Such a week response from LRC, though that's no surprise.
Such a week response from LRC, though that's no surprise.
busybusy wrote:
It's a case of 'how far do you want to push it' - many many elite female runners and cyclists have such low body fat %ages that their periods stop for years. That might be convenient for training but in the long-term can lead to some very real health issues. Reducing weight is healthy to a point, and then there's a steep dropoff to very unhealthy shortly after that point.
It's actually not convenient for training. It may be good for racing in the short term and it may be something very talented women can get away with for a while . But training is about being able to absorb and make fitness adaptations from breaking down and rebuilding your body. Being underfuelled to the point where you have lost your period makes you more prone to injury, illness, and endocrine dysfunction. Every time you're injured is time you are not training and getting fitter. Basically it's counter productive to adapting to training.
Short term, sure it can make you faster because there's less mass to move. Long term, it is counterproductive. Mostly because it hinders your ability to train without breaking down. People like Molly Seidel and Elise Cranny learned this the hard way. Now at appropriate weights, they able to train hard and absorb the requisite training to be pros.