Training During The Menstrual Cycle by Tilda Rydén, Founder of FysioTilda

Picture by Caroline Svensson

How can I train according to my menstrual cycle to get the most out of my training sessions?

My name is Tilda Rydén and I am deeply passionate about women’s health. I am a leg. physiotherapist and run my own company FysioTilda within health and exercise with a focus on the female health. In today’s article I would like to share how women can exercise with great results during their menstrual cycle.

A regular menstrual cycle can vary between 21-35 days but is on average 28 days. Estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone are the hormones that control the menstrual cycle and its various phases. The fluctuation of the hormones divides the menstrual cycle into two phases: the follicular phase and the luteal phase which are separated by ovulation.

The first phase, the follicular phase, can also be divided into two different parts: the early follicular phase (during our menstruation) and the late follicular phase. During the early follicular phase there is a low level of estrogen and progesterone in the body, while during the late follicular phase there is a high level of estrogen and low level of progesterone in the body. During the second stage, the luteal phase, the levels of estrogen and progesterone increase gradually, and it is mainly the levels of progesterone that increase. This occurs until a few days before the next menstruation when the hormone levels of both estrogen and progesterone decrease in the body again.

Picture by Caroline Svensson

Okay so that was a lot of facts and information. But to understand how we can influence our training and optimize our workouts during the menstrual cycle, we first need to understand how the menstrual cycle works and the fluctuations of the hormones in the female body. Some studies have shown a reduction in the maximum ability to perform during the luteal phase and a theory behind this is the increase of progesterone that could have a negative effect on physical activity.

As progesterone claims to have a negative effect on training it also claims to have a catabolic effect on our muscles. Estrogen on the other hand claims to have an anabolic effect on our muscles. Due to these claims, it has been speculated whether the performance of skeletal muscle may vary with the fluctuations of hormones during the different phases of the menstrual cycle.

So, what do we know? First and foremost, more research needs to be done in women’s health. But some studies have begun to emerge that show interesting results about exercise during the menstrual cycle. One study examined athletes and their experience of the menstrual cycle in relation to its impact on athletic performance. The study showed that 93% of the athletes experienced symptoms related to the menstrual cycle and that 67% of these thought that the symptoms affected them so much that their athletic performance decreased. The most common symptoms these women experienced were stomach pain, decreased energy levels, bleeding and general discomfort. The psychological symptoms the women reported were anxiety, distraction, negative mood, emotionality and decreased motivation.

Picture by Caroline Svensson

Strength training

A Swedish study examined the effects of the menstrual cycle during high-intensity periodic strength training in active women. In the study, women were divided into three different groups: one group that exercised periodically during the follicular phase, one group that exercised periodically during the luteal phase and one group that exercised regularly throughout the whole menstrual cycle. The results showed a significant increase in bone strength, muscle mass and jumping height for the participants in the group who trained periodically during the follicular phase. The results in the other groups were not as great. The conclusions from the study showed that high-frequency periodized strength training during the follicular phase has more advantages for training effect in women compared with the same type of periodized training during the luteal phase. And that periodic training during the follicular phase also gives more muscle mass compared to regular strength training. There are also studies that have examined muscle performance during specific days of the different phases of the menstrual cycle. However, these have led to different results where some studies have shown that women with regular menstrual cycles are stronger during ovulation while other studies have not measured any difference. However, what the above-mentioned Swedish study has concluded has also been shown in some other studies, which indicates that periodic training during the follicular phase can in the long run increase muscle strength due to the anabolic effects of estrogen.

Cardio

There are also studies that have examined cardio training during the menstrual cycle where they compared individuals’ fitness ability during the follicular phase compared to the luteal phase. They are few, but some of the existing studies have showed that the VO2max (oxygen uptake capacity) may be slightly lower during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. Also, that the training effect can be lower and fatigue increased during the luteal phase. These studies thus show that the hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle can have a slightly increased effect on aerobic capacity during the follicular phase and indicated that aerobic exercise performance is lower during the luteal phase.

A conclusion of all this is that most women are affected by the menstrual cycle in one way or another in relation to exercise. How you as a woman choose to act on this is, however, entirely up to you. If you are happy with your training as it is today, you do not need to periodize it according to your menstrual cycle. But if you want to you can start with periodized strength training during the follicular phase. Even though you do not want to change your training it can still be good to know that you can actually be affected in your training by your menstrual cycle!

Thank you so much for reading this article! If you have any questions or thoughts, i would love to connect with you!

The pictures above are taken by the talented photographer Caroline Svensson and you find her website here and Instagram here.