It's been discussed here a lot, and even some in the main forum. Interesting article in the NYT today about it. Basically says estrogen levels don't play a role in strength and endurance.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/...d-the-monthly-cycle/
But “endurance performance was not influenced by the phase of the normal menstrual cycle” or “the synthetic menstrual cycle” of those on oral contraceptives, the authors of these new studies write. Consequently, women “should not be concerned about the timing of the menstrual cycle with regard to optimized, sport-specific endurance performance.”
I think there's more to it than that. We know PMS exists and maybe our mental state has an impact on our training more than we know. I know there are a handful of times where I've had awful workouts and later realized that it was the day before my period. Usually bike rides and my power it just lacking. Or maybe I was just tired on those days and needed to rest/recover.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/...d-the-monthly-cycle/
But “endurance performance was not influenced by the phase of the normal menstrual cycle” or “the synthetic menstrual cycle” of those on oral contraceptives, the authors of these new studies write. Consequently, women “should not be concerned about the timing of the menstrual cycle with regard to optimized, sport-specific endurance performance.”
I think there's more to it than that. We know PMS exists and maybe our mental state has an impact on our training more than we know. I know there are a handful of times where I've had awful workouts and later realized that it was the day before my period. Usually bike rides and my power it just lacking. Or maybe I was just tired on those days and needed to rest/recover.