Cramps and cravings often push exercise to the backburner — after all, many don’t want to do sprint intervals while free-bleeding. Menstruation has been known to affect exercise because of its lovely side effects like bloating and nausea, but what if it did more? Some research points toward evidence that performing exercise during certain phases of the cycle are more beneficial for adaptations, and plenty of fitness influencers seem to agree. But is it the same for everyone? Let’s dig in.
Fitness influencers have done it again — a fresh wellness topic has been floating around online discourse. Should women program their workouts around their menstruation cycles? It’s a complicated question that doesn’t necessarily have an answer. First, let’s start with the basics.
Cycle Basics
Menstrual cycles can be split into two basic cycles: follicular and luteal. The follicular phase begins on the first day of bleeding and lasts until ovulation. During this time, estrogen levels are on the rise and progesterone levels remain low. Next comes the luteal phase. This begins at ovulation and lasts until bleeding starts again. During this phase, estrogen levels remain low while progesterone is peaking. The luteal phase is also when premenstrual syndrome symptoms occur.
“The first half of the cycle, when you’re creating the egg, is really all estrogen- dependent and the second half is all progesterone,” said Dr. Austin Zanelotti, an assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami. “[Symptoms] are how your body reacts to estrogen versus how your body reacts to progesterone.”
Progesterone and estrogen have a sweeping impact on the body, beyond just menstruation. Enter exercise — should you be planning your programs based on your cycle?
The Research
The research on this topic is vastly spread across multiple conclusions. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that the resting heart rate was higher during the luteal phase, as well as the peak heart rate being lower during the luteal phase — though VO 2 max wasn’t affected. This means that reaching high heart rates during intense exercise would be harder during the second half of your cycle. However, the same study found no change when it came to resistance — or strength — training.
But a study published in SpringerLink had a different conclusion. It showed that maximal muscle strength is greater in the follicular phase for both trained and untrained females, especially when it comes to leg muscles. Not only that, but recovery and reconstruction of muscle is greater in the follicular phase, as well. This could be because of estrogen’s impact on growth hormones.
Though these studies show specific benefits of working out during the follicular phase, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train in luteal. However, there might be more benefits to saving intense workouts for the beginning of the cycle.
“Progesterone on smooth muscle causes relaxation. In pregnancy when you have higher progesterone, your sphincter and esophagus get loosened because progesterone doesn’t allow it to be tight,” said Zanelotti. “A similar thing might happen to skeletal muscle.
Individual Reactions
All this said, the research is far from perfect. There are numerous explanations as to why these conclusions were drawn, and evidence is still developing. Everyone is unique and won’t react to hormones in the same way.
“There’s a lot of different studies that show for strength-specific exercise and shorter exercise sessions, the period and the point that you’re in doesn’t necessarily affect your ability to perform and have good muscle contraction, said Dr. Jaime Dickerson, assistant professor of OB-GYN at UM. “All of that’s based on people’s heart rates and ventilation and the lactate response to exercise.”
Dickerson also mentioned numerous women who have made incredible athletic achievements like Kiran Gandhi, who finished the London marathon in 2015 while free- bleeding, and gold-medalist swimmer Dara Torres, who trained while pregnant. These women show that hormones don’t have to affect their performance.
“If you look up the female athlete triad, they’re people who are really exercising a lot, like world-class athletes,” said Dickerson. “They can eventually suppress their period because of how they’re exercising, so there’s definitely an effect. We just don’t really know if, for some people, there’s a point in the cycle where it’s better to exercise or not.”
Sometimes, exercising while experiencing PMS symptoms might be beneficial for non- performance reasons. “[Exercise] can help deal with the negative side effects the menstrual cycle has and give them a chance to not think about it and do
something physically exertion that helps them cope with their pain,” said Zanelotti.
“Anything that gets your basal heart rate up should have a positive effect on how you feel. It can be a psychiatric benefit as well as a physical benefit.” Despite not feeling your best during some parts of your cycle, exercise can relieve some symptoms, including emotional ones. Junior Zoie Tirona finds relief in working out during her cycle.
“I’m more moody, so I want to work out harder. But the week leading up to the period I definitely am more tired, and I tend to take those days slightly easier,” said Tirona. “I don’t really change my workouts that much.”
The concept of aligning workouts to your menstrual cycle is rising in popularity, with many fitness influencers exploring the topic on TikTok and Instagram, sharing their personal experiences and recommendations. Some, though, are dispersing false information about what’s beneficial for everyone.
“The concept of trying to change your workouts around your cycle is not a bad one. I’ve had a couple people ask me about this because it’s something that’s been in the news and in the media recently just out of interest,” said Dickerson. “There’s nothing wrong with trying it and journaling, seeing if any of this stuff works for you, but if it doesn’t, that’s not really a bad thing.”
Birth control can make navigating hormone effects even more complicated. Depending on the type, birth control will likely change how your body feels throughout your cycle.
“The concept of [the pill] is that you’re at a steady state of estrogen and progesterone, so there’s less fluctuation,” said Dickerson. “That in and of itself should make it less necessary to sync what type of exercise you’re doing throughout your cycle.”
There’s even less research on exercise performance while on birth control, so it’s unclear whether it can affect muscle building or endurance training.
Remember, everyone’s body is different. Reactions and experiences vary enormously from person to person, and the research often doesn’t account for that. Listen to your own body and find a routine that feels good for you. For some, that might be lifting all throughout their cycle, while others might prefer focusing on high-intensity training during the first half and low-impact workouts during the second.
“It’s a great thing to be aware of,” said Dickerson. “It’s better for it to be talked about because a lot of times there’s this stigma, and women are supposed to cover up that they’re at a different point in their cycle and if that has any different impact on their lives.”
words_lizzie kristal. design_melanie bergunker & lizzie kristal.
This article was published in Distraction’s Spring 2023 print issue.
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