The Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Muscle Strength and Power Performance

Romero-Moraleda, Blanca; Coso, Juan Del; Gutiérrez-Hellín, Jorge; Ruíz-Moreno, Carlos; Grgić, Jozo; Lara, Beatriz

doi:10.2478/hukin-2019-0061

Cited by 64 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Inclusion of outliers within the model had minimal influence on the average effect size (ES 0.5 = − 0.08 [95% CrI: − 0.21 to 0.05]) and between-study variance ( 0.5 = 0.30 [95% CrI: 0.23–0.39]). A sensitivity analysis was completed with data obtained from studies classified as either “high” or “moderate” in quality (16 studies compromising 38 strength effect sizes and 12 endurance effect sizes from 169 participants [ 19 , 27 , 31 , 35 , 37 , 54 , 57 , 58 , 67 , 71 , 75 , 85 , 90 , 99 , 106 , 115 ]). Compared to the primary analysis, the reduced data set resulted in a relatively symmetric credible interval around the zero value (ES 0.5 = − 0.01 [95% CrI: − 0.11 to 0.08]).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These recommendations echo recent publications in the area of women's physiology [10,17], demonstrating an increasing awareness for the nuances of this type of research, and collectively provide researchers with ample tools to make methodological decisions for future investigations. To limit the influence of low quality papers on the analyses, a sensitivity analysis was conducted with data obtained from studies that were classified as either "moderate" or "high" in quality [19,27,31,35,37,54,57,58,67,71,75,85,90,99,106,115]. Due to the limited amount of data available, only the pairwise meta-analysis comparing exercise performance during the early follicular phase of the MC with all other MC phases was conducted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

et al. 2020

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Background Concentrations of endogenous sex hormones fluctuate across the menstrual cycle (MC), which could have implications for exercise performance in women. At present, data are conflicting, with no consensus on whether exercise performance is affected by MC phase. Objective To determine the effects of the MC on exercise performance and provide evidence-based, practical, performance recommendations to eumenorrheic women. Methods This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Four databases were searched for published experimental studies that investigated the effects of the MC on exercise performance, which included at least one outcome measure taken in two or more defined MC phases. All data were meta-analysed using multilevel models grounded in Bayesian principles. The initial meta-analysis pooled pairwise effect sizes comparing exercise performance during the early follicular phase with all other phases (late follicular, ovulation, early luteal, mid-luteal and late luteal) amalgamated. A more comprehensive analysis was then conducted, comparing exercise performance between all phases with direct and indirect pairwise effect sizes through a network meta-analysis. Results from the network meta-analysis were summarised by calculating the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking curve (SUCRA). Study quality was assessed using a modified Downs and Black checklist and a strategy based on the recommendations of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group. Results Of the 78 included studies, data from 51 studies were eligible for inclusion in the initial pairwise meta-analysis. The three-level hierarchical model indicated a trivial effect for both endurance- and strength-based outcomes, with reduced exercise performance observed in the early follicular phase of the MC, based on the median pooled effect size (ES0.5 = − 0.06 [95% credible interval (CrI): − 0.16 to 0.04]). Seventy-three studies had enough data to be included in the network meta-analysis. The largest effect was identified between the early follicular and the late follicular phases of the MC (ES0.5 = − 0.14 [95% CrI: − 0.26 to − 0.03]). The lowest SUCRA value, which represents the likelihood that exercise performance is poor, or among the poorest, relative to other MC phases, was obtained for the early follicular phase (30%), with values for all other phases ranging between 53 and 55%. The quality of evidence for this review was classified as “low” (42%). Conclusion The results from this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that exercise performance might be trivially reduced during the early follicular phase of the MC, compared to all other phases. Due to the trivial effect size, the large between-study variation and the number of poor-quality studies included in this review, general guidelines on exercise performance across the MC cannot be formed; rather, it is recommended that a personalised approach should be taken based on each individual's response to exercise performance across the MC.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

et al. 2020

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“…For this reason, it has been speculated that muscle performance and muscle adaptations might be favored when estrogen concentration is high and progesterone is low (i.e., follicular phase). In fact, although muscle performance seems unaffected during the menstrual cycle [29], concentrating most of the resistance training in the follicular phase induces greater changes in muscle strength and hypertrophy compared to concentrating resistance training in the luteal phase [30]. In addition, the intake of 2 mg/kg/bm of caffeine produces greater caffeine-induced cardiovascular and mood changes in the follicular vs. the luteal phase [13,20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Caffeine on the Velocity of Half-Squat Exercise during the Menstrual Cycle: A Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2019

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Recent literature confirms the ergogenic effect of acute caffeine intake to increase muscle strength and power in men. However, the information about the effect of caffeine on muscle performance in women is uncertain and it is unknown whether its ergogenicity is similar during the menstrual cycle. The goal of this investigation was to assess the effect of acute caffeine intake on mean and peak velocity of half-squat exercise during three different phases of the menstrual cycle. Thirteen trained eumenorrheic athletes (age = 31 ± 6 years; body mass = 58.6 ± 7.8 kg) participated in a double-blind, crossover and randomized experimental trial. In the early follicular (EFP), late follicular (LFP) and mid luteal phases (MLP), participants either ingested a placebo (cellulose) or 3 mg/kg/bm of caffeine in an opaque and unidentifiable capsule. In each trial, participants performed a half-squat exercise at maximal velocity with loads equivalent to 20%, 40% 60% and 80% of one repetition maximum (1RM). In each load, mean and peak velocity were measured during the concentric phase of the exercise using a rotatory encoder. In comparison to the placebo, a two-way ANOVA showed that the ingestion of 3 mg/kg/bm of caffeine increased mean velocity at 60% 1RM in EFP (Δ = 1.4 ± 2.7%, p = 0.04; ES: 0.2 ± 0.2) and LFP (Δ = 5.0 ± 10.4%, p = 0.04; ES: 0.3 ± 0.4). No other statistical differences were found for the caffeine-placebo comparison for mean velocity, but caffeine induced an ergogenic effect of small magnitude in all of the menstrual cycle phases. These results suggest that the acute intake of 3 mg/kg/bm of caffeine induces a small effect to increase movement velocity during resistance exercise in eumenorrheic female athletes. The positive effect of caffeine was of similar magnitude in all the three phases of the menstrual cycle.

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“…Body fat percentage was subsequently estimated by bioelectrical impedance (model BC-418, Tanita, Japan). For 1RM measurements in the bench press exercise, participants performed a 15 min standardized warm-up consisting of upper-body joint mobility exercises followed by sets of increasing loads estimated to be between 20 and 90% of the participant's 1RM ( 27 ). Then, bench press 1RM was measured with a maximum of five maximal attempts permitted and 5 min of recovery between attempts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-exercise Caffeine Intake Enhances Bench Press Strength Training Adaptations

et al. 2021

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Previous research has identified acute caffeine intake as an effective ergogenic aid to enhance velocity and power during bench press exercise. However, no previous investigation has analyzed the effects of chronic intake of caffeine on training adaptations induced by bench press strength training. Thus, the aim of this investigation was to determine the effects of pre-exercise caffeine intake on training adaptations induced by a bench press training protocol. Using a double-blind, randomized experimental design, 16 healthy participants underwent a bench press training protocol for 4 weeks (12 sessions). Seven participants ingested a placebo and nine participants ingested 3 mg/kg/BM of caffeine before each training session. Three days before, and 3 days after the completion of the training protocol, participants performed a one-repetition maximum (1RM) bench press and force-velocity test (from 10 to 100% 1RM). From comparable pre-training values, the strength training similarly increased 1RM in the caffeine and placebo groups (+13.5 ± 7.8% vs. +11.3 ± 5.3%, respectively; p = 0.53). In the caffeine group, the strength training induced a higher mean velocity at 40%, (0.81 ± 0.08 vs. 0.90 ± 0.14 m/s), 60% (0.60 ± 0.06 vs. 0.65 ± 0.06 m/s), 70% (0.47 ± 0.05 vs. 0.55 ± 0.06 m/s), 80% (0.37 ± 0.06 vs. 0.45 ± 0.05 m/s), 90% (0.26 ± 0.07 vs. 0.34 ± 0.06 m/s), and 100% 1RM (0.14 ± 0.04 vs. 0.25 ± 0.05 m/s; p < 0.05) while the increases in the placebo group were evident only at 30 (0.95 ± 0.06 vs. 1.03 ± 0.07 m/s), 70% (0.51 ± 0.03 vs. 0.57 ± 0.05 m/s) and 80% 1RM (0.37 ± 0.06 vs. 0.45 ± 0.05 m/s) (p < 0.05). The placebo group only increased peak velocity at 60 and 70% 1RM (p < 0.05) while peak velocity increased at 10%, and from 30 to 100% 1RM in the caffeine group (p < 0.05). The use of 3 mg/kg/BM of caffeine before exercise did not modify improvements in 1RM obtained during a 4 week bench press strength training program but induced more muscle performance adaptations over a wider range of load.

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The Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Muscle Strength and Power Performance

Cited by 64 publications

References 26 publications

The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Effect of Caffeine on the Velocity of Half-Squat Exercise during the Menstrual Cycle: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Pre-exercise Caffeine Intake Enhances Bench Press Strength Training Adaptations

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