The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.
I don’t know about you, but I love weight-lifting. I love pushing myself in the gym and getting my heart rate up and my body sore. Unfortunately, I notice that sometimes I am not able to able to perform as well as I want in the gym and I can’t lift as heavily.
Then I discovered Cycle Syncing. An article that helped me learn about cycle syncing was Cleveland Clinic’s Article “Cycle Syncing Nutrition and Exercise.” The article gave a great overview of the different phases of the cycles and how they impact your overall health and wellness in terms of nutrition and exercise. Let me break it down for you.
- It starts with the menstrual cycle. This is your period. It can last anywhere from 3-7 days. So this phase is Day 0-7 ish (depending on your cycle). This phase is when your body is at its weakest and you get tired more easily. During the menstrual phase, you can’t perform as well in the gym because your body exerts itself quickly. After all, it takes up energy to be on your period. This is a great time to do more low-intensity workouts such as yoga, walking, stretching or even taking time off. For me, I continue weightlifting, but I do a shorter session. I do low-weight, high reps (between 15-25 reps) for about 30-45 minutes. Then I do stretching and yoga.
- Next is the follicular phase. This is the time after your period when your energy levels start to rise again and you can do more. This phase starts after your period and goes on for a few days, so this is Day 8-13. This is a great time to start adding slightly higher-intensity workouts such as swimming, brisk walks, running and slightly more weight with slightly fewer reps. For me, I do slightly higher-weight, lower reps (between 12-15 reps) for about 1 hour, and finish off with stretching.
- After that, it is the ovulation phase. Your energy is at its peak, so it is a great time to utilize that energy! This is about Day 14-15. The article recommended high-intensity workouts such as kickboxing, spinning, boot camp, heavy weightlifting, etc. (Clinic, 2023). For me, this is when I do heavy-weight, lower reps (between 8-15 reps). I do my longest session of weightlifting on these days, so I do about an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half. I end with stretching.
- Following the high-energy ovulation phase comes the luteal phase. This is roughly from Day 16-28. This is generally when people experience PMS symptoms, both physical and emotional. The body is ‘preparing’ for fertilization, and that takes up energy. Because of this, lower energy levels start to creep up again. During this time, medium-intensity workouts are best. I do this based on how I worked out during my follicular phase, so I do medium-weight, slightly low reps (between 12-15 reps) for about an hour.
- Then the cycle starts all over again.
Of course, this is just a guideline. Do what feels right for you and your body!