How Your Period Affects Your Workouts
As more female athletes are emerging (hallelujah), scientists and doctors have began increased studies on women’s menstrual cycles and how this affects training abilities through different capacities (endurance training, strength training, and more). The findings are really interesting!
Learning about how to train in cooperation with your cycle, versus against your cycle is important, even if you are the modern day gym goer and not a competitive athlete!
According to HealthPartners.com(1), there are two main phases of your menstrual cycle: the follicular phase (first half of your cycle- low hormone levels) and the luteal phase (the second half of your cycle- high hormone levels). Researchers are discovering that these dips and rises in hormones have a big impact on an athlete. For this reason, we will split these two phases in this article as well.
Workouts During The Follicular Phase
The first half of your cycle, when hormone levels are low means you will likely feel better in training, and be ready to hit some hard, high intensity workouts. It’s also easier to maintain and build muscle during this period, therefore you will most likely feel stronger on lifts and strength movements as well.
“The follicular phase starts with day one of your cycle. You’ve recently lost some blood, so your body has a greater need for iron. Also, due to the shedding of the uterine lining during this time, there are a few days of increased inflammation. But during this lower hormone phase, hydration is easier, and you have a more even, cooler body temperature.” HealthPartners.com(1).
Workouts During the Luteal Phase
During the second half of your cycle, you might notice that you lag in workouts, and feel a little weaker and slower. This is due to your body prepping for either your period (and we all know how much energy we have during that: 0%), or if you conceived, for pregnancy (which will also drain that energy).
“This means your hormones are running at a higher level, due to an increase in estrogen and progesterone. More hormones means a decrease in anabolic, or muscle-building, capacity. This means that it’s time to take it easier, focusing on lower-intensity workouts with more recovery time.” HealthPartners.com(1)
How Do I Track Which Phase I’m In?
One of the easiest ways to track your cycle is to use one of the many apps created for that exact purpose. My personal favorite is Flo, which has helped me with tracking for many different purposes. It’s super easy to use, and will calculate based off of your next period the dates in your cycle. This app is also great to use whether you are trying to get pregnant, OR trying to avoid getting pregnant.
You can also track your cycle on your Garmin, Apple Watch or Fitbit (really cool to see all of these devices making it easy for women to track this for training purposes).
Knowing when it’s the best time to push yourself hard at the gym or in training, versus the times to focus on recovery and take it easy will help you be a better athlete and maximize your time in training. Use this info wisely!
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