training around your menstrual cycle.

A lot of women go to the gym with the goal of becoming stronger every week. Although it is possible to become stronger overtime, getting stronger every week, especially if you have a natural menstrual cycle, can be difficult. Your strength varies throughout your cycle, which is completely normal. I know a lot of women see this as a bad thing but let me tell you this. It’s not a bad thing, not at all, because you can use these different phases and train around them, which will make you stronger and healthier in the long term.

I’ve been struggling a lot with this too. I became frustrated when my motivation or strength dropped completely out of nowhere, even though I was doing everything right. The same with my female clients: one week they were so strong and the other week their strength and motivation dropped. This is why I started doing some research and found out there was actually not a lot of solid information out there about this topic. I decided to take some courses and dig in to hormonal health and I started to apply everything I learned to myself and my clients. I noticed not only did we become stronger, our motivation was higher, we had less injuries and so on.

My name is Axelle. Allow me to tell you something more about this topic, if you experience this too.

The Basics

Follicular Phase
The follicular phase lasts from the day you get your period until the day you ovulate. During this time, the follicles in the ovaries mature. The first 5 or so days of this phase make up the menstrual phase, or the days during which you actually discharge blood and tissue from the lining of your uterus. On day 1, estrogen is at its lowest. Then estrogen increases to stimulate follicular growth. The follicular phase lasts approximately 14 days.

Ovulation
A mature egg is released by the ovaries and becomes available to be fertilized by sperm. Estrogen and LH are at their highest on the day of ovulation. Progesterone starts to increase, and body temperature increases.

Luteal Phase
The luteal phase lasts from the day after you ovulate until the day you start your period. The lining of the uterus will start to thicken to prepare for a possible pregnancy.

Progesterone, estrogen, and body temperature increase and then start to decrease if the egg is not fertilized. The luteal phase lasts approximately 14 days, and then the cycle restarts if the egg is not fertilized.

Estrogen = Anabolic
Progesterone = Catabolic

How to train around your cycle?

We can split our menstrual cycle into 4 parts (ex. ‘normal’ cycle of 28 days)

Day 1-7
Day 1 is the first day of your menstruation. Normally, you will still feel weaker during the first days of your period, but after day 3 your strength will normally start to rise.

Day 7-14
Your strength will peak here. Around day 9 your body will produce more testosterone, which means you will be able to lift heavier weights and break PR’s.

Day 14-21
Every month, your body prepares yourself for a pregnancy, even if the egg is not fertilised. This process takes a lot of energy, you feel more tired and strength will decrease.
During this period, your strength will start to decrease, but you won’t notice it a lot.

Day 21-28
Your hormones drop and your strength drops too. You are also more prone to injuries. This week it’s a good idea to implement a deload week.

*note: All this information is based on a natural cycle, without any form of contraception. Even if you’re not on hormonal contraception, you will most likely not experience these shifts in your hormones.

If you do not have a regular cycle, it will also be hard to train around your menstrual cycle. Irregular cycles and hormonal issues are not normal and can be helped by implementing the right food choices and lifestyle habits and maybe some supplementation. Even if you’re not trying to conceive, a healthy menstrual cycle is an indicator of optimal health. 

in summary

I hope this blog post gave you some basic information about your menstrual cycle and how you can use it in your advantage. I know this topic is not something we normally talk about, but hormonal health is so important. If you experience an irregular cycle (or PCOS, hormonal acne, hormonal migraine and so much more), don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ve helped numerous women regain their regular cycle and beat their hormonal imbalances. I work with an holistic approach, meaning I will not give you drugs or quick fixes, I will start at the cause of your problems until we can solve whatever you are struggling with by implementing the right food choices, lifestyle choices and supplementation. 

Good luck and lots of love
Axelle Wilssens
@axellewilssens

Sources:
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-train-with-your-menstrual-cycle
https://mennohenselmans.com/menstrual-cycle-periodization/