If you’re an active woman and have been on social media lately, chances are you’ve heard people talk about syncing their workouts to their menstrual cycles. This means prioritizing lower impact exercise (think yoga, pilates, walking) during your luteal and menstrual phases and saving heavy lifting and higher intensity for ovulatory and follicular phases. The messaging surrounding this topic online can be confusing and you may be asking yourself questions like:
“Should I be avoiding heavy lifting or intense exercise during certain parts of my cycle?”
“Does my menstrual cycle really impact my performance?”
“Am I doing harm by training hard while on my period?”
Well, the answer isn’t a definitive yes or no.
Here’s the good news- the research on athletic performance throughout different phases of your menstrual cycle is that there is really no measurable change (McNulty et al). This means that no matter where you are in your cycle, on a physiological level, your performance will remain about the same. This goes for both strength and aerobic performance! So if you’re an athlete stressed about an upcoming race, Crossfit comp, or weightlifting meet landing during your luteal or menstrual phases, this should hopefully give you peace of mind. Your body is strong and resilient, and all of your training and hard work doesn’t just go out the window once your period starts.
However, this doesn’t take into account how you actually feel during different phases of your cycle. Research has shown that 73% of surveyed women felt that their cycle influenced their physical activity (Carvalho et al). So even though your performance may stay the same, you might not feel as good in your workouts. Recognizing these changes and working with them rather than trying to just fight through them is key.
So, how do we take into account all of this information when we are addressing training and fitness? The first step is prioritizing recovery, no matter where you are in your cycle. Getting enough sleep, fueling your body adequately, and modifying training volume based on your goals/how you’re feeling are key to optimizing your performance throughout the different phases of your cycle.
Say you’re feeling more fatigued during a certain part of your cycle- making adjustments to training volume and dialing in sleep and nutrition will allow you to continue to train throughout these parts of your cycle. You can still strength train and do your Crossfit WOD, but maybe bring the weight down slightly or scale according to how you’re feeling. This will allow you to still participate in your workout, but actually enjoy it. In fact, moderate intensity aerobic training has been shown to decrease PMS symptoms (Pearce et al). Your workout may actually help you feel better!
The big takeaway is this- women aren’t fragile, and our cycles don’t make us fragile! Building strength is essential to living long, healthy and active lives, and this can and should be done at all phases of your cycle. Being smart about your training and recovery depending on how you’re feeling and your specific training goals is the most important thing.
References:
McNulty KL, Elliott-Sale KJ, Dolan E, Swinton PA, Ansdell P, Goodall S, Thomas K, Hicks KM. The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2020 Oct;50(10):1813-1827. doi: 10.1007/s40279-020-01319-3. PMID: 32661839; PMCID: PMC7497427.
de Carvalho G, Papoti M, Rodrigues MCD, Foresti YF, de Oliveira Guirro EC, de Jesus Guirro RR. Interaction predictors of self-perception menstrual symptoms and influence of the menstrual cycle on physical performance of physically active women. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2023 Mar;123(3):601-607. doi: 10.1007/s00421-022-05086-z. Epub 2022 Nov 13. PMID: 36371725.
Pearce E, Jolly K, Jones LL, Matthewman G, Zanganeh M, Daley A. Exercise for premenstrual syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BJGP Open. 2020 Aug 25;4(3):bjgpopen20X101032. doi: 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101032. PMID: 32522750; PMCID: PMC7465566.