Girls at the gym have to deal with something that causes a daunting problem for the burliest of bodybuilders: our periods.
If you feel weaker or more tired at certain times of the month, you are not alone. Your menstrual cycle affects sleep, mood, bone health, energy and metabolism, so depending on what stage you are in your menstrual cycle, your body may feel like it can do different jobs.
Being in tune with your body and where you are in your menstrual cycle can aid in rest and recovery, helping you reach your fitness goals. Here’s how your body changes during your menstrual cycle and why you might want to consider it cycle sync workouts.
The four phases of your menstrual cycle
Your menstrual cycle is driven by two main hormones, progesterone and estrogen, and as the levels of these hormones rise and fall in the body, they affect many other processes in your body that can affect exercise.
Let’s break down the four phases of your menstrual cycle:
The menstrual phase
The menstrual phase starts on the first day of your ‘period’, also known as when you start bleeding. If pregnancy has not occurred, the unfertilized egg is expelled, along with the lining of your uterus, through your vagina with waste blood.
The Follicular Phase
This phase overlaps with the menstrual phase and ends when you ovulate. Estrogen increases in the body, thickening the lining of the uterus. Another hormone – literally called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) – causes follicles in your ovaries to grow, and one of these follicles will develop into a fully mature egg.
Ovulation
After an egg is formed, a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) prompts your ovary to release the egg into the uterus in a process known as ovulation.
The Ochrine Phase
The egg leaves the ovary and begins to travel through your fallopian tubes to your uterus. Progesterone rises in the body to prepare the lining of the uterus for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, progesterone and estrogen levels drop and your body re-enters the menstrual phase, shedding the thick lining of the uterus.
The best exercises for each phase
An often under-discussed aspect of women’s training is the importance of pelvic floor strength. A strong pelvic floor acts as a base for the core, manages intra-abdominal pressure, prevents leakage, and supports the pelvic organs during high-impact activities such as running or lifting.
Pelvic floor strength fluctuates as you go through your menstrual cycle, so you may struggle to hit new PRs during certain phases after crushing it the previous week.
Although testosterone is the word associated with strength in the gym, in menstruating people, estrogen actually promotes muscle strength, while progesterone relaxes muscles in preparation for pregnancy and causes pelvic floor muscle weakness.
In general, most people feel weakest during the menstrual phase (days 1-7), when hormones are at their lowest, and strongest during the luteal phase (days 21-28).
With cycle timing workouts, you can take advantage of the days when your pelvic floor muscles are strongest and energy levels are highest. Understanding why you don’t feel as intense training during the luteal phase (weak pelvic floor muscles mean less stability!) can be helpful in mitigating overtraining or injury.
Menstrual phase (days 1-5)
Energy levels are usually low during the menstrual phase. A dip in estrogen and progesterone can cause the pelvic floor muscles to weaken and you may feel tired.
If you feel tired during this phase, don’t push it. Take a rest day or continue with light activities like stretching or walking that get the blood flowing without worsening fatigue. If you have heavy periods, make sure you eat enough iron to compensate for blood loss.
Follicular Phase (Days 6-13)
You’ll usually feel better during this phase as energy levels rise with estrogen levels, making it a good time to hit that Crossfit class or stick to some hill springs. Your pelvic floor should feel good as rising estrogen levels boost strength, muscle tone and coordination.
Ovulation Phase (Days 14-17)
Now’s the time to try a new deadlift or record swim time – estrogen and testosterone levels peak in the body during ovulation, increasing muscle tone and coordination.
Uterine Phase (Days 18-28)
The increase in progesterone levels during the luteal phase can start to slow you down, especially later in the cycle as your period approaches. This is why you may feel extra tired or cramping in the days right before your period starts. If you tend to feel especially tired towards the end of your cycle, try to focus on activities that involve more pelvic floor strength, such as high-intensity weight training or cardio in the early days of the luteal phase, before progesterone levels peak. You can schedule lower intensity Pilates or yoga classes for the end of the luteal phase.
Every Body Is Different
While hormonal fluctuations during your menstrual cycle can affect training and exercise, it’s important to remember that there’s no way to tell exact hormone levels.
Tracking your period and knowing what stage you’re probably in is a general guide, and most importantly, listen to your body and how it feels. There is no rule that says that everyone with a cycle MUST lift hard during the luteal phase or that have to take time off during the menstrual phase.
Many of us already struggle to fit exercise into our busy schedule without having to organize it around our menstrual cycle.
Unfortunately, people with cycles are underrepresented in sports and exercise studies, where the majority of research focuses on male participants or does not consider menstrual cycles.
Cycle timing isn’t an exact science, but understanding how your menstrual cycle can affect exercise performance will help you give yourself some grace on the days you mysteriously can’t lift as well as you used to, or explain why certain times of the month you feel like superwoman.
