heavy training

[midgetcop]

Continue to lift heavy. Don't lift light just because some noob thinks that women are supposed lift differently than men. And as for the other women in the gym - so what? You need to be concerned about *you* and *your* progress, and comparing yourself to other women in the gym isn't going to help you one bit.

I mean, if you want to maintan the muscle mass that you have, why would you want to lift lighter? Because of some completely unfounded critizism? You've made progress with what you had already been doing, why alter it if it's been working for you?

Unfortunately this is one of those myths that seems doomed to go on forever.

[CF-OC_gal]

i've been lifting weights for more than 1 year now, and people always said that i'm lifting too heavy than regular females there at my gym.

Perhaps the meaning of what you are trying to say was lost somewhere.

Are they telling you that you are lifing too heavy because you are a girl or are they saying that you lift heavier weights than most girls at the gym?

In the first instance you need to know what exactly are they talking about. The second would not necessarily be a reason to change your routine. I'd ask the people making the comments exactly what is the message behind the comment.

[fawn]

i lift heavy than most of the girls at the gym. My mom knows about this and is saying that i should not lift heavy, it might be the reason why i'm not getting my period(menstruation) Because of stress due to heavy lifting

[midgetcop]

What kind of bodyfat level do you have?

[.V.]

Hey fawn, here I am peeking into the ladies room again. I'll shield my eyes while I post this reply.

As all females know from age 11-13 on up menstruation is the end result of the monthly cycle for reproduction. Making an egg for fertilization, lining the uterus for it to have a place to attach once it is fertilized, and all that. If it goes unused (remains unfertilized), it has to be gotten rid of, hence you menstrate as you "sluff off" the uterine lining and expel it with the unused egg.

One thing many don't think of though is the body's only purpose is to keep the brain alive, and survive so it can produce the next generation. The body processes don't think about how we look...just how our reproduction is going to work. Therefore when there is a time of plenty - indicated to the body by some extra body fat - it is more fertile, resulting in a more regular cycle. If you body fat is lower, your body thinks times are too hard to reproduce, so you may not ovulate and have your cycle.

The heavy lifting shouldn't affect this as much as a lower body fat level would. Women who do lots of cardio - like distance runners, bike racers, and the like are less likely to be regular.

If you lift heavy, you will produce more testosterone to support it. But being a woman (and even for men) there are limits to this. Also, higher test levels will end up causing higher estrogen levels. The body want's to be in balance - that's how our hormonal system works. The other hormones will change to reflect the differences too - and keep the body in homeostasis.

So, in short, more muscle on a woman doesn't equal irregular menses. Less fat may. There may be something else causing it too, but this is the best answer based on available information. If there is more to it, you need to see your doctor.

Oh, if you are using AS or other "suppliments" to chemically and artificially change your hormone balances, this can cause problems in that area too.

[midgetcop]

Go figure that welch would show up the rest of the females with his knowledge of female menstruation.

[tim_mcf]

he has daughters

[.V.]

And a mother, and a wife, and work in medicine...that means a lot of female coworkers.

[midgetcop]

LOL.

I feel for you. I work in a field that is largely male-dominated, and everytime I'm faced with females I feel that I'm out of my league (oh, the irony!).

:

[sunmedicFL]

OK - this is a weird conversation. Gender confusion, reproduction, I feel like I'm in Congress!! LOL

[.V.]

Originally Posted by sunmedicFL

OK - this is a weird conversation. Gender confusion, reproduction, I feel like I'm in Congress!! LOL

It happens here sometimes.

[fawn]

thanks a_welch503 i weight 47-48kg i'm 5'2

I don't think i have too low body fat. Maybe it was the stress (from lifting heavy, doing cardio) that makes my brain (pituitary) to not produce enough female hormones.

I have very low estrogen level (based on my blood tests)

Oh, and i also swim once a week, I do 5laps (50meters/lap) slow freestyle. then 5 laps intverval (fast-slow-fast-slow-fast), then the rest are intevals of fast and slow laps . TOTAL: I do 25laps (50meters/lap) for around 28 min. And after around 30min of swimming, sometimes(well, most of the time) my head hurts for around 10min, then it'll go away. Was i too stressed?

[.V.]

Look in the mirror, can you see abs? If so, that puts you at about 10% or possibly less. Rather low for a lady.

Or you can calculate it here http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html Not the most accurate calculation but gets you close enough to have an idea where you are at.

Female problems that are related to the pituitary (especially the anterior pituitary [test/est are stimulated to be produced from there]) are actually something to be checked by a GOOD physician. Have you had children? Did you lose a lot of blood during childbirth? Have you ever been involved in an accident or other trauma that caused you to lose 500ml or more of blood at a time?

What are your TSH and FSH levels since you've had hormone levels tested.

Oh, and your weight/height are pretty light - especially if you've been lifting heavy, you've probably got good musculature and that would mean a low body fat percentage to weigh that little. Hopefully that's all it is...then no worries.

Post your answers to these questions and perhaps we can help you point in the right direction.

I'm not a doctor, but I've played one on TV so I can find your answers.

Just kidding, I just read way too much and find answers that way. Perhaps with your answers if it isn't something very simple, we can point you to some questions to ask your doc about.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by fawn

thanks a_welch503 I have very low estrogen level (based on my blood tests)

There's your answer. Work with your family doctor on this not the general public on a message board. You can ask him or her about your weight lifting and other athletic endevours to see if they are right for you at this time.

I'm sure your mom cares, but a health professional is what you need to get to the bottom of this.

[fawn]

thanks Welsch/Brat for helping out

I can see 2 vertical lines (especially in the morning) , i'm small boned, so i guess that contributes to me weighing light.

I'm turning 26, no children, still single

here are some of the blood exams i did:
Aug 2004 TSH .9uIU/ml
Apr 2005 FSH 2.57mIU/mL
LH .73mIU/mL
estradiol 15.25 pg/mL
testosterone 0.323 ng/mL
may 6 2005 (my latest exams)
estradiol 12.61 pg/mL
FSH 5.18mIU/mL
LH 1.14mIU/mL

Brat, my ob-gyne informed me of the causes of me having amenorrhea (stopping of period) and some are: stress ( was before, but i don't think i am now), streneous (sp?) exercise.

I'm wondering if i am guilty of the 2nd reason.... But when i compared the workouts/cardio exercises i've been doing compared to the ones you people are doing, mine are just for beginners' (?!?!?)

Here's my workout:
T-TH-S i do weight training (I lift heavy, well heavy for me,12 reps usually= but my heavy is not heavy compared to you guys ) 2 body parts per day

M - i do aerobics 1 hour. Then STairmaster 20min, cross traniner 15min
W - i swim. I do 5laps (50meters/lap) slow freestyle. then 5 laps intverval (fast-slow-fast-slow-fast), then the rest are intevals of fast and slow laps . TOTAL: I do 25laps (50meters/lap) for around 28 min. And after around 30min of swimming, sometimes(well, most of the time) my head hurts for around 10min, then it'll go away. Was i too stressed?