For decades, exercise scientists focused on resistance training research have been reluctant to include women in resistance training studies due to the concern that cyclical hormone fluctuations in reproductive hormones might affect the strength and the adaptations to the workout.
Last month, a group of researchers published a review of the research to determine whether or not cyclical hormone changes actually impact the performance and results from the workout.
Their conclusion: Cyclical hormonal changes do not impact workout performance, or the results produced from resistance training. Thus, researchers should be encouraged to include pre-menopausal women in resistance training studies, and strength training workouts for pre-menopausal women do not need to be modified or tailored to them to accommodate cyclical hormonal changes.