Related: 38 Women Fitness Experts Share Tips on Fat Loss for WomenĪdditionally, metabolic rate may be higher during the luteal phase 6, so you may be burning more calories during rest than during the follicular phase.
You can use this knowledge of your cycle to your advantage and rest when your body is telling you to. The luteal phase may therefore be a good time to take deload weeks and rest days or to perform shorter or less intense workouts.ĭon’t feel down on yourself if you feel tired more quickly on certain days of the month. Get Adequate Rest During the Luteal Phaseĭuring the luteal phase, time to fatigue may be shorter, especially in hot conditions, perhaps due to an already increased body temperature, and overall athletic performance may be decreased 5. While the follicular phase and the day of ovulation may be good times to perform maximum strength tests, risk of injury may be higher as you approach ovulation due to hormonal fluctuations like increased estrogen 4, so be sure to warm up adequately before starting these intense workouts. This shouldn’t be an issue if you take advantage of the potential for increased strength and endurance and get in some high-intensity workouts during this phase. On the other hand, metabolic rate may be lower during this phase 3, resulting in your energy expenditure at rest being a little bit lower than usual.
You may even find that you have a higher tolerance for pain. Train Hard During the Follicular Phaseĭue to higher testosterone levels and the potential for increased muscle gains 1 and strength 2 during the follicular phase, this may be a good time to hit the weights hard and plan your heaviest, most intense strength workouts. It might seem counterintuitive but menstruation is not necessarily the time when your body needs to rest.īody temperature, metabolic rate, and insulin sensitivity should be at your normal, “baseline” levels during menstruation, so you can continue training as normal so long as you feel comfortable doing so. Let’s see how we can use these changes to our advantage when it comes to training. These fluctuations impact not just our reproductive health but our overall health and well-being. The luteal phase lasts approximately 14 days, and then the cycle restarts if the egg is not fertilized.Īs you can see from the above diagram, your body undergoes significant hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle. Progesterone, estrogen, and body temperature increase and then start to decrease if the egg is not fertilized. The lining of the uterus will start to thicken to prepare for a possible pregnancy. The luteal phase lasts from the day after you ovulate until the day you start your period. Progesterone starts to increase, and body temperature increases. OvulationĪ mature egg is released by the ovaries and becomes available to be fertilized by sperm.Įstrogen and LH are at their highest on the day of ovulation. The follicular phase lasts approximately 14 days. FSH initiates follicular growth, and LH triggers ovulation and the secretion of progesterone. The pituitary gland secretes follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Related: 3 Cold Hard Truths About Female Specific Training (Note: You may have seen the hormone “estradiol” related to the menstrual cycle estradiol is the predominant estrogen hormone during reproductive years.) Then estrogen increases to stimulate follicular growth. The first 5 or so days of this phase make up the menstrual phase, or the days during which you actually discharge blood and tissue from the lining of your uterus. During this time, the follicles in the ovaries mature. The follicular phase lasts from the day you get your period until the day you ovulate. To understand the hormonal shifts that occur throughout your menstrual cycle, let’s briefly review the phases of the menstrual cycle: Understanding your menstrual cycle can become one more tool in your toolbox for maximizing progress. If we take the time to understand the hormonal shifts that occur throughout our menstrual cycle, we can use them to our advantage. This is because your menstrual cycle directly impacts a range of training-related factors, including metabolic rate and strength. If you get your period, you might have noticed that you feel less motivated, that your workouts are less intense, or that recovery is worse at certain times of the month.
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