Muscle Cycle

When you’re menstruating, do your workouts consist of sitting on a yoga mat and visualizing a pint of peanut butter fudge ice cream? Even if you feel unfit, a recent study found that your monthly cycle doesn’t affect your ability to build muscle. Researchers found that postworkout protein synthesis in 15 young women was the same during the follicular (days 1–13) and luteal (days 15–27) phases of the menstrual cycle. In other words, the female body can build muscle anytime of the month.