You only need to take a quick scroll on social media to see many voices in the fitness space purporting the benefits of exercise on their menstrual cycle…
Whether it’s easing painful cramps, mitigating mood swings, or supporting overall hormonal rhythms, exercise offers a surprisingly versatile tool kit to do a lot of this, but isn’t perhaps the golden panacea social media often portrays.
It’s all about tuning into yourself and figuring out what works best for you.
Menstrual cycles and exercise
What we do know is that regular exercise has consistently been shown to improve menstrual health. Research shows that aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, or swimming can significantly reduce premenstrual symptoms including bloating, fatigue, mood swings, and irritability. Whilst strength training, yoga and Pilates have also been linked to reductions in cramping and perceived pain during menstruation.
Exercise also supports healthy hormonal regulation by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing stress hormones, which can in turn help with improving symptoms around the menstrual cycle.
So, yes - it’s absolutely accurate to say that the power of exercise can be great when it comes to improving menstrual health.
Exercise across the phases of menstrual cycle
It becomes more complicated when we dig in to creating ‘hard and fast’ rules around training across the menstrual cycle.
As it stands, recent data doesn’t support a clear and defined structure that works for all women when it comes to scheduling and tailoring training across their cycle. Instead, there are some interesting observations that may be helpful to understand.
As cycles vary greatly from woman to women, the most impactful strategy for hormonal wellness and menstrual health appears to be consistent moderate exercise tailored to how YOU as an individual feel, rather than rigid, phase locked scheduling.
Here’s a breakdown of key observations across each phase of an ‘average’ 28 day cycle:
What each menstrual phase might mean for your exercise plan
Days 1-7 - The Menstrual Phase
During this time, oestrogen and progesterone, the two biggest hormonal influencers on our menstrual cycle are at their lowest, which can cause energy levels to drop. You might also experience menstrual related cramps, and/or any other symptoms that persist for you during this time.
At this point in your cycle, regular exercise can help with easing some of these symptoms if you’re feeling up to it.
Low intensity aerobic exercise could be a great choice here such as walking, running, cycling or swimming, but again, it’s about you doing whatever feels good for you and your body in these days.
Days 7-14 - The Follicular Phase
During the follicular phase, and as oestrogen increases, you might find that your energy levels are boosted which makes you more motivated and energised to exercise.
This is the time to really focus on hitting PB’s in the gym, or planning your more demanding training sessions as you may feel at your best during this phase.
Days 15-28 - The Luteal Phase
Towards the end of our cycle and as progesterone rises, you may find yourself having another dip in energy levels leaving you feeling tired or quicker to exhaust than in the first half of your cycle.
Another interesting change is that our body temperature can also increase slightly during the second half of our cycle after ovulation, meaning that you can feel hotter and be more prone to sweating during this stage.
These changes can mean that dialling back your training marginally, and opting for things that feel more comfortable and manageable during this time can be beneficial and lean into the natural gradual decline of energy as you head towards your period again.
Finding what works for you
Syncing your cycle to your workouts can be brilliant for some, and not so helpful for others.
From a personal perspective, I didn’t find myself having the natural ebbs and flows of energy as explained above, and so often found myself having some of my best workout in the second half of my cycle, even though the evidence shows this to be less likely.
For this reason, research is inconclusive on making ‘definitive’ recommendations for all women when it comes to training and their menstrual cycle because each of us experiences such a widely varying set of symptoms that often don’t follow a linear structure.
That being said, knowing what’s going on in your body during these times IS helpful, because it can give you enough information to know what’s going on when, and to make your own adaptations as you see fit.
Key in mind these key observations:
Menstrual Phase (Days 1–7): Gentle movement can potentially ease cramps and lift wellbeing while energy is naturally lower.
Follicular Phase (Days 7–14): Rising oestrogen fuels energy, may make this the best time for pushing yourself and hitting some PB’s.
Luteal Phase (Days 15–28): Adapting workouts to shifting energy and temperature can help support consistency and balance with your fitness plans.
You know your body better than anyone else, so it’s all about tuning in to your own individual changes and making tweaks to your training that feel right for you.
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