Training around our Menstrual Cycles: is it a thing, and can it help?

Illustration by Tanya McBride

Anyone who menstruates would be able to attest to physical and emotional changes connected to their Menstrual Cycle. There are often common experiences such as PMS, feeling more energised around Ovulation and Menstruation symptoms like cramps, headaches, feeling tired and irritable. Other notable changes throughout our cycle can be energy levels, mood, appetite, bloating, Pelvic Floor function, libido, skin, sensitivity to pain and much more. Although there is great, and an increasing number of, research pieces, articles and publications that provide information about the Menstrual Cycle. Some with suggested formulas for training around the Menstrual Cycle. There is simply not enough research, in enough depth, to provide evidence based advice for a blanket approach to planning training with the Menstrual Cycle. What we have available is anecdotal evidence and this in itself can be informative and useful, but needs to be applied with the knowledge that every individual’s menstrual cycle experience is different. Cycle length, the way we respond to different hormones, socio-economic influences, for example, change from Menstruating person to person. I will proceed to give a rough overview of the hormonal patterns of the Menstrual Cycle, how I train around my cycle and what I do with my clients.

Basic overview of Menstrual Cycle hormone changes. Illustration by me!!!

In its simplest form the Menstrual Cycle has two Phases, the Follicular and Luteal Phases. During the Follicular Phase (from day 1 of Menstruation to Ovulation) Oestrogen and Progesterone  levels start off low, during Menstruation. Oestrogen then rises after your period ends, reaching peak just before Ovulation. The Luteal Phase starts at  Ovulation and lasts until the day before your next period. During this phase both Oestrogen and Progesterone are initially higher, then decreasing leading up to Menstruation. Cycles differ in length and frequency per individual and of course change at certain stages throughout our lives, including, but not exclusive to, the use of contraception, pregnancy, when breast feeding and as we get older and head in to peri-menopause. When we are post menopausal (have not had a period for one year), or are not menstruating for other reasons, we will still have the three main sex hormones in our body, cycling, interacting and changing in amounts.

 What I do, and suggest my menstruating clients do, is track my Menstrual Cycle, by recording information about it on a daily basis. There are a plethra of ways this can be done including using an App to log information, making notes on a phone or my personal preference (as with much of my work) using pen and paper. I write daily about things I have noticed about myself. For me, this works best at the end of the day when the kids are asleep! I sometimes provide clients with a notebook if this is something they wish to do too. From simply writing one word, to a longer paragraph, or creating a map, using illustrations, any data is useful. The more information we gather, and for a greater amount of time, the more we learn. Today you may have noticed you are more tired then usual, hungry, anxious, sad, excited, sociable, forgetful, irritable. Any observations about thoughts, feelings and actions are relevant and however much you are inclined to record is great. I try to write a few sentences a day, but this has taken conscious practice, a special notebook and a nice pen. I am not always consistent, but that in itself can be useful. I discovered I am less likely to put an entry in my diary around the time I Ovulate. At this point I am transitioning from having more energy to less, but still not introspective enough, which is what gets me back in to the diary towards the end of my cycle.

Another dodgy illustration by me!!! Can you guess what it is?

I have discovered that at the start of my cycle until I Ovulate, around days 4-12, I am my strongest self, can  lift my heaviest weights and have the most endurance. I programme heavier sessions with lots of compound movements like Barbell Squats and Deadlifts. This is always when I hit my Personal Bests (PBs). Just after I Ovulate I feel a bit wobbly and emotional for a day or two. I know I have Ovulated because I suddenly feel a little less energised and sociable. For me, a medium weight Kettle Bell with lots of flow is what works. I need mindless and soothing movement, maybe to be guided. During my Luteal Phase I just can not lift as heavy and this used to piss me right off. Like what the fuck actually happened? Until I made the connection to my cycle. This has been a great source of reassurance and undestanding. As I head towards Menstruation I get increasingly tired, hungry and frustrated or irritable. I eat more, I need to train lighter, I do more Mobility and go for long walks. I have also noticed that my Pelvic Floor feels more relaxed, which impacts my ability to mange Intra-Abdominal Pressure, so some of the more demanding exercises are out, and even lifting my kids takes a conscious pelvic floor squeeze and exhale. This is me, some of my habits may resonate with you as there are often shared experiences such as low energy towards the end of our cycle, but our nuanced experiences are all different. My clients and I track their cycle and keep a record of the days of the cycle they are training. We can start to recognise patterns and plan sessions accordingly.

We also need to bear in mind that there are other significant variables that must mostly be in place for Menstrual Cycle Awareness to be an added benefit: good sleep quality, stress management, access to food, hydration, knowledge of injuries (or their management) and the time to rest and recover. The added wisdom from Menstrual Cycle Awareness will be almost lost  if these foundations are not accessible and largely in place.

All data, is useful data, whether we Menstruate or not. Observing how we feel, how we sleep, stress levels, water intake and nutrition, can shape how we train: what our bodies, and minds, could benefit from. If we start to notice any patterns we can implement helpful strategies. This could be choosing to rest, slowing your running pace, shortening your run, focusing on mobility, undertaking more restorative activities, lightening the load, or pushing harder, lifting heavier, running faster, adding more reps, training for longer or trying for a PB. It is a more intuitive way of moving and moves away from more popular periodisation programmes (that are based on, and researched around, cis-gender, male athletes). Especially if you are not competing, or working towards a goal with a deadline, our bodies are fantastic mechanisms that can offer us huge feedback and information, should we have the time to tune in. Surely working with our natural rhythms and circumstances, we are more likely to avoid injury and will continue to progress without significant setbacks? Our natural cycles (like the seasons in Nature) programme all important rest for us, as well as times to grow and challenge (stress) our bodies more.

The beauty of tracking our cycles is that we can gain more insight about ourselves. This we can apply to how we exercise, but also to the rest of our lives. We can start to plan our time around this. Make space, and find support, to rest, in advance of when we will need it. Book in more social, or professional engagements such as meetings, at points in our cycle where we have more energy, better memory, and more of a desire to be in company. You may decide when you Menstruate you need to hide in your bed with all the comforts and peace, or that this is a time when you could add the extra weight on to your Chest Press. You may feel unstoppable. As you gather the data, over time, you should be able to see patterns form, that could greatly help you to programme your training, and even your life.