If you’ve ever smashed a workout one week, only to struggle your way through the same workout the next week, you’ll be pleased to know there is an actual physiological reason for it and it’s all to do with your period (aren’t most things?!). There is a growing body of research exploring the female menstrual cycle and the effect it has on us throughout the course of the month. Unlike men, female hormones alter dramatically throughout the course of any given month, and the rise and fall of certain hormones cause us to feel all kinds of changes. From hunger and cravings, to mood swings, to being high in energy one week and lethargic the next, many of these symptoms can be linked to where you are in your menstrual cycle.
Research would suggest that if we pay more attention to where we are in our cycle and adapt our habits accordingly, we might be able to manage some of the more severe symptoms more effectively. A thorough description of all the ways we can do this is way out the scope of this blog (there are several books and podcasts I can direct you to if you want to go deeper into this) but I do want to touch on something I think is relevant, which is cycle syncing our workout programming. To help you understand how this might work with your own cycle, I’ll briefly describe what is happening during each phase of your cycle.
Phase 1 (Days 1-12ish) – Menstrual aka Follicular Phase
Focus on speed and power
Let’s take Day 1 as the first day of your bleed. Now, clearly everyone is different and will experience their period in their own way, but generally, your bleed week is (contrary to popular belief) a good week to work on speed and power. During this week, your hormones are at their lowest and you are in the best position to recover from high intensity workouts. This week is actually when you will feel the strongest and fastest. It’s all about the HIIT, sprints and circuits this week!
Phase 2 Ovulation (Days 13-19ish)
Focus on strength and endurance
During this phase your immune system is slightly lowered because your body is focusing on giving a fertilised egg the best chance of survival. Even if the released egg hasn’t been fertilised, your body will still act as if it has, on the off-chance. This is the best time to work on your strength training – just make sure you factor in plenty of rest and recovery afterwards (this includes good nutrition). Towards the end of this phase, after ovulation, your oestrogen drops and your mood and energy levels may feel a bit flat. This is a good time to ditch the weight training and maybe try a long slow run or cycle.
Phase 3 (Days 20 – 28ish) – Luteal Phase
Focus on mobility and recovery
This is the part of your cycle that you are most likely to feel a bit ‘bleurgh’. Your hormones are at their highest. You have both high progesterone and oestrogen. Your PMS symptoms will probably be at their worst (we’re talking headaches, bloating, fatigue etc.) and now is the perfect time to cut yourself some slack and focus on low intensity work like walking and yoga. This is the perfect time to substitute the HIIT and strength stuff for flexibility work.
Learning about the different phases of my menstrual cycle has been revolutionary for me. My attitude to exercise used to be that it was purely for calorie burning. I felt guilty if I hadn’t worked out. I didn’t deserve chocolate or wine if I hadn’t been to the gym and burned at least 500 calories. I didn’t understand what was happening in my body from week to week. One day I would do a HIIT workout and feel on top of the world. The following week I would do the exact same workout and feel dizzy, sick, completely lacking in energy. What on earth?? Now I understand what was going on and I actually know at what point I am in my cycle based on how well I do in my workout. Now I tailor my movement to my cycle and I don’t feel guilty AT ALL if I spend a week doing yoga and stretching work. My body no longer performs movement to earn food. Now I nourish my body with nutritious food and enjoy less nutritious food in moderation without guilt.
As I mentioned, there is a lot more to cycle syncing than just altering your workouts from week to week. There are even more things you can do through the course of the month to optimise your hormonal changes. Certain foods bring specific benefits at specific points in your month and there are times in the month where your behaviours, moods and tendencies will all change according to where you are in your cycle. Again, there are ways to tap into these tendencies to maximise your productivity and creativity.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about optimising your cycle, I’d start with the following resources:
‘ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life’ by Dr. Stacy t. Sims
(link to book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/30qTbgC)
‘Period Power: Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working For You’ by Maisie Hill
(Link to book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3emrcqx)
‘Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods’ by Lara Briden
(Link to book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/38m0KJM)
‘Fix Your Period: Six Weeks to Life-Long Hormone Balance’ by Nicole Jardim
(Link to book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Oz7AVh)
‘In the Flo: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life’ by Alisa Vitti
(Link to book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bunBFd)
Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I might earn a commission, or be compensated in some way. Please note that these are resources that I’ve used in the past and/or continue to use personally and rate highly. I would still recommend them to you, even if I didn’t have the affiliate link.