How to sync exercise with your menstrual cycle, according to experts

We turned to experts to find out which stage of your cycle is best to exercise in and when you should rest

Cycle syncing could help you hit your PB and improve your recovery (The Independent / iStock)

On average, people who menstruate will experience 40 years of periods throughout their lives. That’s 40 years of potential symptoms that might interfere with your plans day to day. In recent years, as fitness trackers and wearables have made it easier to track your menstrual cycle, it’s become much easier to avoid high-stress situations or physical exertion on the days you know you’ll be dealing with cramps, fatigue and low energy.

Cycle syncing – that is, matching your cycle to your daily activity – has skyrocketed in popularity and it’s not surprising, considering 90 per cent of women suffer from premenstrual symptoms and 43 per cent report that periods disrupt their regular eating and sleeping patterns.

For athletes and those who train hard and compete in their sport, period symptoms can impact performance and recovery dramatically so cycle syncing can be a crucial tool for training and understanding when to push and when to rest.

Olympic diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix recently described how her period affected her at the Paris games and has since gone on to launch a menstrual health awareness campaign in collaboration with Superdrug that aims to educate young people about the menstrual cycle and their hormones.

“Only after years of being on my period do I finally have a grasp of how my body reacts during my menstrual cycle,” says Spendolini-Sirieix. “I am fully aware of my work attire as I step onto the platform, and even more aware when I am bloated, emotional, bleeding and uncomfortable. I know there is so much more work to do in terms of awareness on this topic, especially for young girls in sports.”

Particular stages of your cycle can affect your energy, sleep, appetite and mood, so we turned to experts to find out how to match your training, exercise and recovery to different phases, taking advantage of fluctuations in hormone levels, to make it easier to perform, recover and make the most of your workouts, rather than suffering through them.

What is cycle syncing?

As you move through the various stages of your cycle each month, your symptoms are likely to change. For some people, this is barely noticeable, but for others, hormonal symptoms can be severe. Knowing where you are in your cycle and what your hormones are doing can give you an indication of whether you should slow down, what kind of lifestyle changes to make and what you might be capable of doing from one day to the next.

“When it comes to training, working with the four phases of your menstrual cycle can see benefits such as increased energy, reduced risk of injury and a decrease in PMS symptoms. Syncing allows you to move with your hormones, rather than against them,” explains Kirby Akindeinde, a 1Rebel trainer and menstrual cycle syncing coach.

Along with exercise, matching your sleep schedule and diet to your cycle stage could also lessen the effects of your symptoms and enable you to ride the wave, making the most of peaks and troughs in your energy levels. “Nutrition plays a crucial role in menstrual health; as hormones change throughout the month, a balanced diet, rich in essential vitamins and minerals, can help support common period symptoms including cramps, mood swings, sleep disturbance, bloating and skin breakouts,” says Sasha Parkin, nutritional therapist at Wild Nutrition.

How to sync your workout to your period

There are four phases in the menstrual cycle and each one will affect how you feel when you work out. If you can identify each phase, perhaps by counting the days of your cycle or using a wearable tracker that can make predictions for you, you’ll be able to lean in when you feel stronger and prioritise rest when it’s most needed.

“Syncing can feel a little overwhelming, but once you get into the flow of it you’ll begin to feel more in tune with your body and the type of exercise it needs,” explains Akindeinde. “There’s no need to stress if you have a competition or fitness event during your luteal or menstrual phases. Cycle syncing is a great way to get the most out of training and best prepare your body but you can still perform during these phases.”

Menstrual phase: Days 1-5

During the menstrual phase, your oestrogen and progesterone will be at their lowest levels. This will likely result in a lack of energy and you might feel less motivated to work out and more keen for rest.

Akindeinde explains that “your menstrual phase is where you want to prioritise rest and lower intensity movement. Walking, slow flows and flexibility work are great options for this phase. Don’t be afraid to dial back during menstruation – it’s beneficial to do so.”

However, as she explains, if you still want to train hard during this phase, there’s nothing stopping you from doing so. Just use the knowledge you have about your hormone levels to look out for yourself, perhaps by boosting recovery with magnesium supplements, fuelling up with extra calories and sleeping for an extra hour or two.

Follicular phase: Days 1-13

Parkin explains that during the follicular phase, “your follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates your ovaries to encourage follicles to grow and produce oestrogen in preparation for ovulation. Your oestrogen levels are high in the lead-up to ovulation but start to drop around ovulation. Your body may have greater energy and a boost in creativity so use this to fuel motivation.”

She also notes that the menstrual and follicular stages run in tandem with each other so you may notice a shift in energy at a different time to someone else in the same phase. All bodies are different and how tired or energised you feel will also depend on how hard you’ve been training, how much sleep you’ve had and whether you’ve been prioritising recovery. For some, it’s normal to feel a burst of energy and experience a clearer mind and more focus, especially if you’ve been taking good care of yourself during the menstrual phase and eating well. For others, the shift is slower and less discernible.

During the follicular phase, Akindeinde recommends taking advantage of rising energy levels and boosting your metabolism with cardio workouts. “Think running, dancing or a 1Rebel Ride class. Get that heart rate up and get your sweat on!” she says.

Ovulation Day 14 – (marking the end of the follicular phase and the start of the luteal phase)

During ovulation, your luteinising hormone rises triggering the release of an egg. At this time, your body will be gearing up and providing you with more power so this is a great time to hit the gym if you’ve been putting it off.

“As you move into your ovulatory phase, you want to dig into your heavier strength sessions. Weight training, boxing and HIIT are perfect during ovulation, as it’s a great time to build lean muscle efficiently. It’s also an ideal phase to hit personal bests- perhaps your fastest running time or lifting heavier weights,” says Akindeinde

For this reason, it’s also crucial to make sure you’re eating plenty of protein and staying hydrated during ovulation. You’ll have more energy so make sure you’re fuelling your body properly if you’re going to push harder during this ideal training window.

“Around the time of ovulation, you’re more likely to feel an increase in confidence, communication and libido. Use this time to focus on accomplishing your goals and ensure you eat well and socialise,” says Parkin.

Luteal phase: Days 15-28

Energy is still high for the first few days of your luteal phase, therefore you can continue with your ovulatory workouts. “However,” explains Akindeinde, “as you move further into this phase it’s beneficial to shift your focus to lower intensity exercise such as pilates, yoga and swimming.”

If you’ve been trying to get pregnant, this is also the phase where you’ll be able to make decisions about how you train over the coming months. You might be considering staying fit during pregnancy, or if you’re not trying to conceive, you could be thinking about how you’ll arrange your training sessions and how you plan to support your body through the next phase of your cycle.

Parkin explains that during the luteal phase, “your body will decrease the production of oestrogen with progesterone rising then falling when a pregnancy isn’t detected. Make sure at this phase you’re going easy on yourself and don’t be self-critical. Hunker down and draw on rituals that bring peace and internal stillness. So read, meditate and chill.”

Once you’re able to track which stage of your cycle you’re in, syncing should be easier and you’ll probably find that your intuition matches what your cycle diary or tracker is telling you. At particular stages of the menstrual cycle, we’re more likely to feel pain more acutely, feel stronger and feel more tired or hungrier so once you know how to match those symptoms to your calendar, you’ll be able to work out and recover more effectively in a way that supports your body and doesn’t leave you feeling depleted.

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