Training during menstruation: do women really need to train differently?

This is one of those topics that suddenly everyone has an opinion on in recent years: working out during menstruation and your cycle.

Looking purely at the science, the answer is frankly less black and white than social media makes it seem. Yes, your cycle affects your body. But no, it is not so simple that there is one perfect way to exercise during menstruation that works for every woman.

And that’s actually good news.

“You should train heavy in phase X”
“In phase Y, on the contrary, you should slow down”
“Your body works completely differently each week”

What actually happens in your body during menstruation and cycle?

During your cycle, your hormones are constantly changing. Estrogen and progesterone, in particular, play a major role in this.

Which is well-founded:

Your body temperature is on average higher in the second half of your cycle
Hormones influence how your body handles energy and exercise
Many women actually experience symptoms such as fatigue, cramps or worse sleep

And the latter is perhaps most important.

In large studies, a large proportion of women report that their cycle affects how they exercise or perform. Not necessarily because their bodies suddenly “can’t do it anymore,” but because they simply feel differently.

And that’s something that you as a coach and as an athlete need to seriously look at when training during menstruation.

Do you get stronger during your period or cycle?

This is where it gets interesting. And also immediately less clear.

There are studies that show that training in the first half of the cycle may be slightly more beneficial for strength and muscle growth. However.

These are often small studies
Not always well controlled
And difficult to translate into practice

In contrast, there are also studies that find precisely no difference between phases.

The biggest conclusion from the best review we have:
Differences in performance are usually very small

So no, it’s not that you’re automatically weaker during your period. Nor that you always peak during a different phase.

Why working out during menstruation has so much conflicting info

This is important to grasp.

Much research on the female cycle and training has limitations:

Small groups of participants
Hormones are not always measured correctly
Cycle phases are classified differently
Ovulation is sometimes not even confirmed

In other words,
Studies are difficult to compare and conclusions are quickly made too big. That’s exactly why you see such strong opinions online that aren’t actually robust enough.

What we do need to take seriously

There are a few things that do come back consistently in science:

Symptoms are often more important than the phase

Many women have:

Less energy
More fatigue
Worse sleep
More pain or discomfort

And that directly affects your training. Not because your body suddenly “can’t,” but because your load capacity is different.

Your body doesn't work the same every day

Hormonal fluctuations cause something to change in your physiology. Consider:

Temperature
Energy consumption
How tough a workout feels

But note: That doesn’t automatically mean your performance is worse.

There is no universal "best phase"

This is perhaps the most important:

There is no phase in which every woman performs better
And no phase in which every woman performs worse

The differences between women are greater than the differences between phases.

And how do you apply training during menstruation in practice?

Very simple: No standard schedules based on your cycle

What we do:

Looking at how you feel
Recognize patterns (if any)
Adjust training as needed
But also just pop when it feels right

Some women notice marked differences. Others don’t at all. Both are normal.

Our take on this

We do not believe in training on a fixed “cycle schedule.”

We believe in:

good coaching
listening to your body
understand what is happening
and cleverly capitalize on that

For one woman, that means taking a little gas back on certain days.
For another, it means: just train like always.

Do you train in the region?

Do you train with us or are you from the region Ede, Bennekom, Veenendaal or Barneveld and would you like to learn to cope better with this? Within our training we always look at what works for you. No standard schedules, but coaching that suits your body, recovery and goals.

Schedule a free trial class and experience it for yourself.

Source

McNulty, K.L. et al. (2020). The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Elliott-Sale, K.J. et al. (2021). A Working Guide for Standards of Practice for Research on Women in Sport and Exercise Science.
Oosthuyse, T. & Bosch, A.N. (2010). The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle on Exercise Metabolism.
Sung, E. et al. (2014). Effects of Menstrual Cycle-Based Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy.
Sakamaki-Sunaga, M. et al. (2016). Effects of Menstrual Phase-Dependent Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Young Women.
Bruinvels, G. et al. (2021). Prevalence and Frequency of Menstrual Cycle Symptoms Are Associated With Availability to Train and Compete.
Carmichael, M.A. et al. (2021). The Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Athletes’ Performance: A Narrative Review.
Hewett, T.E. et al. (2007). Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk.
Herzberg, S.D. et al. (2017). The Effect of Menstrual Cycle and Contraceptives on ACL Injuries and Laxity.
Dos’Santos, T. et al. (2023). Effects of the Menstrual Cycle Phase on ACL Injury Risk Surrogates.
Stitelmann, A. et al. (2026). Menstrual Cycle-Related Symptoms and Disorders in Athletes.
Colenso-Semple, L.M. et al. (2023). No Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Strength Adaptations.
Baker, F.C. et al. (2020). Temperature Regulation in Women.

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