriers in the sport. If this sounds like you, this might be the perfect time to set and implement some mental triggers during training. 

Mental triggers are those actions employed by athletes when it’s time to focus, switch on and channel emotion into performing at their best. They can be used during training, a prep or on a competition day, to block out the noise and focus solely on the task at hand: performing on the platform.  

When performing on a platform, in front of a crowd, you can become overwhelmed with anxiety, feel like you will ‘shit the bed’ or overwhelmed with adrenaline. That feedback channel, that inner dialogue, that possible self doubt you have in your mind, has an ability to determine how you come out of a lift: acing it or flunking.  Nerves and stress come into play here as well as your mental triggers.  By setting your own mental triggers, calming your nerves in a way that suits you, and dealing with the daily stressors leading up to a comp or PR day, will help the outcome of performance. A few steps I’ve researched or cues others have given me, to set some specific triggers to quieten myself before a lift, include:  

-        Relax somewhere quiet and comfortable

-        Visualize your goal

-        Think about an angry, upsetting, painful or a powerful time of your life

-        Focus on those memories/experiences and feelings surrounding them

-        Use code words, or music/a song or visuals to help anchor those feelings/experiences/memories

-        Channel those feelings and carry them over into executing the lift with intent

For me, mental cues form part of my ‘pre-lift ritual’, and it allows me to channel mental triggers rather than let them dictate my performance.

You can also focus on incorporating breathing techniques to help with the Fight-or-Flight responses from the brain which prepares the body for action or survival. Short sharp breaths to heighten the fight or flight responses and Longer deep breaths to calm the body and nervous system down. 

If you are coming into a lift and only thinking about every piece of  advice you've ever been given, you are overthinking it all; that’s a lot to run through in your mind and would be distracting you from executing the lift. You know what you need to do well before hitting the platform, this is what training is for. Knowing the internal chatter can be silenced by setting a mental process with small flags or markers that help you to remember what you need to do. Do this, your pre-lift ritual, before you wrap your wrists or before having your knees wrapped. Once you get to that chalk bowl, it is all about the execution. Channel the emotions with your mental triggers, let your mind go calm and blank. Then, you can execute with intent.

YOU Vs BAR

For more information, guidance or resources on how to get on top of your stress email myself ladylucklifting@gmail.com or brooke@epiconline.com.au

Stressed Much?

Are you doing more harm than good training during bouts of high Stress?

“I’m just so stressed” is a weekly, if not daily, statement I hear all too often from people/clients about how they are feeling. As a coach it forces my hand to then adjust sessions and moderate volume to not compound the stress of daily life. As you read this many of you maybe be then thinking, wait? Training is my stress outlet. And yes, it most certainly can be.

Training and daily exercise are used by many people as an outlet for stress, anxiety and depression. It allows a boost of endorphins, improves sleep quality and improves habitual day to day tasks. But what happens if you are training on top of managing high stress loads? Firstly, let’s take a look at what stress is.

What is Stress?
There are two types of stress – Acute Stress & Chronic Stress.
Acute Stress is a short term type of stress. It’s a way of managing the fight or flight stress responses the body uses as a survival mechanism. For example – trying something new and exciting, deadlines for work, adrenaline based activities, lifting a heavy weight for the first time.
Chronic Stress is more of a long term or longer period type of stress. Usually, this type can go on for weeks or months if it’s not managed well or at all. Chronic Stress can affect the ability to regulate cortisol levels. That then affects sleep, blood pressure, fatigue levels, metabolism, sex drive.
Some examples are – Relationship issues, health issues, financial issues, troubles at work or home.
Each day our cortisol levels will spike or dip depending on our daily stressors and certain situations or factors. The elevation of cortisol levels can impact strength and strength based training. As day to day stress is a part of our lives, it can be disadvantageous. Here’s why.

How does Chronic Stress impact Strength Training?
Day to day stress or chronic levels of stress can take its toll physically and will impact your strength training in a few ways.

Appetite – Decrease of appetite is very common. More than likely, when stressed,you will be less willing to reach for food or want to get the next meal in. Food is used as fuel and when calories are not being consumed it can impact intensity and intent of the training, where usually carbs are used as fuel.

Recovery – Training does tend to put a certain amount of stress on the body in itself, as the muscle fibres tear and repair to become bigger and stronger. If your body is dealing with chronic stress concurrently, the body’s ability to recover and repair from strength training becomes more difficult.

Sleep – Sleep is such an important part of functioning, rest and recovery for Strength based training. If you are not getting enough sleep your body is less likely to physically recover leaving your body tired and fatigued.
Lack of sleep can put more stress on the body as well as affect the mentality to perform when needed, making training feel more exhausting.

Remember: You don’t need to push sleep aside to be the hardest worker in the room, the hardest worker is always one to prioritize sleep!

How can you improve your stress levels to be more effective in Strength Training?
Ask for help!
– Seek out professional help if you are struggling with chronic stress and are unable to
manage the issues causing it by yourself.

Make Sleep a priority
– 7-9hrs of sleep a night for adults
– Create a bedtime routine
– Try get to sleep at the same time each day
– No screen time an hour before bed
– So, put that phone down or laptop away, have a cuppa and read a book.
– Supplements such as Magnesium and ZInc are great to have as well before bed as they help sleep quality and stress levels.

Breathing Drills, Yoga, Meditation can also help.
– Youtube
– Trying a local Yoga class to learn correct technique.

For more information, guidance or resources on how to get on top of your stress email myself ladylucklifting@gmail.com or brooke@epiconline.com.au