How to Cycle Sync Your Running, Strength Training, Yoga & Conditioning Workouts
As you learn more about cyclical fitness, you may be resisting the approach altogether because you’re worried that you’ll have to give up your favorite workouts for part of the month. Or maybe, you feel limited by another rigid set of guidelines for how and when to move your body.
It’s true, you are not the same every day of the month. And yes, some movement modalities lend themselves better to one phase over another.
But let’s remember that the best workout for YOU, is the one YOU like doing.
You can still enjoy the workouts you love all month long with a few adjustments to accommodate your changing hormones. Whether you’re a runner, a lifter, or a yogi, I’m sharing how to adapt your favorite movement modalities to mirror your menstrual cycle for better results that keep your hormones happy.
A Phasic Approach to Exercise
The following guidance is informed by Dr. Stacy Sim’s ROAR in which the menstrual cycle is divided in two overarching “phases”: low-hormone and high-hormone. The former being day one of your period until ovulation—comprising the menstrual and follicular phases—and the latter covering post-ovulation through the onset of your next period—the luteal phase. The days leading up to ovulation are often referred to as the ovulatory phase and are marked by a surge that kicks off the high-hormone phase. While we often think of the period as the main event of a cycle, we can use a second data point around ovulation to demarcate these two key phases of the infradian arc.
Use the guide below to map your favorite movement styles onto your menstrual cycle for improved energy levels and greater progress.
Flow Days | One More Reason to Upgrade Your Period
Painful periods? You’re not alone and we understand why working out during your flow days might be low on your priority list. However, one of the myriad benefits of having better periods is being able to capitalize on this low-hormone phase to move the needle toward your fitness goals.
Less hormonal interference = higher resilience, improved recovery, optimized baseline metabolic functions for strength and endurance
The bottom line? If and when you’re feeling good, your period is a great time to level up.
Flow Days | Exercise For Your Period
Running
Listen to your body. Dial back training intensity as appropriate with the onset of flow and menstruation symptoms. Focus on mobility drills and joint health with gentle stretching and low-intensity walks. After the initial bleed phase, you can get after it by increasing mileage and mastering new skills. With hormones at their lowest levels, take advantage of your period as a window of opportunity.
Strength Training
During your bleed, deload as appropriate for your energy levels or use resistance bands to target specific muscle groups while minimizing abdominal pressure which can worsen period cramps. We love training upper body during flow days! After your heaviest flow days, increase load, power, and complexity to make the most of your low-hormone physiology.
Yoga
Opt for the belly-down backbends like cobra or sphinx when invited to “vinyasa” as this can promote healthy flow and alleviate cramps. Cultivate awareness of the pelvic floor and allow for relaxation at the base of the spine. Favor supported inversions over those that elevate the hips high above the heart. Use child’s pose as your homebase and make the practice your own.
Conditioning
Endorphins can be a powerful ally during flow days. Daunting as it may be to move through period pain, gentle walking and low-intensity cardio are perfect for this phase and can soothe these symptoms. Remember to take it easy—there is still plenty of time for high intensity after your bleed phase!
Follicular Phase | Less Hormone Interference and More Gains
Now is the time to dig deep and get sweaty during workouts. Gradually increase intensity throughout this phase to match your energy levels. With the mind and body open to new experiences, now is a perfect time to play with new skills or sports or create new movement habits. Not to mention that with a slower baseline metabolism, you may find that high-intensity and conditioning workouts don’t leave you feeling burned out.
A word of gentle caution during this high-energy phase. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. For example, you might be able to jump right into high intensity or go without breakfast for your morning workout. Don’t skip the warm-up/cool-down and fuel your body to support your muscles at work! Your body has easier access to carbohydrates to fuel workouts during this phase—eat carbs to make this upgrade work for you!
Follicular Phase | Exercise
Running
Add mileage and volume early in this phase while recovery is quicker, body temperature is lower, and fuel is more readily available. As ovulation approaches and hormones rise, trade volume for intensity and focus on shorter, faster runs and speed drills.
Strength Training
Plan your most intense strength sessions during the early follicular phase to capitalize on increased muscle strength and endurance. Aim for challenging workouts that push your edge in both load and volume.
Yoga
Get playful in your practice and explore new shapes in a vinyasa flow class. This is a prime time for heated yoga when your core temperature is slightly lower and you break a sweat more quickly. With energy expanding outward, you might find heart opening and backbends come more easily.
Conditioning
With higher energy and mental alertness, this phase welcomes complex movement patterns that invite you to move in new ways. It’s a great time to practice speed drills and high-intensity interval training to improve conditioning and agility. Go for a run with a friend and try to keep up the conversation along the way!
Ovulatory Phase | Peak Performance
In addition to feeling magnetic while donning a whole-body glow, the days leading up to ovulation are for peak performance. With a greater anabolic (gain) response as a result of surging estrogen and testosterone, now is the time to build muscle and exert power. Turn up the intensity and as you do, be sure to warm up and cool down appropriately. Be impeccable with form and mechanics to protect joints during a high-laxity phase and help your body recover quickly by fueling immediately (within an hour) after exercise. This will help you take advantage of metabolic pathways that repair and build muscle mass.
Ovulatory Phase | Exercise
Running
Think of the few days preceding ovulation as the peak of your performance arc. Be prepared to leave it all on the track and log your hardest, most intense workouts—tempo runs or long hill repeats— before settling into the second half of the cycle. If the estrogen surge into a high-hormone state is leaving you a bit flat, begin to taper mileage and favor steady-state endurance in lieu of high intensity.
Strength Training
Continued easy access to glycogen stores gives you the fuel that high-intensity training demands. Use the mid-cycle surge in estrogen and testosterone to hit personal bests in resistance and power or use weights to uplevel conditioning movement patterns. As mentioned above, if you meet the peak estrogen feeling a bit “meh” you might consider active rest or recovery during ovulation.
Yoga
With confidence and curiosity beaming, your ovulatory days are a great opportunity to explore more challenging arm balances and inversions that require a bit of courage. With social centers in the brain awakened, you might find yourself at home in a group class or workshop.
Conditioning
If you’re someone who loves to push hard through high-intensity interval training, your feel-good window may comprise the days leading up to ovulation. With elevated estrogen and testosterone, tap into the solar attributes of power and speed for short bursts that allow you to flirt with your max heart rate and move your edge. Beware of overdoing high-intensity during this phase however as your body naturally produces more cortisol in response to higher estrogen. Best to keep your all-out sessions to under 30 minutes.
Luteal Phase | Deload and Recovery
This is when the work of cycle-aligned exercise plays the most important role. After ovulation, core body temperature is slightly elevated and sweating happens later with the same amount of exertion. Fatigue occurs more quickly and the body is in a breakdown state while sparing glycogen for energy in an effort to divert the highest level of nutrition to the uterine lining. You’ll have a harder time accessing fuel stores which can lead to feeling flat or like you can’t quite hit that high intensity mark. Add in a slightly elevated baseline metabolism and greater susceptibility to dehydration, the second half of the cycle is a time to beware of burnout.
For workouts, consider this phase in two parts: early luteal (the week or so following ovulation) and late luteal (the 5–7 days before your next period). In the early luteal phase, you might still be able to exert high energy in workouts, but it’s best to slow the pace and focus on technique. The late luteal phase is a time for deloading, bodyweight movement, steady-state effort, and active rest.
With sleep disruptions most often occurring during this phase, develop good sleep hygiene to promote adequate recovery and rest longer between workouts.
Luteal Phase | Exercise
Running
Your heart rate increases more rapidly in this high-hormone phase and with a slight increase in basal body temperature, you may find yourself more sensitive to heat in addition to experiencing the heaviness that accompanies water retention. Focus on low-intensity, aerobic sessions that go easy on your joints and keep the energy demand more neutral.
Strength Training
You might still be able to go heavy in the first week of the luteal phase, but this isn’t necessarily a time for breaking personal records. Focus instead on mastering solid mechanics, logging practice with new skills, and deloading in the week before your period. When you feel dip into pre-menstrual territory, try incorporating active rest days or mobility training using bodyweight.
Yoga
Perhaps the most supportive movement style for the luteal phase, this practice complements the natural pull of energy inward and cultivates space for the introspective qualities that are signature to this premenstrual time. While most styles of yoga can be practiced without consequence, steer clear of heated classes where possible. With later sweating, earlier fatigue, and higher body temperature, excessive heat may exacerbate PMS symptoms and deplete your body in the breakdown state.
Conditioning
Focus on steady-state effort that allows you to maintain an even level of exertion without pushing into the high intensity zone. Where possible, opt for longer endurance sessions at a lower intensity as opposed to short, powerful bursts. In the days leading up to your period, do yourself a favor and skip conditioning altogether in favor of mobility work and low-impact walking or aerobic exercise.
Are you ready to take the guesswork out of how and when to exercise with cycle-friendly practices that leverage your hormones?
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