Your cycle: friend or foe when it comes to training?
Reading time: 8 min | Author: Anaïs
Some days at the gym, you lift weights like never before and feel invincible! Only to find that a week later, you can barely manage one repetition of the same exercise? These ups and downs in performance are frustrating and a reality for many women. It feels as if your own body is working against you. We explain how your hormones are pulling the strings in the background and how cycle-based training can help you.
The female cycle as a performance factor
Have you ever wondered why the usual training plans and nutrition tips just don’t seem to work? The answer is as simple as it is depressing: most training science is still geared towards men. An incredible 99% of all studies on diets, nutrition, and training methods are conducted exclusively with men. This means that most of the advice you receive today simply ignores your body’s fundamental biological rhythms. [1]
Fortunately, things are slowly starting to change. The fact is: for menstruating women, the key to more consistent progress and greater well-being lies in living in harmony with their cycle and — you guessed it — exercising. (Here are some good reasons why you, as a woman, should start strength training.)
Here are the most important facts about your cycle, which will help you achieve your fitness goals more effectively and with less frustration.
Let’s start with the basics. As a woman, I know from personal experience that having a cycle means “my hormones always have a say in things”…
The fundamental difference between the sexes lies in their hormone rhythms:
- Men: The release of sex hormones such as testosterone follows a daily, consistent rhythm. The “male cycle” therefore follows a 24-hour cycle.
- Women: Between puberty and menopause, hormone release is subject to a 28- to 35-day cycle with predictable fluctuations. We therefore go through a much longer and more complex rhythm.
It should come as no surprise that these hormonal changes have a direct impact on metabolism, thermoregulation, susceptibility to injury, and overall performance. [1]
The four cycle phases in overview
The menstrual cycle can be roughly divided into four phases, each with different physiological conditions. Tailored training and nutrition strategies can therefore work for or against you. [2]
Getting started:
- The cycle begins on the first day of your period. We refer to this as “day 1.”
- The hormone fluctuations and recommendations described apply to people with a regular cycle. During menopause or when using hormonal contraceptives, things are a little different.
- Don’t forget: every month, your body prepares itself for a possible pregnancy and puts a lot of energy into it. Every time you don’t get pregnant, your uterus starts its preparations all over again.
Phase 1: Menstruation (approx. days 1-5)
- Hormone status: Estrogen and progesterone levels are very low. The hormonal situation is most similar to that of a man in this phase.
- Physical sensations: These sensations are very individual. On the one hand, menstrual cramps may occur, which can limit performance. On the other hand, many women feel very energetic during this phase.
Phase 2: Follicular phase (approx. days 6-12)
- Hormone status: Estrogen levels rise continuously, while progesterone remains low. Estrogen has an anabolic (building) effect.
- Physical sensations: Many women feel energetic, extroverted, and capable. The metabolism is in a building phase.
Phase 3: Ovulation (approx. day 13-16)
- Hormone status: An estrogen peak combined with the hormone LH (luteinizing hormone) triggers ovulation.
- Physical sensations: The high estrogen level leads to a change in the elasticity of ligaments and tendons. This means that the risk of injury can increase slightly during this time window.
Phase 4: Luteal phase (approx. day 17-28)
- Hormone status: The hormone progesterone dominates, while estrogen drops sharply. Progesterone has a catabolic (breakdown) effect and prepares the body for a possible pregnancy.
- Physical sensations: Many women feel less energetic, tired, and more introverted. Classic PMS symptoms (mood swings, bloating) may occur.
[3]
Important: Pain, energy levels, and mood swings during these phases are highly individual. What we describe here are biological processes that typically occur in the body.
The first half of the cycle: Optimal conditions for muscle building
The first half of your cycle, known as the follicular phase, begins on the first day of your period. During this time, your hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are at low levels.
Your metabolism is in an “anabolic” state, meaning it is building. Your body is now optimally prepared to build muscle. The workouts where you feel like a superhero and break your own records probably fall right into this period!
This is your absolute prime time. There are several reasons for this: your body temperature is lower, which means you have better heat tolerance and don’t overheat as quickly during intense workouts. Studies also show that your recovery is significantly faster during this phase than in the second half of your cycle. [2] This is your time for intense strength training with heavy weights and few repetitions, or challenging interval training such as a CrossFit workout. Your body will thank you with more strength and faster progress.
Nutrition tip
During the follicular phase, your fat burning is higher and your blood sugar is more stable. If weight loss is your goal, you can now moderately reduce your carbohydrate intake without having to worry about a drop in performance. However, make sure you consume enough healthy fats and proteins. These are always essential for hormone production and muscle building. [1]
Ovulation: Caution, risk of injury!
Ovulation occurs around the middle of your cycle. It is triggered by a sharp rise in the hormones estrogen and LH (luteinizing hormone, which is responsible for ovulation, among other things). While you may feel full of energy, this short phase carries an often overlooked risk.
High estrogen levels alone change the structure and elasticity of your tendons and ligaments, making them more pliable and flexible. This causes your joints to lose some of their stability, which increases the risk of injury. [4]
Training tip
Of course, this shouldn’t stop you from exercising. It’s best to exercise moderately around ovulation and be especially careful with ball sports, intensive coordination training, or exercises that put a lot of strain on your joints. This is particularly important when making quick changes of direction, jumping, or stopping suddenly. [2] Make sure you use proper technique and avoid training to the point of total exhaustion, as fatigue further increases the risk of injury.
The second half of the cycle: cravings and loss of energy
After ovulation, the luteal phase begins. Many women feel tired and less energetic.
The hormone progesterone now dominates, putting your metabolism into a “catabolic” state, i.e., a state of breakdown. Muscle building is significantly more difficult during this phase.
There is a physiological reason for this: progesterone increases your body temperature. This makes intense exercise feel more strenuous and makes it harder for your body to regulate its temperature. In addition, progesterone continues to loosen your ligaments, which maintains the increased risk of injury from the ovulation phase throughout the entire second half of the cycle—especially when you are tired. [2]
Recommendations
Adjust your workout routine. Instead of setting new records in the weight room, choose slightly lighter weights and do more repetitions. Gentler forms of exercise such as yoga, leisurely cycling, or stretching are ideal for supporting your body and reducing stress. Your nervous system will thank you for it too.
The body now also needs more carbohydrates and consumes approximately 200 additional calories per day. This explains food cravings, especially for sweets.
Women are advised against strenuous exercise and long periods of fasting during this phase. [1] Which brings us to the next point:
The diet paradox: Why starving yourself before your period can backfire
Many women try to counteract water retention and the feeling of being “bloated” before their period with a strict diet. But this is a serious mistake. Diets, especially in the second half of the cycle, cause enormous stress for the female body. This leads to the release of the hormone cortisol. While cortisol causes fat to be burned in men, it has the opposite effect in women: it signals to the body that there is an “emergency” and that it should start storing fat for lean times. The conclusion is that it is better not to diet during the second half of the cycle.
By the way: Weight fluctuations of up to three or four kilograms are completely normal during this phase due to water retention. [3] It therefore makes little sense to compare your weight on a daily or weekly basis. Embrace it! You are a miracle of nature.
Personal tip: If you are currently on a mission to gain or lose weight, it is always worth weighing yourself on the same day of your cycle (e.g., always on day 5) rather than always on Monday mornings. Especially over a longer period of time, this method is much more sustainable and accurate for tracking progress.
Conclusion: Work with your body, not against it.
Your cycle is not complicated witchcraft. See it as a powerful tool that you can use to revolutionize your training, your diet, and your entire understanding of your body.
Instead of getting annoyed about fluctuations in performance, you can anticipate them and use them to your advantage. And simply accept bad training days. You can use the first half of your cycle for maximum progress and the second half for active recovery and injury prevention.
What could you achieve if you stopped fighting your body? Instead, you could use its rhythm as your ally! Give it a try, keep a cycle diary, and learn to tailor your training plan to what works for you.
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