181. The Truth About Menstrual Cycle Training & Hormonal Impacts on Performance | Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS

Dr. Darsh Shah and Dr. Altamash Raja continue their conversation with Dr. Shawn Arent on hormone physiology and performance. They dive into female physiology and menstrual cycle myths, the overlooked role of thyroid and reverse T3, catecholamines and autonomic balance, and the future of performance enhancement with GLP-1s and muscle-preserving drugs. A practical, evidence-based look at optimizing health and performance!TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction to Medicine Redefined00:37 Deep Dive into Hormone Physiology00:54 Female Physiology and Menstrual Cycle01:03 Thyroid Hormone Optimization01:12 Catecholamines and Autonomic Balance01:23 GLP-1 Agonists and Muscle Preservation01:58 Guest Introduction: Dr. Shawn Arent02:21 Discussion on Female Physiology02:29 Menstrual Cycle and Training07:28 Hormonal Influence on Injury07:50 Autoregulation in Training19:03 Thyroid Hormone and Metabolism33:55 Catecholamines and Training Response40:55 Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Dominance45:30 Tracking Trends for Better Interventions45:53 Wearables and Recovery in Rugby46:55 Debunking Post-Workout Downregulation50:52 Contextualizing Fitness Advice57:06 Balancing Training Methods01:04:30 The Role of IGF-1 in Recovery01:07:02 GLP-1 Agonists and Muscle Preservation01:15:22 Myostatin Inhibitors: The Future of Muscle Growth?01:21:25 Final Thoughts on Health and PerformanceThe Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Athletes’ Performance: A Narrative Review MDPICurrent evidence shows no influence of women’s menstrual cycle phase on acute strength performance or adaptations to resistance exercise training FrontiersThe Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis SpringerInfluence of Menstrual Cycle Phases on Maximal Strength, Power and High-Intensity Interval Performance – A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis MDPIEvidence-Based Training Guidelines for Elite Women Football and Team Sports Human KineticsHormones, Hypertrophy, and Hype: An Evidence-Guided Primer on Endogenous Endocrine Influences on Exercise-Induced Muscle Hypertrophy ESSRMenstrual Cycle Effects on Sports Performance and Adaptations to Training: A Historical Perspective PubMedEffect of Estrogen on Musculoskeletal Performance and Injury Risk FrontiersAnterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes: A Narrative Review of Prevention, Risk Factors, and Management Bone Jt OpenThe Influence of Age on the Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Training to Reduce ACL Injury in Female Athletes: A Meta-Analysis PMCCatecholamine and Cardiovascular Responses to Exercise: An Update SpringerEffects of Different Training Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in People with Overweight and Obesity: A Systematic Review FrontiersBlood-Based Biomarkers for Monitoring Workload and Recovery in Athletes Sports Med OpenChanges in Lean Body Mass with the Use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists for Weight Loss and Strategies to Mitigate LBM Loss WileyADA Newsroom: GLP-1 Agonists and Lean Body Mass ADA NewsEffects of Subjective and Objective Autoregulation Methods in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review PeerJBiomarkers in Sports and Exercise: Tracking Health, Performance, and Recovery in Athletes SpringerExercise, Training, and the HPT/HPA/HPG Axes in Athletes CSMRCirculating Testosterone as the Hormonal Basis of Sex Differences in Athletic Performance PMCOptimizing Health and Athletic Performance for Women SpringerThank you for listening!