For women: optimize training schedule to your menstrual cycle

Maybe you are a true yogi and love nothing more than rolling out your mat and starting your yoga session every week, you do team sports, or you are a true power house and the weight room is your second home. Whatever sport you practice, your training will undoubtedly go better on certain days than others. How your menstrual cycle can play a big role in this is something we'll look at in more detail.

During our cycle, hormones are constantly changing, and hormones affect training. When we understand our cycle well and adjust our training accordingly, we ensure that we are not working against our own bodies and are working out most effectively.

The first day of menstruation begins the follicular phase. This lasts about 14 days (depending on the length of your cycle) until the day of ovulation. During your follicular phase, your body makes estrogen, which has a positive effect on muscle cells. The day of ovulation also marks the peak production of the hormone testosterone (yep, women produce it too!). The phase after this, that is, from the day of ovulation until your next period, is called the luteal phase. During this phase, we produce more progesterone, which appears to have a degrading effect on our muscles.

Research shows that significantly more muscle mass can be produced during the follicular phase, i.e. during the - roughly - first 14 days from the first day of your period. So these days are perfect for strength training and HIIT workouts. In the luteal phase, due to progesterone production, you are more susceptible to injury and it is more difficult to build muscle. So a yoga class or cardio session is just perfect on these days.

Of course, contraception affects your cycle and hormone balance. So the effectiveness varies from person to person. But many ladies swear by a cycle schedule. Give it a try!