TOM and Strength Training
 

I've noticed that right before my TOM and during, that strength training becomes more difficult. I get worn out more easily and I get sore from the same amount of strength training I do during the rest of the month. I assume this has something to do with hormones but I haven't heard of other people have similiar issues. I'm just wondering is it normal to be experiencing these kinds of issues? and if I should be going easier on the strength training when it happens or if I should just keep pushing through it? Is there anything special I should be doing?

I get tired more easily during a certain point right before TOM, I can feel it when I'm doing the treadmill. I don't feel like it seriously effects my workouts. If you push through or take it a little easier for one or two workouts, I don't think it will have a big impact. Skipping the workouts altogether has a bigger impact, in my experience.

I have times when I am weenier (that's the technical term, right?) and I wondered if it correlated with my cycle, but haven't been able to track it successfully. It gets complicated for me by the cycles of the school year, which result in different schedules of workouts/stress/eating/sleeping. I pretty much try to push through, although I have sometimes shortened from 3 sets to 2 sets if I was feeling really lame.

Every time I've been to see my doctor around TOM, when his nurse asks about general health (fatigue, etc) she always phrases it as "more fatigued than normal for this time of month". So I have inferred from this that it is fairly common for women to be more easily fatigued around TOM, which certainly would have an effect on working out. I personally have at times had problems around TOM of getting lightheaded / passing out more easily :dizzy: so I definitely try to be a little more conscientious of my body's responses to exercise around then. Definitely still exercising, but taking care not to push myself too hard.

I get substantially WEAKER during TOM. Like others have said, I DO workout during that week, but am aware of this fact and do not push myself further than what I can go...I'm also not as harsh on myself during that week..haha! But that's the only week out of the month that I'll cut myself a "slight" break!:p

I am definitely more fatigued right before TOM and the during the first few days of it. I feel the need to sleep an extra 1-2 hours each night (not that I always get it, but I always want it!), and am more worn out from just standard daily activities. This month was my first month of regular exercise, and the night before TOM I was much more tired during my work out and felt pretty exhausted after. Cramps prevented me from getting to the gym at all this weekend, but if I was functional enough to go I would have!