Why You Should Consider Cycle Syncing Workouts

Gym girlies have to deal with something daunting to the burliest bodybuilders: Our periods.

If you feel weaker or more tired at certain times of the month, you’re not alone. Your menstrual cycle affects sleep, mood, bone health, energy, and metabolism, so depending on which stage you’re at in the menstrual cycle, your body may feel up to different tasks.

Being in tune with your body and where you’re at in the menstrual cycle can aid in rest and recovery, helping you reach your fitness goals. Here’s how your body changes throughout the menstrual cycle, and why you may want to consider cycle syncing workouts.

The Four Phases of Your Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle is driven by two main hormones, progesterone and estrogen, and as levels of these hormones rise and fall in the body, they impact many other processes in your body that can affect exercise.

Let’s break down the four phases of your menstrual cycle:

The Menses Phase

The menses phase begins on the first day of your “period,” aka when you start bleeding. If pregnancy hasn’t occurred, the unfertilized egg is shed, along with the lining of your uterus, through your vagina with waste blood. 

The Follicular Phase

This phase overlaps with the menses phase and ends when you ovulate. Estrogen rises in the body, thickening the uterine lining. 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) pushes your ovary to release the egg into the uterus in a process known as ovulation.

The Luteal Phase

The egg leaves the ovary and starts traveling through your fallopian tubes to your uterus. Progesterone rises in the body to prepare your uterine lining for pregnancy; if pregnancy doesn’t occur, progesterone and estrogen levels drop and your body enters the menses phase again, shedding the thickened uterine lining.

Best Exercises for Each Phase

One often under-discussed aspect of female training is the importance of pelvic floor strength. A strong pelvic floor functions as the base of the core, manages intra-abdominal pressure, prevents leakage, and supports pelvic organs when performing high-impact activities such as running or lifting.

Pelvic floor strength fluctuates as you go through your menstrual cycle, which is why you may struggle to hit new PRs during certain phases after crushing it the week before. 

Though testosterone is the gym buzz word associated with strength, in people with menstrual cycles, estrogen actually promotes muscle strength, while progesterone relaxes the muscles in preparation for pregnancy and causes your pelvic floor muscles to feel weak.

Generally, most people feel weakest during the menstruation phase (days 1-7) when hormones are at their lowest, and strongest during the luteal phase (days 21-28).  

By cycle syncing workouts, you can take advantage of days where your pelvic floor muscles are strongest and energy levels are highest. Understanding why you don’t feel as up to intense training during the luteal phase can (weaker pelvic floor muscles mean less stability!) can be helpful for mitigating overtraining or injury.

Menstrual Phase (Days 1-5)

Energy levels are typically low during the menstrual phase. A dip in estrogen and progesterone can cause your pelvic floor muscles to weaken, and you may feel fatigued.

If you feel tired during this phase, don’t push it; take a rest day, or stick with light activities like stretching or walking that get the blood flowing without compounding fatigue. If you have a heavy menstrual flow, make sure you’re eating enough iron to compensate for blood loss.

Follicular Phase (Days 6-13)

You’ll typically feel better during this phase as energy levels increase with estrogen levels, making it a good time to hit that Crossfit class or tack on some hill springs. Your pelvic floor should be feeling good, as rising estrogen levels enhance strength, muscle tone, and coordination.

Ovulation Phase (Days 14-17)

This is the time to try for a new deadlift PR or record swim time – estrogen and testosterone levels peak in the body during ovulation, heightening muscle tone and coordination. 

Luteal Phase (Days 18-28)

Rising progesterone levels during the luteal phase can start slowing you down, especially later on in the cycle approaching your period. This is why you may feel extra fatigued or crampy 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 involving more pelvic floor strength like high-intensity strength training or cardio in the earlier days of the luteal phase, before progesterone levels peak. You can plan your 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 influence training and exercise, it’s important to remember there’s no way to pinpoint your exact hormone levels.

Tracking your period and knowing what stage you’re probably at is a general guide, and the most important thing is to listen to your body and how it feels. There’s no rule saying everyone with a cycle absolutely SHOULD lift hard during the luteal phase, or that you have to take days off during the menstrual phase.

Many of us already find it difficult to fit exercise into our busy schedules without having to organize around our menstrual cycles. 

Unfortunately, people with cycles are underrepresented in sports and exercise studies, where the majority of the research focuses on male participants or doesn’t account for menstrual cycles.

Cycle syncing isn’t an exact science, but understanding how your menstrual cycle can impact exercise performance should help you give yourself a little grace on the days you mysteriously can’t lift as well as previously, or to explain why certain times of the month you feel like superwoman.