A quick breakdown for a cycle syncing workouts
My Experience
I've never seen better results for my body than when I have worked out with my female cycle in mind. As I've mentioned before on this blog I come from a gymnastics background and I've dabbled in various intense workouts like CrossFit in the past. None of these modes of fitness ever focused on my hormonal health but likely contributed to my symptoms of PCOS and general fatigue. I cover this more in this post: 3 Biggest Problems With Women's Sports One of the biggest "aha!" moments of my life was when I realized the effect that my hormones had on my workouts and vice versa.
In This Blog Post
Working out is extremely helpful for regulating hormones and whole body health. As this is an extremely young field of study, there have been, and continue to be conflicting theories and strategies surrounding feminine fitness. The information presented in this breakdown is based on work done by Dr. Stacy T. Sims and practitioners that specialize in Women's Hormonal Health. In this breakdown I have included only information that, in my interpretation, is widely agreed upon by these professionals. There is other information which I feel is valuable but is not mentioned in multiple sources. This information I have left in the research and resources section. This post is specifically for educational purposes only, this is not medical advice.
It's also incredibly easy to feel overwhelmed. Extremely understandable! Nowadays there are many apps that try to make this easier for the average person. If you're interested in learning more about those they are listed in this blog post: 4 Fitness Apps Made For Your Menstrual Cycle
Benefits of working out with your hormones in mind
When you work out with your hormones in mind you gain the benefit of developing leaner muscles and burning excess fat. Metabolizing hormones like cortisol and estrogen which can stress the body out and cause further hormonal complications seen in your period and throughout the month. Women who workout with their hormones in mind have the added benefit of retaining muscle and bone density throughout their life.
What does it mean to keep your hormones in mind?
Each phase of your cycle brings different strengths and weaknesses to the table as far as your fitness is concerned. For instance, the beginning of your cycle allows for you to push yourself and enjoy higher intensity workouts. Workouts in the later half of your cycle boasts muscle gains and a faster metabolism. Working with your cycle will undoubtedly bring greater gains to your workouts. However, working against your cycle will put stress on your body and likely contribute to injury and weight gain as well as dis-regulating your cycle.
When keeping your hormones in mind, it's also important to remember where you personally are in your cyclical journey. If, like many women, (including myself) your period is not the “typical 28” days, it's important to monitor where you are in your cycle as you calculate what you should be doing for your workout routine.
If you're experiencing hormonal imbalances it is important to keep your workouts under 30 minutes. Working out for long durations when you are struggling with imbalances will lead to higher levels of cortisol and magnify your hormonal distress.
Nutrition and lifestyle can't be forgotten
A perfect workout routine cannot compensate for an out of balance life and diet. A diet that is extremely lacking in nutrition, a life that is stressful, a sleep routine that does not facilitate deep restorative sleep etc. will sabotage your fitness efforts. In contrast when these elements of your life are in alignment, your workout routine will show greater results faster.
Depending upon your fitness goals and lifestyle, it can be helpful to intentionally utilize your carb, proteins, and hydration to the benefit of your workouts. Example, keeping an eye on your hydration in the luteal phase.
It is suggested that in order to maximize your nutrition, You should eat the bulk of your nutrition requirement at the beginning of the day.
Working out according to your cycle
MENSTRUATION:
This is the time to listen to your body the most. If you have thirty minutes and you feel that you need a nap more than a workout, then you should prioritize that nap! Pulling back and not pushing it is advised.
Workout suggestions include:
Breathwork
Foam rolling
Mat pilates
Napping
Walking
Yin yoga
FOLLICULAR:
Think fun, new, exciting! Your brain is optimized for new experiences and you will get the most results from doing whatever feels the most fulfilling. As this phase goes on, turn up the intensity on your workouts.
Workout suggestions include:
Biking
Dancing
Hiking
Jump rope
Running
OVULATION:
If possible, finding ways to be social group classes is a great way to do this. You likely will experience higher stamina and more energy during this time. This is the only time where hiit training is actually suggested rather than discouraged for women.
Workout suggestions include:
Boot camp
Hiit
Indoor cycling
Interval sprints
Kickboxing
Sports
LUTEAL:
This time is split into 2 categories:
Luteal 1: You are still coming off of the energy of ovulation but losing the tolerance for high impact activities. Turning your focus to strength training centered workouts is ideal.
Workout suggestions include:
Intense
Strength
Training
Yoga
Luteal 2: You are probably feeling the raped declined in hormones now. Now, it is best to focus on flexibility rather than muscles. Low impact is a MUST!
Workout suggestions include:
Barre
Gentle yoga
Pilates
Helpful Resources
If you're looking for some more in-depth study on this topic I strongly suggest you check out these resources. Some of them are slightly more in depth than this blog post and others are far more academic. I also have tried and would recommend any of these four fitness apps listed in this blog post here: 4 Fitness Apps Made For Your Menstrual Cycle
Research and resources
This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the links on this page we may get a small commission on products that we already believe in using.
Helpful Resources
If you're looking for some more in-depth study on this topic I strongly suggest you check out these resources. Some of them are slightly more in depth than this blog post and others are far more academic.
This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the links on this page we may get a small commission on products that we already believe in using.
Apps
I have tried and would recommend any of these four fitness apps listed in this blog post.
Youtube:
Books:
This book is all about women and exercising. There's a heavy focus on the athletes as well as mention of the regular Woman. Summing up this book would require rewriting the entire book here. I highly suggest every woman whether she is an athlete or not read this book.
This book contains information about your menstrual cycle and how to work out with it in mind. It also contains a 28 day workout plan.
This is not a book in any way about working out. However there is a portion that mentions some valuable information. In this book the author asserts that some women find that there is a day as she moves from one phase to the next where she may me a little off kilter and prone to injury. This is not true for all women and whatever day(s) it is depends on your personal experience and which part of the cycle you may struggle to accept fully.
Example: for me it's around 6 hours 2 days before ovulation as I still struggle to align emotionally with the more feminine lighter traits that naturally acer for me in that phase. I have on more than multiple occasions, injured or almost injured myself on this day as I lose my footing seemingly out of the blue on this day.
This book speaks of estrogen metabolism and the anti-inflammatory response exercise has in the body.
This book highlights the way that exercise optimizes your stress response and reduces cortisol. as well as improves your sensitivity to insulin, circulation in pelvic organs and strengthens pelvic muscles, and aligns the uterus with the inside of your pelvis.
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