Hello ladies I hope you all are having a very wonderful day. Something happened last month and it made me really ponder on this topic and how these things affected us as ladies.
I never really understood why women at the gym or studio or basically any exercise environment did less when they were on their period. I did understand that yes we all are in pain and doing too much may trigger the pain. This is a good reason actually but then it wasn't the actual reason. It never never happened to me actually. Like I wrote above I just did less so I don't make my tummy ache more and last month it occurred to me that I never actually understood the main reason behind the deloading of weights during the menstrual cycle.
The first day of my period came and I wouldn't lie here. I laid in bed all day only stood up to have my bath n change then I went back to bed. I visit the gym on all the weekdays and I think it was a Monday since I could not get up. I canceled going to the gym for that day and I stayed home till the next day.
Next day came and I felt better. I was still in pain but it was nothing scampered to what I had gone through the day before. I did the tasks I couldn't do the day before and also completed the one for the present day. It is safe to say that I was feeling oddly energetic or so I thought.
I got to the gym and walked the treadmill for 20 minutes and I was panting. I thought this was normal because I always dread walking on the treadmill. I had legs that day and I usually started with squats which I did in a certain order. I will start from a low weight (40kg) which I almost didn't feel on my back then add till it got to my maximum which was 70kg.
I went on to set up the squat rack. I was basically feeling myself. I put the barbell and adjusted everything to be good for my height, I loaded 10kg plates on each side plus the 20kg weight of the barbell that made it 40kg. I got under the weight and set my body right and when I lifted it I felt my feet sink into the floor. I didn't fall or hurt myself, no, nothing of that sort happened but my body just told me that the weight I was carry was just heavy. I was shocked and in denial went on to do my 10 reps of squats for the first set and my heart was racing my legs were tired n polo was covered in sweat. I sat on a jump box puzzled “like what just happened right now” . It had never happened to me before so I was really confused. I had to complete my 5 sets with 40kg because it was all I was able to carry.
Went on to do other weights and I had to reduce the weight I used some by 30 kg some by 20kg and all those other things. I couldn't even complete all my routines because I was literally crawling on the floor after 3 routines. So I had to stop there.
After resting for a while it dawned on me “I'm on my period, must be why I am so weak, but then this has never happened before, is this why people do less weights? So it wasn't just the pain, it's because they felt generally weak. ”
I didn't really understand this since it never happened to me but that Day after being shocked by my own body I started wondering what other people felt that I haven't even experienced yet
This is also to encourage the women out there for always doing the most even when their body changes constantly. You all are the best. Thank you for giving it your all.
