FAQ’s: Mountain Biker's Menopause Cheat Sheet
It’s currently mid November which means I have replaced my mountain bike coach helmet for my personal training sweats. All of my in person training clients are women in their mid 40’s to upper 60s. This means they are either in the throws of perminopause or are post menopausal. If they are training with me, it also means they are most likely mountain bikers. Below are the most common questions I get asked regarding all the noise around peri and post menopause.
Let’s start with a few definitions.
Menopause: the date one year following your last menstrual bleed, or, 12 consecutive months of amenorrhea (12 months of no period).
Perimenopause: the period of time leading up to menopause. This is typically 4-8 years and starts for most women in their 40s, but can range from mid 30’s to early 50s.
Aight, let’s dive into the questions.
Q1) “I hear I should be lifting heavy shit, what does that mean, and how do I do it?”
I wrote a blog post on that exact question! “What Does it Mean to Lift Heavy Sh$T?
Q2) “What’s the deal with zone 2?”
Zone 2 has recently become popularized by Dr. Peter Attia and the work he’s done on longevity. My favorite definition of Zone 2 is: any exercise where you can maintain a conversation but if you were speaking on the phone to someone they could tell you were exercising. Technically speaking, Zone 2 is 65-70% of your max heart rate. Zone 2 can be performed walking, walking up stairs, jogging, or cycling. Activities such as running, mountain biking, or xc skiing typically require a greater level of exertion and will take you out of zone 2 and into zones 3-5 (higher percentages of your max heart rate). Dr. Peter Attia recommends 2-4 hrs/week of zone 2 training for optimal longevity. However, Dr. Stacy Simms says that women should incorporate 1-3 sessions of high intensity work per week. Zone 2 is excellent for base training or for social/fun rides! For women who are 40+, I recommend 1 structured zone 2 workout per week, this is often an excellent choice as a recovery ride. Keep it 1-2 hrs.
Q3) “What’s the difference between HIIT and SIT and what are they??”
HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training and SIT = Sprint Interval Training. The key to both these terms is “Interval.” Which means, a short period of time where you are working your ass off. If you already follow a structed on bike training plan, please don’t worry about any of this. You will be doing enough intervals. If you do not follow a structured training plan, I highly recommend you incorporate at least 1 day of high intensity work every 7-10 days.
3 Examples of Intensity Workouts:
On the bike: Sprint all out for :30. Rest 1:30 min. Repeat 4-6 times.
In the Gym: :30 of burpees over box jumps. Rest :60-1:30. Repeat 5X.
On the street or stairs: Sprint for :30 seconds. Rest 1:30. Repeat 4-6 times.
Q4) “What does it mean to “Polarize your Training?”
Imagine four poles. One pole = strength training. One pole = SIT or HIIT training, one pole = MTB skills, and one pole = MTB big monster ride or fun social ride. Keep your poles separate! Keep your Strength training focussed on strength, not cardio. Keep your interval training hard and short and keep your strength training heavy. The term, polarized training, is in juxtaposition to classes such as Orange Theory and F45 which provide a little bit of everything (strength, cardio, HIIT) but don’t do any one of those modalities well. Do one type of training each day/training session, and do it well!
Q5) “Protein? How much and how..??”
The most consistent and easiest number to use is aim to eat: 1 g of protein per pound of ideal body weight per day. Every day. I weigh 130 lbs and I actually try to eat 130g of protein per day (because I’m not trying to lose weight). But if I weighed 150, and wanted to weigh 130, I’d eat 130g of protein per day.
Q6) Holly crapballs! That’s a lot of protein. How do you eat so much?
Grab my Protein Guide for Female Mountain Bikers.
Q7) “Protein, when should I eat it?”
Ideally you are eating protein at every meal, but specifically making sure you are getting 20-50 g of protein in after your workouts! Please reference my Protein Guide for Female Mountain Bikers to help dial in how to make this a reality.
Q8) “Creatine?”
Yes! Take creatine. Research has demonstrated creatine can help improve strength, power, athletic performance in addition being good for brain health and potentially your mood! Most recommendations say to take 5g of creatine per day. Get it here and use code BRAVE15.
Q9) “Should I eat before my workout?”
YESSSSS!!!! If you are a woman over 40, please please please eat something before you workout!! The two vital macronutrients you want are carbohydrates and protein. Shoot for 10-30g of carb and 10-20 g of protein depending on your activity and duration. The longer your activity, the more carb you will want to eat. Examples: protein shake with a banana, oats, or dates plus berries. Bowl of cereal with Fairlife milk. Greek yogurt with fruit. You get the idea. Get some nutrition in you before your workout and you will feel much better not only during your workout, but after as well!
I hope that’s helpful. Feel free to reach out with more questions, but remember, I am a certified personal trainer and mountain bike coach, not a medical Doctor. If you’re looking to add structure to your strength training, join buildCLASS: at home strength training for mountain bikers!