Optimize Your Fitness: The Ultimate Menstrual Cycle Workout Plan

Wondering how you can support your hormones for optimal health and wellness? Enter cycle syncing. Cycle syncing is the art of aligning your diet and lifestyle with your body’s hormonal shifts. As your hormones fluctuate throughout the month, so do energy levels, emotions, appetite, and more. Naturally, it makes sense to change what you eat, exercise, and structure your lifestyle! Fortunately, it’s not rocket science. Once you begin living in the flow with your flo, you’ll notice fewer cramps, less PMS, and a world’s difference in how you feel. Ready to kickstart your physique goals? Start with this menstrual cycle workout plan.

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Woman jumping_menstrual cycle workout plan

Why You’re Struggling to Reach Your Fitness Goals

Consistency, discipline, and finding movement you enjoy aside, many of us struggle (for years!) to reach our fitness goals because we’re constantly trying every popular diet and exercise program. But what if the key to finally making progress isn’t another fad workout or restrictive eating plan? Rather, it’s all about hormone balance. But good news! Getting back to the basics—adequate sleep, managing stress, eating for stable blood sugar, and exercising smartly—can make all the difference.

The Role of Hormones in Fitness and Body Composition

Hormones act as chemical messengers in the body, regulating everything from our metabolism and appetite to muscle growth and fat storage. When hormones are out of balance, they can sabotage even the most dedicated fitness efforts! After all, excess cortisol—from chronic stress—can lead to stubborn belly fat. And low testosterone can make it difficult to build and maintain muscle mass. And imbalances in thyroid hormones can wreak havoc on energy levels and metabolism.

protein tacos with cottage cheese_cycle sync workouts

Menstrual Cycle Phases

Before we dive into exercising with your menstrual cycle, let’s set the stage: each month—during the years between puberty and menopause—a woman’s body goes through several changes. This series of hormone-driven events is called the menstrual cycle. During each cycle, an egg develops and is released from the ovaries. The lining of the uterus builds up. If a pregnancy doesn’t happen, the uterine lining sheds. You get your period and the cycle starts again. The length of each phase can differ from woman to woman, and it can change over time.

MENSTRUATION PHASE

The first phase lasts 3-7 days. Estrogen and progesterone are low. The lining of the uterus sheds, causing bleeding.

FOLLICULAR PHASE

The follicular phase also starts on the first day of your period (overlapping with the menstrual phase). It lasts approximately 16 days, and estrogen and progesterone are on the rise.

OVULATORY PHASE

This phase is quick: 2-3 days—estrogen peaks; testosterone and progesterone rise.

LUTEAL PHASE

The final phase is 12-14 days. Estrogen and progesterone levels are high. If the egg isn’t fertilized, hormone levels decrease and the menstrual cycle starts again.

Disclaimer: These are ranges. Every woman’s cycle varies in length, so each of the four phases may be shorter or longer than what’s listed above. If your luteal phase is short (leading to a short cycle, overall), consider natural ways to lengthen it.

menstrual cup_menstrual cycle workout plan

How does your menstrual cycle impact your workouts?

Ultimately, the goal is to work with your hormones—not against them. Although there are many ways to do this (keeping your blood sugar balanced, taking the right supplements, adjusting your social calendar, etc.), today the focus is on fitness. So, what does the data show?

Your resting heart rate / cardiovascular benchmarks fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle. Source
Physical activity in general has been shown to reduce symptoms of physical PMS symptoms, psychological PMS symptoms, dysmenorrhea, and oligomenorrhea. Source
Women showed better performance in jumping-speed efforts in the luteal phase and showed the lowest exercise capacity right before and during menstruation. Source
Elite athletes self-report a decrease in their athletic performance in the menstrual phase and an increase in the follicular phase. Source

To summarize: there is a natural ebb and flow to energy, athletic performance, and hormones with each stage of our cycle. Up next: exactly how to leverage your workouts to align with the unique seasons of your menstrual cycle.

Woman swimming_menstrual cycle workout plan

Using Exercise as a Tool to Work with Your Hormones

We all know exercise is essential for overall health—especially when it comes to keeping hormones in check. By aligning your workouts with the different phases and energy levels of your cycle, you’ll reap the benefits (physically) but you’ll also feel more excited about slotting your workout in. For example, your athletic performance (and quite frankly, desire to exercise!) may naturally falter during PMS / period times of your cycle. Take it easy with a gentle yoga flow, a long walk, or an easy swim. On the flip side, take advantage of the energy you feel around ovulation and take a spin class, do a HIIT session, or grab heavier weights. Even Olympic medalists report a change in their performance due to fluctuations in hormones!

mom and toddler on the beach_menstrual cycle workout plan

Change Your Relationship with Exercise

By planning your workouts with your cycle, you can graciously support what your body needs throughout the month. As someone who used to think every workout had to be intense, consistent, and filled with sweaty cardio (you can read more of my exercise story here), I can confidently say that learning to incorporate different types/intensities has been everything from empowering to transformative. I no longer discount short, lower-intensity workouts—particularly as a mom of two little ones! Learning to exercise with my cycle has been a lesson in rest, recovery, variety, and giving my body what it actually wants.

How to Sync Your Workouts with Your Cycle

Below is a general framework, divided by each menstrual cycle phase. While this structure seems to work with most of my clients, every woman’s cycle looks unique to them. Therefore, it’s important to have an awareness of which exercises/energy levels seem to correlate with your cycle.

menstrual phase (Days 1-5)

This may feel intuitive already, but this is the time for slow, gentle movement. Either take an active rest day (stretch or go for a walk) or choose another form of low-intensity movement—like mat pilates with light weights, yoga, or bodyweight strength. You may feel some energy gradually come back around day 3-4 of your cycle as your estrogen begins to surge again, and at that point, you can increase intensity.

follicular phase (approx. days 6-14)

This is when your energy is starting to bounce back! You’re likely feeling more energized, so it’s a great time to increase to moderate-intensity workouts: jogging/power walking, trail running, cycle classes, weight lifting, resistance band or dumbbell strength exercises, etc.

ovulation phase (approx. days 15-20)

Consider this the peak of your follicular phase. Thanks to higher levels of estrogen, you’re likely feeling the most energized of any phase of your cycle. Amp up to moderate-to-high-intensity workouts during this phase. You may find you can tolerate HIIT classes, quicker paces, faster recovery, higher weights, etc. during this time. This would be a good time for interval workouts, running, intense weight lifting, speed walking, etc. If there’s a time to push yourself, this is it.

luteal phase (Approx. days 20-28)

The week or so before your period is time to start slowing things down again, decreasing the intensity of your workouts. You may still really want to be active during this phase (which is fine!), but perhaps to a lesser degree. This phrase is perfect for workouts like hot yoga, resistance band exercises, bodyweight strength, incline walking, and pilates.

Edie doing yoga_menstrual cycle workout plan

Honor Intuitive Movement

Yes, the goal is to sync exercise with your menstrual cycle, but it’s equally important to honor what your body needs. There’s a difference between forcing yourself to exercise when you feel weak and moving your body for the right reasons. If you think you’re exercising too much, consider low-intensity movement for a month or two. After all, the goal is to feel strong (but challenged) when exercising, not exercise to the point of diminishing returns: your period is absent, you’re not sleeping well, you feel anxious if you don’t work out, etc. In that case, it’s best to work with a healthcare professional to help you find a more supportive, intuitive relationship with exercise. Speaking from personal experience, it is possible!

Hormone Balance Guide

Ready to take the next step in your hormone-healing journey? Grab your copy of Master Your Menstrual Cycle—my holistic guide to balancing your hormones with ease.

master menstrual cycle_sync exercise with menstrual cycle

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and we recommend that you always consult with your healthcare provider.