CC0 Licensed Image Courtesy of Pexels
Sometimes a workout doesn’t work because of hormones that cause numerous disruptions in the human body for both men and women. Either way, you can see minimal results and give up, wasting your time, efforts and of course, money. But don’t worry. From hormone fluctuations to stress and sleep, here are some examples of the problems that hormones can cause.
The Menstrual Cycle
It’s not that uncommon for men and women to experience poor results from working out. Everyone mistakenly believes that more training means better toning and muscle building, but there is far more to it than that. The menstrual cycle can actually get in the way of your results, and it can even be pretty hard to lose weight with PCOS and extra hormonal production. Higher estrogen and progesterone can impact your body’s ability to increase muscle mass and toning.
Female Hormone Fluctuation
Because of the menstrual cycle, women can have a harder time seeing results when training. Estrogen and progesterone, in particular, are known to have a negative impact on the results of a workout, no matter how hard you try. Both of these can cause body temperature to rise, making your workout much more challenging and resulting in overexertion or giving up entirely. Further, higher progesterone will fatigue you more and can increase muscle damage.
A Workout Doesn’t Work on Low Energy
According to Born Fitness, between 60% and 90% of regular gymgoers don’t see results, leading to them becoming disinterested in working out. There are various reasons, including lack of consistency, but addressing energy issues can help you get in the best shape of your life:
- Hormonal shifts can make it harder to access stored energy from carbohydrate reserves.
- Consume banana, dried fruit and sports drinks 30 minutes before training for energy.
- Include proteins and healthy fats for healthy hormone production on workout days.
High Stress, Low Sleep
Of course, stress and sleep are well known to cause issues with hormones in men and women. When you don’t sleep well because of disruption to sleep cycles, an out-of-sync circadian rhythm, or not getting enough hours, hormone levels can fluctuate. Men can experience lower levels of testosterone, and women lower levels of estrogen. As a result, you can feel foggy and low on energy, making it much harder to achieve desired workout results you usually would.
Improper Recovery Methods
Recovery is often overlooked when it comes to working out, especially with the inexperienced. Just like warming up, many people who are new to training and high-intensity workouts can neglect recovery. This usually results in DOMS that lasts much longer, cutting down your desired routine. If you are already stressed, a higher level of cortisol will hinder proper recovery. Testosterone, IGF-1, and GH supplements can help boost the effectiveness of your recovery.
Summary
The female menstrual cycle can be a top reason that a workout doesn’t work as intended. However, hormonal shifts can also block the body from accessing the energy it needs, and neglecting the recovery phase will cause issues with muscle growth and toning results.
