How to Optimize Your Workouts Through Your Cycle
- Molly Kate
- Mar 9, 2023
- 4 min read
Okay so ladies, if you have ever wondered why some days you feel like you may be a distant relative of the Hulk because you are hitting so many PRs, moving up in reps and weight only to then just a few days later feel like washed up Bruce Banner not able to get even half the reps with the same weight you were just tossing around previously, then this one is for you. This post is all about cycle-syncing your workouts. So, let’s dive right in.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has a nice article that breaks down what happens to your hormones throughout your cycle. Week 1 your period starts, estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest levels at the start of your period, but they slowly begin to rise throughout the week. During this time your energy is slowing increasing. Week 2, estrogen levels are rising quickly to prepare for ovulation, leading to an increase in energy levels. Week 3 ovulation occurs, during which estrogen levels peak, this is also the peak of your energy levels. Right after ovulation occurs, estrogen levels begin to drop and progesterone levels begin rising, slowing your energy levels are dropping. And throughout week 4 of your cycle, both estrogen and progesterone are falling (assuming of course, you are not pregnant), your energy will tank at the end of this week, up to the point where your period begins again.
For the sake of simplicity, I will use a 28-day cycle to explain in depth the phases. Better Health Channel shows us what a 28-day cycle looks like broken up into the four main phases of the menstrual cycle. Menstruation begins on day 1 and goes until about day 5. The follicular phase overlaps with menstruation as it also begins on day 1 but it goes until day 13 or 14, this is when the body prepares an egg to be released at ovulation. So, ovulation then occurs at day 14 or 15. Assuming you do not become pregnant, the next phase is the luteal phase which goes from about day 16 to day 28. Then the whole things starts all over.
Now with all this laid out for us, let’s get in the workout specifics. Again, I will use a 28-day cycle for the example. If your cycle is slightly longer or short you will need to journal and monitor your energy levels and possibly track your hormones using an at home test to know exactly when each of these phases begin for you. Days 1-5 you will be on your period, bloated and tired. Your energy levels will ever so slowly begin rising as your estrogen and progesterone slowly increase but you will not feel like running a marathon. So it is good to keep things light this week, lighter weights, shorter workouts. Maybe switch out a couple weight sessions for walking, some yoga and mobility work. Days 5-13, your energy will continue to increase as you prepare for ovulation. Researchers have found that women who have already ovulated but not started their period (so between day 14-28) have a harder time performing endurance events in hot and humid weather. So, during days 5-13 is optimal time to focus on endurance training as you stamina will be at its peak. This means longer runs, and longer workouts during this time. Days 14 – 16 is about the time ovulation will occur. This short window of time is actually your peak of energy and strength. This is the time to focus on longer, heavier workouts. Go for PRs during these days. Because this time is so short, ensure you are fully recovered the few days before ovulation occurs. So, on day 11 or 12 begin to slow down a bit on your endurance work. Ensure you are stretching and recovering. Another way to ensure you are using those few days around ovulation as best as you can is to utilize split workouts during this time. So instead of doing three days of full body, heavy weight workouts on day 14, 15, and 16. Do one chest/bicep day, one back/tricep/shoulder day, and one leg day. Then spend a day or two recovering. Days 16-21 are the first half of the luteal phase. Energy is still high, but it is slowly decreasing. Begin to decrease intensity and length of time working out. Days 22-28 are the second half of luteal phase and your energy is approaching the lowest levels and your hormones are falling. Begin to slow down even more this week, opting for walking and stretching sessions more often.
While we can all agree working out is so very beneficial for your health, especially as a woman you must take special care to ensure you are recovering properly. It has been shown, that overdoing it in the gym can lead to irregular or missed periods causing hormone imbalances and further complicating your life. So, it is especially important to prioritize your recovery for your fertility health.
As an aside, because some of you might be curious, men also have a hormone cycle. Their cycle is a 24-hour one. They wake up with higher amounts of testosterone and throughout the day their testosterone slowly decreases. Then they wake up and it starts all over. As such, it is ideal that men work out in the mornings, when testosterone is at its highest, as this would allow them to push themselves harder. But their hormone levels are so different than that of women so they can still gain all the benefits of working out if they do so later in the day. So, you can see the massive difference between the two hormone cycles. This is why women should take extra care in prioritizing recovery. Our cycle is just a little bit more complicated and something as simple as working out too much can affect our ever-changing hormones to a point where it throws off the whole cycle.
Thanks so much for reading this article, I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. Check out my other blog posts and be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with all the new blog posts!
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