My Experience with Menstrual Cycle Periodization
Once a month, I forget how to lift.
I can find myself failing with as little as 75% of my max. Along with that comes pain, instability, and a loss of coordination. Every tweak or injury that I have ever sustained has also occurred at this time.
It isn’t all bad, though. There is another point in the month where the weight suddenly feels light. I can hit massive PR’s out of nowhere.
These swings in performance are pronounced enough to overrun my perfectly penned programming.
Though I tried for years to find a link between these occurrences and whatever movements or methods I was using at the time, they proved to be completely unprovoked by anything other than the time of the month.
It’s like being a werewolf.
Luckily, there is a periodization strategy that accounts for these semi-predictable shifts.
Natural Peaks and Valleys
Generally, women feel stronger and more energetic in the first half of their cycle (the follicular phase), and feel weaker and more lethargic during the second half (the luteal phase).
This isn’t solely about feelings.
Research has consistently shown that training in the first half of the menstrual cycle has a greater effect on strength and muscle mass.
When the same level of work is performed in the latter half of the cycle, the benefits are measurably less.
Hormonal Shifts
This post is going to be less about science and research, and more about practicalities.
For the sake of background context, here is a quick rundown of what our bodies go through every month:
1. Follicular Phase
The follicular phase starts when your period starts, and continues for the first half of the menstrual cycle (roughly two weeks). Estrogen and progesterone are both low in the beginning of this phase, with estrogen steadily rising.
Though estrogen is probably most known for its unfavorable effects on men, it is actually anti-catabolic for women and makes us feel great in general.
Pain tolerance can be pretty high here. Work capacity and recovery are good as well. At this point, we typically feel crisp and coordinated.
Insulin sensitivity is high (that’s a good thing). Carbs are utilized well at this stage, and we are primed for building muscle.
2. Ovulation
Around ovulation time (the midway point – roughly day 14 in a 28 day cycle), our hormonal fluctuations allow for a natural strength peak. Estrogen and testosterone both hit a high point.
Though this aids us in strength, injury risk also rises to between four and eight times higher than baseline.
3. Luteal Phase
After ovulation, estrogen plummets as progesterone dominates for the remainder of the cycle. By the end of this phase, both estrogen and progesterone are low.
Around now, we might notice things feeling heavier than normal, poor concentration, and that we aren’t recovering as well. Severe cramping, bloating, and impaired coordination can impede the body’s ability to safely stabilize weight and sense positioning, increasing the risk of injuries and accidents. We can also experience ligament laxity from elevated relaxin, which can up the injury factor as well.
We use more fat as fuel in this phase.
What This Means for Periodization
- Push hard for progress through the follicular phase.
- Figure out when you are ovulating. Schedule the most challenging day of the cycle around this time, if that is when you are consistently at your best. Since this runs right into a time of elevated injury risk, be sure to perform thorough warm ups, and be mindful of proper knee and hip tracking.
- When the luteal phase begins, scale back on the amount of work being done. (Exactly how to do this and to what extent can vary.) Conditioning work might be well-received here. This also can be a good time to focus on fat loss, if desired. (Note: The fat loss/ luteal phase thing is purely research reporting. Some of us get much hungrier here, so no worries if you find this doesn’t work for you.)
- PMS is an opportunity to deload and come up for air. Shift the emphasis to recovery, and replace some of the heavy lifting with lighter work or conditioning. Again, if there are any strange niggles around this time, it might be best to play it safe.
- Once the period begins, start working back up. (Energy tends to pick up a bit after you’ve been bleeding for a few days.)
How To Know When You’ve Entered the Luteal Phase
One method to determine if you have crossed over to the luteal realm is to track your temperature. When you ovulate, your body temperature rises slightly (around 0.5°F), and will remain slightly elevated in the latter half of the month. This could be your cue to dial things down a notch. When your period starts, that would be the signal to start working your way back up.
Simple calendar tracking can also be helpful. Or, you can use an app, like Period Tracker.
Programming Ideas
The overarching theme is just to cluster most of the hard work into the first half of the cycle.
There are an infinite number of ways to make that happen. Some options may be better than others depending on training level, personal preferences, and how dominant the menstrual cycle is.
As far as what to do for the second half of the cycle, it depends. Maybe something along the lines of maintenance, or minimum effective dose mode. Obviously, effort in this phase won’t be flushed down the drain, so more work could be done if it is well-tolerated.
This is probably not a situation where you’d want to plan in excruciating detail for months in advance. Periods can be early or late, and each cycle might have some different quirks. Being flexible and reactive seems a better fit than having an overly rigid structure.
Logistics tend to fall into place when the big picture is kept in mind.
There is also no need to reinvent the wheel when designing your program. You can probably incorporate menstrual cycle periodization into an existing framework. Here are a few period-friendly examples:
Example 1: Percentage-Based Program
In a percentage-based program, you have a prescribed weight to hit for a set number of repetitions.
This format can really shine a spotlight on inconsistent performance.
To make this a little more adaptable for the menstrual cycle, you could allow a margin of error on the prescribed weight. For example, give or take 5%-ish on all lifts (allowing more of a sway for weight decreases than increases).
You could autoregulate the luteal phase of your cycle while sticking closer to the script for your more predictable follicular weeks.
You could also reduce the workload in the luteal phase by cutting down on the number of sets per session.
Here is an example of how a percentage-based template might be modified:
Example 2: Undulating Periodization
An undulating scheme is a natural fit with the menstrual cycle. The intensity waves up and down over a period of days or weeks. You can easily synch the those waves to your own.
Here is an example of what this could look like:
Example 3: 5/3/1
5/3/1 is a popular system that allows for a bit of autoregulation with an amrap on the final set. Some might find that this is actually plenty to work with.
There is a world of other adjustments that can be made with more or fewer backdown sets, adding heavy singles after the main lift, performing multiple amraps/ skipping amraps, or changing the order of the weeks (3/5/1 is great).
None of this is anything new, as every fathomable possibility has been outlined in the 5/3/1 books.
You can see in the example below that the lifter opted out of an amrap on her 1+ week (early luteal phase). Instead, she did a respectable single, then went for controlled eccentrics on her down sets. Had she run into 1+ in the follicular phase, her choices might have been different.
Example 4: Daily Autoregulated Training
For experienced lifters, a frequent Daily Max, or daily autoregulated type of system can be enlightening. (It does not mean going to an absolute max, and it does not have to be every single day.)
You do what you are capable of each day. In essence, just show up – and let your body’s natural cycle lead the way. By doing so, you can tap into your body’s natural periodization rhythm and fall into an organic pattern that is just right for you.
Many period-related woes can be diffused, desensitized, and demystified within a system like this.
Here is an example of how a month might end up looking:
Other Variables to Tinker With
Frequency
Cluster training days closer together in the follicular phase, and space them out during the luteal weeks.
Deloads
Things tend to flow harmoniously when scheduled deloads fall neatly inline with with PMS week.
If the menstrual cycle falls out of synch with the program schedule, it’s nothing to stress over. You can adjust each week to your abilities, or just drop in/ push back a deload week where needed. Once the clouds pass, pick up where you left off.
Common sense would say not to deload in the follicular phase. However, there might be occasions where you’d like to have a better than typical performance on a specific day. In that case, maybe you DO deload in the follicular phase, so that your luteal phase PR attempt can be that much better.
Whenever you deload, expect to have a better than normal week when you return – whichever point in your cycle that may be.
Timing
Our time to exhaustion decreases in the luteal phase. This means that we might hit the wall sooner and harder during a workout.
If you regularly find yourself beating a dead horse, you can try setting a timer. When it goes off, the session is terminated. This doesn’t need to turn into a ‘beat the clock’ circuit at the expense of strength, but a time restriction can limit junk volume and unnecessary drains on recovery.
For myself, a good session in the follicular phase lasts anywhere from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. In the luteal phase, anything that happens after the forty-five minute mark tends to be toilet-worthy.
Deadlifts
Switch to a less demanding deadlift variation (for example, blocks instead of floor pulls) during the luteal phase. Deadlifts carry a lot of weight, so this alone can be a pretty impactful adjustment.
Lift Variations
Piggybacking off of the above, switching some standard lifts to slow tempos, pauses / multiple pauses (elevator lifts), partials, and tech-focused variations can help with positional awareness in the luteal phase. All of these things emphasize technique perfection and should carry over well when it’s time to push hard again.
BFR
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) can be a nice tool to have in the toolbox during the luteal phase. You get many of the benefits of heavy lifting, but with less stress. It can even help with recovery.
Personally, I love a heavy-ish placeholder lift, followed by some BFR work in the luteal phase. Or, throwing in a light BFR recovery circuit during PMS week. Lots of room for experimentation.
Individual Differences
Menstrual cycles vary from 23-35 days in length.
The same woman’s cycle can change monthly.
Not all women feel their strongest at ovulation. Quite a few report that the early follicular phase is where they shine.
Some actually feel their strongest just before their period arrives.
PMS symptoms are mild for some people. Others can’t get out of bed. This has less to do with a woman being stronger for not letting her period get in the way, and more to do with the varying intensities of hormonal fluctuations that women experience.
Many women have things going on outside of the norm, such as endometriosis, PMDD, or menorrhagia.
Some people just don’t have very dominant menstrual cycles. This group probably won’t benefit quite as much from menstrual cycle periodization.
Women who are on (non-triphasic) hormonal birth control do not experience these hormonal shifts, and will not need any intervention at all.
Any of these things can influence how someone might periodize for their menstrual cycle, or if they choose to at all.
What the Research Says
The research on menstrual periodization is positive. Women have been shown to gain more muscle mass when the bulk of their training is done during the follicular phase.
Incidence of injury can be curbed by taking extra precautions at certain times of the month.
This is valuable information that can keep us safe, conserve energy, elevate performance, and prolong our lifting careers.
That said, research is not the be-all-end-all.
Some studies have shown that strength is not affected by menstrual phases.
There are plenty of female powerlifters who disagree with that, because they DO lose strength during certain phases. If it’s happening right in front of you, then it’s happening….period. (Pun!)
Research is great when it confirms what you observe to be true. Especially when it adds value by enticing you to explore avenues that you might not have otherwise considered – and the result is good.
That said, I don’t think that becoming overly consumed with studies is a great way to handle something as intimately individualized as this.
Controlled studies are limited, and they form conclusions based on the average outcome. There are always outliers on either end.
Natural vs Planned Peaks
If the goal is simply general strength, there is probably no harm in allowing for PR attempts when feeling great. This can be a fun and rewarding way to train.
Unfortunately, strength sports do not have PMS divisions. When competing, it might make sense to handle things a bit differently. On those really great training days, it would probably be best to not go too far over the top. Straying too far from the plan could cause an early peak.
On the flip side, this does not mean that we must succumb to failing lifts if the plan calls for an ambitious day at the wrong time. Many of us have been there, and it sucks. It’s probably why we started researching menstrual cycle periodization in the first place.
You can still follow the pattern of your peaking plan, but adjust for wherever you are in your cycle.
PMS/ Period on Competition Day
A peaked state is special. It’s like when Pac-man eats one of those cherry things, gets immunity, and proceeds to destroy all the ghosts for a short while.
A little while later, he is vulnerable again. The timing is everything.
This temporary, supercharged peaked state has the potential to overpower PMS, if that’s what nature has planned for the day.
If you actually GET your period on competition day, then kiss the stars. The typical period discomfort might be deceiving, but hormonally – you are lined up for some great lifts.
Final Thoughts
Menstrual cycle periodization can take a presumptuous blunder of a program and turn it into a productive system that fits like a glove.
Keeping expectations in check, the objective isn’t to ensure that every workout is awesome. We do occasionally need to wade through some muck as part of the normal adaptation process (as well as just life in general), and can’t expect to feel crisp and refreshed all of the time. There are still daily ups and downs.
If you are firmly in the first half of your cycle and have an inclination to abandon lifting for a bubble bath… you might need to come correct.
But if you notice a pain that you don’t have normally, are experiencing extreme fatigue, or can’t seem to stabilize or coordinate your body effectively, it might be smart to dial things down a notch.
It wouldn’t be unfathomable to have a different PR log for each menstrual phase. A 200lb squat might be warm-up weight when you are at your best, but at your worst – it could be a breakthrough performance.
Overall, I think that the research has presented an important concept:
It might not pay off to wreck oneself unnecessarily at certain points in the cycle.
And at other points – pushing boundaries might pay in full.
Being aware of hormonal fluctuations can help us to get more quality work in, eliminate the extra stuff that might not be paying off, exploit our strengths, alleviate frustration, and get the most out of strength training.
(All of this is based on the assumption that sleep, stress, nutrition, and technique are accounted for. Having these basics under control can help quite a bit, even if it is a menstrual cycle thing.)
Sources
Effects of follicular versus luteal phase-based strength training in young women
Menstrual cycle and knee joint position sense in healthy female athletes
Frequency variations of strength training sessions triggered by the phases of the menstrual cycle