There has been a lot of speculation over the years about whether your menstrual cycle affects weight training. Although there is no clear evidence, women often report feeling stronger/weaker during different phases of their cycle.

Everyone is different, but there are general changes that happen to most women during particular phases of their menstrual cycle. Often it is hormones that bring about physiological and mental changes that can have an effect on your strength training.

Different phases of the menstrual cycle

Early Follicular phase (days 1-5)

This is also known as menstruation or your period and is the phase when blood and tissue is discharged from the uterine lining. Although menstruation isn’t known to have a detrimental effect on strength training, heavy bleeding and stomach cramps vary in intensity. This can make female athletes feel fatigued, stressed and uncomfortable. It is during this phase that progesterone, testosterone and oestrogen are at their lowest.

Another common trait that can be attributed with menstruation is poor reaction times and clumsiness that can lead to injury. This means when it comes to your training you should take a step back from skill-based work. Instead, focus on anaerobic and power-based training such as Weight Lifting, box jumps and ball slams. Low sets and repetitions are best during the early follicular phase.

Mid follicular phase (days 6-8)

Here, progesterone is still low, but oestrogen is on the rise. This means there are less physiological changes that may have a negative impact on your training.

If you struggled with menstrual cramps and fatigue during your period, some of these symptoms may have subsided by this phase. Now you can work on increasing high intensity, low volume training. You are beginning to build strength, so anaerobic power-based activities are perfect. High weight, low rep strength training and power training is best. You can begin to increase the weight, but still may not be at your peak strength.

Late follicular phase (days 9-13)

Oestrogen is at its peak and you’re getting one step closer to being at your peak strength in the ovulation phase. During the late follicular phase, females tend to have increased glycogen storage, as well as an increase of fat, protein and water stores.

Unlike the mid follicular phase, here you should drop the weight training and focus on non-weight bearing Resistance Band activities. Consider lower intensity, high volume aerobic work, such as steady-state cardio and LISS (Low Intensity Steady State Training). Examples of LISS workouts include walking, swimming and cycling.

Ovulation (day 14)

Although women do not produce as much testosterone as men, it is still a crucial hormone in the female body, especially for strength training., During ovulation, testosterone peaks and this is when you will potentially be at your strongest.

When your testosterone is at its highest, you should be focusing on strength and power training. For most women, this is when they are their strongest during the cycle. Therefore, heavy strength training is encouraged. Now is the time to be working towards your personal bests in the weights room and focusing on high weight, low repetition work in a range of 1-6 reps.

Early Luteal (days 15-20)

We begin to see another slow steady increase of oestrogen, whilst progesterone is on the rise. The body goes through several changes during this stage, there are increased glycogen stores in the liver and muscle tissues as these glycogen stores decrease in the blood glucose. Along with this, there is an increase in total energy and fat intake. You may also notice greater water retention which can lead to weight gain.

Like the ovulation stage, you want to be lifting heavier weights at a low volume. This means sticking to a lower repetition range during your weight training. Anaerobic and power-based activities will also be best during this phase. If you do any Olympic lifting or sprint training, you can utilise this stage to perform at your best. Using a Barbell is great for Olympic lifting and strength-based training.

Mid luteal phase (days 21-24)

As you head towards the end of your cycle, there is a greater protein breakdown. If you are looking to increase muscle mass, you should potentially increase your protein intake. Again, here we see increased glycogen storage, along with increased fat, protein and water stores. This is very similar to the late follicular phase and so training should reflect that.

Like the late follicular phase, you want to turn your workouts away from strength training and focus on low intensity aerobic work. This can include long runs, cycles or walks, along with other forms of low intensity cardio.

Late luteal (days 25-31)

Your menstrual cycle lasts on average 28 days. However, this can differ between women which is why the late follicular phase here has been mapped out up to 31 days. During this phase, women often get symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and the intensity of it can vary. As well as the physiological changes that come, women can often have a low mood and increased stress.

If you feel comfortable training, stick to simple, lighter work with low weight and low volume. Exercise such as light walking and Yoga are better utilised here. It might also be better to use this week as a recovery week, especially if you suffer from extreme symptoms of PMS

How to plan your training

Although these are basic guidelines for how your menstrual cycle affects weight training, everyone is different. The best piece of advice is to listen to your body. Currently, there are several apps that allow you to track your menstrual cycle and make note of how you feel during each phase. Or if you want to do it the old-fashioned way, you can keep a journal. With this in mind, you’ll be able to plan your training in advance as you’ll know when your body will be at its strongest and when to take rest days.

If you’re training or a coach and you want to know more about whether your menstrual cycle has an effect on yours/your athlete’s strength training, the first step would be to track your cycle. From there, you can adjust your exercises, sets, and repetitions based on when you’re at your strongest and when you need to take a break and include more active recovery.

Written by guest author Eryn Barber.

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Tags: Misc > Lifestyle