No Boys Allowed: Fitness.
There’s a philosophy, that I really like — which is why I’m sharing it. If you match your workouts to your cycle, it optimizes your fitness goals and maximizes energy.
Prior to syncing my fitness with my cycle, I would go hard on days where I didn’t have a lot of energy. That would usually result in me completely taking back to back days off afterwards, little injuries, and other inconsistencies in my routine that I found wildly annoying. I couldn’t find an effective fitness cadence and, honestly, always felt like I was energetically limping through the day. I now have a super effective cadence, and I move pretty much every day.
I’m a big believer that hormone health = health. I’m also a big believer in tracking your cycle so you can anticipate what your body is going through and plan ahead. I use Whoop to track my cycle — it’s not exact, but it’s pretty dang close. There are heaps of apps that you can use to track your cycle out there — find the one that works best for you!
And, disclaimer, I am simplifying the menstrual cycle and everything that goes along with it. There is a ton of information out there about the cycle, so, in the vein of making it less-confusing, we put this brief overview together for you. #simplifyingthings
To simplify things, if you were born with XX chromosomes, it's highly likely that you have a menstrual cycle. There are 4 phases of the menstrual cycle. Some of these phases overlap. Ever looked at a tide-chart? Think of it like rising and falling tides.
Menstrual Phase: This is your period. Your body gets rid of an unfertilized egg, meaning, you didn’t get pregnant that month. Your estrogen is rising during this phase, and your progesterone is falling.
Follicular Phase: This lasts — on average — 16 days. Your hypothalamus tells your pituitary gland to release Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and, essentially, your body releases an egg. Your estrogen skyrockets during this phase, and your progesterone drops.
Ovulatory Phase: When your estrogen is pumping, your body will naturally level itself out. Your pituitary gland will release luteinizing hormone (LH), and boom — you’re in ovulation. Your body temp goes up and you’re prime-time to get knocked up. On average, this happens at Day 14 of your cycle. Your progesterone is rising during this phase, your estrogen is dropping during this phase.
Luteal Phase: If you don’t get preggers, your estrogen levels will decrease and your progesterone pumps. This is when we get massive PMS. This phase (again, average) lasts 14 days.
The theory here is that your female sex hormones are balancing — when one is high the other is low, when one is decreasing the other is increasing throughout your cycle - it’s a really wild balancing act, when you think about it.
When your estrogen is high, your progesterone is low, your energy levels are generally higher — I’m grossly simplifying here — let’s just call this the first 2-ish weeks of your cycle when you have your period and you’re moving through the Follicular Phase.
When your estrogen is low, your progesterone is high, and your energy levels are generally low — again, simplifying this very intricate process — let’s call this the last 2 weeks of your cycle.
So, knowing what we know now, when your estrogen is high and your energy levels are also high, you should have the capacity to perform at higher levels, meaning harder workouts, heavier lifting sessions, and increased cardio.
When your progesterone is high and your energy levels are low, you shouldn’t have as much capacity to perform, meaning, more active recovery, more low-intensity workouts, more yoga and walking, and more rest.
Here is what I’ve been playing around with for the last few months that seems to work for me:
Menstrual Phase
The first 2-4 days are THE WORST. Cramps, brain fog, loss of appetite, headaches. You know the drill.
Prioritize cold plunge: this helps with muscle recovery, headaches + migraines, and cramps/bloating/pain
Sauna: 30min a day — this will get your heart rate pumping without the heavy lift of using your core to stabilize you. Give your core, hips, and pelvic floor a break.
LOTS of stretching + light yoga: stretching increases circulation and helps you heal faster. Stretching your core, elongating your hip flexors, and light movement does wonders for relieving cramps.
Lots of walking, specifically getting outside in the sun to combat headaches and brain fog
If I have the energy to knock out a workout, I stick to a full body, bodyweight-only mat workout that incorporates pilates and barre. Sometimes I’ll throw in some light resistance bands.
Sleep. Get lots of it. Your body is working overtime, so give it rest.
Follicular Phase
Again, this phase overlaps with the Menstrual Phase, so you’re going to get those first couple of days of feeling bleh, and then will likely feel a burst of energy. By the 5th day, I’m usually feeling great and I’ll start to build throughout the next 10-15 days.
Every Day: 5-15min dynamic stretching
Every Day: Cold plunge/ice bath/cold shower for recovery
2-3X per week: HIIT/ Barry’s Style Workouts/ I subscribe to Stef Corgel’s IG and her at-home workouts will assassinate you. I usually add in a Bosu Ball for stability training for surfing.
Every Day: Targeted strength training - we’re talking heavy weights and max sets:
Sunday: Legs + Core
Monday: Arms + Shoulders; Legs w/ Light Resistance Bands; Core
Tuesday: Weighted Core + Power
Wednesday: Legs + Core
Thursday: Back; Chest; Core
Friday: Legs - Heavy Bands Resistance
Saturday: Weighted Core + Power
If there’s surf, I’ll go surf instead of going to the gym
If there’s a hike, I’ll do that instead of going to the gym
4x per week: I hate cardio and I hate running (Colin does enough running for the both of us, LMAO), but I’ll do 20ish min of cardio, actually probably more like 15 because I find it a boring torturous, would-rather-be-doing-anything-else way to spend time; if it’s leg day, I’ll do the stairmaster; if I feel like swimming laps, I’ll swim laps (I can swim for hours. If you hate running, but love being in a pool, get in the pool. It’s better for your joints, back, etc).
1x per week: Assault tread sprints or the rower (I rarely use an assault tread or a rower, but if you want to get your heart rate banging quickly — like, if you’re pressed for time but still want to get a killer workout in — then use either of these machines).
Ovulatory Phase
If I’m feeling like a champ I’ll continue with my schedule above. If I’m feeling low energy, I’ll start moving into lower-intensity stuff. Energy is largely dictated by hormones, the amount of sleep you’ve gotten, travel/jet lag, and your nutrition. When it comes to fitness, I listen to my body — not my brain or my ego.
Heated Yoga or a Yoga Sculpt
Reformer Pilates
Bodyweight Mat Workouts
Swimming: See note about swimming above.
I’ll drop down the weight I’m pushing to save energy for my body
I’ll hit the sauna for longer periods of time instead of doing intense cardio - anywhere from 45-60min
Every Day: Cold plunge/ Ice Bath/ Cold Shower
Every Day: Stretching
Every Day: Walking
Luteal Phase
This is when I start feeling like a true psycho. I’m tired, cranky, starving for sugar because I’m tired and cranky, moody — you know the drill here too. This is also when I gain anywhere from 5-10 extra lbs in water weight. Some people put on more. Some people put on less. I usually yo-yo between 120-130 at any given month, and it’s a mindfuck to see your body grow 10lbs in a week. But, hey, it’s totally normal.
Every Day: 20-25min dynamic stretching — I up the stretching to prep my core for the cramps that lie ahead. Focus on legs, hip flexors, lower back, and core.
Every Day: Cold plunge/ice bath/cold shower for recovery
1-2X per week: HIIT/ Barry’s Style Workouts — if I feel like doing it, I’ll do it. If I’m dragging ass, I’ll do a different type of workout. I’m usually dragging ass.
Every Day: Targeted strength training - I’ll ease up on the weight or do less reps/sets. I also remove weighted core and power and replace with pilates or some surf-centric workouts using super low weight and a bosu ball.
Sunday: Legs + Core
Monday: Arms + Shoulders; Legs w/ Light Resistance Bands; Core
Tuesday: Pilates
Wednesday: Legs + Core
Thursday: Back; Chest; Core
Friday: Legs - Heavy Bands Resistance
Saturday: boss ball x resistance bands
If there’s surf, I’ll go surf instead of going to the gym. Getting in the ocean and outside usually boosts my energy and makes me feel way better anyways.
If there’s a hike, I’ll do that instead of going to the gym
4x per week: I’ll swim rather than run or climb stairs to give my legs, hips, and core a rest
And that’s really it! Some simple adjustments throughout the month to accommodate changing hormones, and it’s been working. I’m getting my heart rate up every day, moving, and seeing results in the gym, but more importantly, it’s helping me stay consistent.
If you want to know more about fertility, your cycle, hormones, et al, DYOR. Dr. Andrew Huberman has an AWESOME (4 hour) podcast about fertility where he explains, in-depth, how all of this works. Dr. Sara Gottfried is a hormone expert and another incredible source of information.