Cycle-Based Training: How to Work With Your Body, Not Against It

When it comes to training plans, consistency is often seen as pushing through no matter what. But for many women, energy levels, mood, and even injury risk fluctuate across the menstrual cycle. That’s where cycle-based training comes in – adapting your workouts to your body’s natural hormonal rhythm.

To understand why this approach matters, we spoke with Elina Vale, Founder of The Essence App, a digital women’s health platform that helps women align their fitness routine, diet, and work schedule with their menstrual cycle.

“Cycle-based training isn’t about restriction – it’s about empowerment,” says Elina. “When you adapt your workouts to your cycle, you align with your biology instead of fighting against it. That makes a huge difference for both performance and wellbeing.”

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What Is Cycle-Based Training?

Cycle-based training means syncing your workouts with the different phases of your menstrual cycle. Instead of following a one-size-fits-all plan, you adjust the type, intensity, and recovery of your workouts based on hormonal changes – and how you actually feel.

It’s especially useful if you notice changes in energy, mood, or performance throughout the month. For those not on hormonal contraception, these shifts are more clearly defined – making it easier to tune into your body’s rhythm.

3 Key Benefits of Cycle-Based Training

1. Consistency without burnout

Tailoring workouts to your personal cycle helps you stay consistent by matching exercise intensity and recovery to how you feel each day. This personalized approach reduces frustration and burnout.

2. Improved emotional wellbeing

Working with your cycle, not against it, improves wellbeing by reducing internalized stigma and self-criticism. It promotes healthier emotional regulation and acceptance of physical and emotional changes throughout the month.

3. Lower injury risk

Research shows that muscle injury risk can be significantly higher in certain phases of the cycle, like the luteal phase, compared to menstrual. Adjusting training during these times can help prevent injuries and support long-term health.

Elina puts it this way: “You train smarter, feel better, and lower your risk of injury when you honor your body’s natural rhythm. It’s a sustainable way to stay active.”

Training Recommendations Across the Cycle

Important: In each phase, it’s important to listen to your body and adjust your workouts based on how you’re feeling, aiming for a balance of challenging workouts and adequate rest and recovery.

Cycle-Based Training During the Menstrual Phase

This is the start of the cycle – when your body releases what it no longer needs. Hormonal changes, including significant drops in estrogen and progesterone, can lead to symptoms such as physical fatigue, nausea, headaches, bloating, and residual joint/ muscle aches and breast tenderness in some people.

Gentle movement such as yoga, stretching, or a light walk can support circulation and ease discomfort. Elina recommends being kind to yourself: “It’s important to be gentle with yourself, listen to your body, rest, and practice self-care to manage discomfort. Your body is doing important work. Rest is also part of training. Adjust your workouts based on how you’re feeling, not based on what is expected of you”

Best workouts: gentle movement, yoga, walking, stretching

Cycle-Based Training During the Follicular Phase

Technically, the menstrual phase is part of the follicular phase, since both begin on the first day of the cycle. However, in the context of training, nutrition, and energy patterns, the term follicular phase is often used to refer to the period after menstruation ends, typically around days 3–7. This is when estrogen levels start to rise more noticeably, bringing increased energy, focus, and motivation. You may feel stronger, more focused, and ready to take on challenges. This is the perfect time to push yourself a bit more.

“Many people also report feeling more outgoing/extraverted, which can make team sports, group classes, and dancing especially appealing,” Elina explains. “This phase is ideal for focusing on strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and other forms of exercise that can take advantage of the body’s increased capacity for physical exertion.”

Best workouts: strength training, HIIT, team sports, dancing

Cycle-Based Training During the Ovulation Phase

Around the middle of your cycle – approximately 14 days before the start of your next period – your hormones peak, and so does your performance. Strength, endurance, and coordination are typically at their best. “This phase is characterized by a slight rise in basal body temperature, which can be used as a natural indicator that ovulation has occurred when tracking fertility,” Elina explains. “Some people feel ovulation pain, or ‘mittelschmerz’, which is a mild to moderate pelvic discomfort felt on one side of the lower abdomen during ovulation. It is often described as a sharp or cramp-like sensation and is generally considered normal.”

This is an ideal time to focus on strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), dance classes, team sports, and other forms of exercise that take advantage of the body’s increased capacity for physical exertion. Use this phase to go for personal records, try something new, or enjoy higher-intensity workouts.

Best workouts: peak performance, the best time for personal records

Cycle-Based Training During the Luteal Phase

After ovulation, progesterone levels rise. You might feel slower or more tired, especially toward the end of this phase. This hormonal shift can lead to symptoms such as breast tenderness, bloating, water retention, and heightened sensitivity to smells and sounds. Basal body temperature also rises slightly, a common sign of ovulation and fertility.

During the early luteal phase, you may still feel relatively energetic following the hormonal peak around ovulation. Elina recommends engaging in moderate-intensity activities such as walking, yoga, or light strength training to maintain fitness without overexertion.

In the late luteal phase – the days leading up to menstruation – progesterone reaches its peak and then rapidly declines. Emotional fatigue can also appear as the body prepares for the menstrual phase. If you feel the need to rest, it’s important to respect those natural signals. Activities like gentle yoga, walking, or swimming can help maintain mobility and reduce stress even when energy levels dip.

Research from a UK women’s soccer league found that players were 5–6 times more likely to experience injuries during the luteal phase compared to the menstrual phase – making smart training adaptations essential.

Best workouts: reduce intensity, yoga, walking, focus on mobility, swimming, active recovery

How to Train Safer Throughout Your Cycle

• Speak to (and even educate!) your coaches and trainers about your menstrual cycle and its phases.
• Track your cycle and keep a record of your sports performance throughout your cycle so you can observe trends and/or patterns.
• Decrease the training intensity of workouts during high-risk phases, like the late-luteal phase.
• Ensure a comprehensive warm-up to prepare your muscles and joints.
• Ensure you get enough rest and recovery time, particularly during high-risk phases.

Elina’s advice: “Every cycle is unique. The key is to notice your own patterns – that’s real cycle-based empowerment.”

5 Common Mistakes When Ignoring Your Cycle

1. Treating every day the same
   Ignoring symptoms like cramps or fatigue can lead to reduced functioning and decreased performance.
   
2. Overlooking heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) & iron deficiency
   Many athletes experience HMB, which is linked to anemia and reduced training capacity. A common gap is not screening for it or failing to adjust training, recovery, and iron testing when needed.
   
3. Ignoring thermoregulation differences in the luteal phase
   After ovulation, core body temperature rises by about 0.3 – 0.7 °C. Without adjusting cooling, hydration, and pacing strategies – especially in hot conditions – women may face greater thermal strain.
   
4. Overlooking irregular cycles
   Missing, or irregular periods is often a sign that the body isn’t getting enough energy or nutrition, especially in athletes. This can mean there’s a risk of REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), which affects overall health, bones, performance, and recovery. Training as usual without looking into the cause can lead to bigger health problems, so experts recommend checking energy, nutrition, and bone health if menstrual problems appear.
   
5. Following one-size-fits-all rules
   Everyone’s cycle is different; tracking your own data therefore is key. Without personal data, you can’t identify your own patterns (e.g., which days to shift intensity or extend recovery). Studies show that while group averages are small, each person’s patterns are unique – so tracking matters.

Elina recommends starting small: “Begin by tracking your cycle for a few months. Note your energy, recovery, and performance. Soon, patterns will emerge that help you adapt your training naturally. That’s the first step to cycle-based empowerment.”

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