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The Facts on Cycle Syncing and Exercise –

You’ve probably heard it — don’t lift heavy this week, go easy during that phase, plan your training around your cycle… but what if your muscles didn’t get the memo?

New research shows that women can build muscle just as effectively after strength training no matter where they are in their menstrual cycle. 

The 2024 muscle protein synthesis study was an original research trial measuring how muscle responds at the cellular level to resistance exercise in different menstrual cycle phases.


Key result:

⚠️ BUT — here’s where social media hasn’t caught up. 

This study does NOT mean:

❌ Women should train exactly like men
❌ The menstrual cycle is irrelevant
❌ Female-specific coaching is unnecessary.

It ONLY examined:

Muscle protein synthesis response to resistance training.

That is one narrow piece of physiology.

It did not assess:

And other studies show those things can vary across the cycle. For example, glycogen use during intense exercise may differ between phases. Recovery may be harder in the luteal phase as inflammation is higher.

You’re not “losing gains” because of where you are on your cycle.  But training with your cycle may be stealing them. How?

Well, life already dictates training and riding windows (kids, work, sleep, weather etc). Waiting for the “right week” could mean not training at all – if the weather is bad, your kids are sick or you get asked to work extra shifts.  And this is the worst thing for your strength!

Strength training (during all phases of the menstrual cycle) supports:

Strength training is essential for women and is beneficial for mountain biking, mumlife and everyday tasks- regardless of where you are in your cycle. 

Cycle Awareness, Not Cycle Restrictions. 

Cycle syncing is amazing, WHEN DONE RIGHT. Cycle syncing isn’t about avoiding certain types of training on certain weeks – it’s about reframing how to listen to your body. 

It doesn’t mean we’re going back to training like”small men.”  We train with science, not outdated assumptions. 

Remember, this study looked at muscle adaptation, not how you feel. 

FACT. Your Energy, motivation, cramps, sleep and stress still fluctuate due to your cycle. And by listening to these cues – You can adapt your training, recovery and nutrient needs to what your cycle is telling you.  

For example, let’s say it’s your late follicular phase. You are feeling your best. You have heaps of energy and are feeling mentally strong.  But your kids have a nasty colds and they have stay home from school  for a few days. You skip training and riding for a few days until they recover.  You miss your “window” to train hard and hit those technical features on the trails because during this time, you enter your luteal phase. Should you still train hard? or Should you focus on taking it easy because you’re no longer in the follicular phase?  

The answer is no.

Cycle awareness means still training hard. But knowing, that it might hurt more if you’re in your luteal phase. It means going into your session with more food in your belly, and eating more in the hours post session. It means going to bed a little earlier and doing a little bit more self care to avoid burn out, injury, or getting run down. But you can still lift heavy, and ride hard. You just need a little more planning and recovery.

You don’t change your identity as an athlete — you adjust how you approach training based on what your body is telling you at that time.

It’s not strict “cycle syncing.”
It’s informed flexibility.

Example 2:

Let’s say there’s a hard ride planned on the weekend or you’ve planned hard interval sessions.

Cycle awareness looks like:

NOT:

– Cancelling training automatically
– Thinking you can’t perform or thinking you won’t build muscle afterwards.

It’s okay to:

Tracking patterns over months:

What cycle awareness is NOT

It’s simply:

Listening + adjusting + staying consistent. You don’t need a perfect phase. You need consistency, confidence, and a plan that works for your life.

Why Training Feels Different at Different Times. 

The hormones that dictate our menstrual cycle affect every system in the body, with symptoms that extend far beyond just the reproductive system. No doubt you’ve experienced this – things like appetite changes (hello cravings!)motivation, mood, energy and body temperature are regular ups and downs for menstruating women. 

The menstrual cycle influences:

And even though scientific evidence doesn’t consistently show big differences in actual athletic performance, it does show that women feel different at different phases across the menstrual cycle. These things are not in your head! These are real physiological changes that happen throughout the menstrual cycle, and impact even the most experienced elite athletes at times.

We also know we’re different from men. Different physiology. So we need a different strategy. 

The saying “no rest days” or “beast mode”  IS JUST NOT compatible with women’s physiology. We NEED more sleep than men, different recovery strategies, and more down time for hormonal balance. And it’s harder for us to build muscle compared to men – so we still need to train differently, especially as we age. 

Body Literacy: Learning to Read the Signs

The good news is that the more we understand our own cycle and the impact it has on our mood, energy, appetite, thirst etc – the better we get at listening to our body and adapting our training (if we need to). This is called body literacy. It’s literally the ability to read your body’s signs and symptoms as if it were talking to you. And, no matter what sort of riding you’re into and what level you are, all women can benefit from understanding their cycle.

And it’s not just physical or performance based. Those benefits extend to mental, metabolic, immune and emotional health too. 

It’s super important for understanding what’s going on in your body at a deeper level too – things like ovulation, fertility, period problems, inflammation, perimenopause, avoiding burnout and even preserving your emotional health too. 

To do this properly – you’ll need to track your cycle + symptoms to see your pattern so you can start listening.  

The average cycle is  21-35 days. The menstrual cycle is made up of four unique phases. 

  1. Menstruation (shedding of the uterine lining) Week 1 days 1-7, 
  2. The follicular phase Weeks 1-2, days 1 – 14 (follicle development and estrogen rise), 
  3. Ovulation (egg release), 1-2 days anywhere from day 7-14
  4. The Luteal phase, Weeks 3-4 days 8 to 32 (preparation for potential pregnancy, building of the uterine lining).

As already mentioned – each phase influences our energy, strength, vulnerability to injury, immunity, cardiovascular system, metabolism, appetite, core temperature, pain tolerance, our mental and cognitive health, and also our digestion in unique ways. For example, in the follicular phase inflammation is lower and you recover better. YOu also access energy better and overall you adapt better to training. You’re more resilient and may even feel stronger and perform better. 

Once you sit up and take notice of your cycle, you will start to see a pattern, and realise, it’s not that subtle at all. In fact it can be very very loud! 

Listening to your cycle. (aka the real cycle syncing)

Bottom line:
Your menstrual cycle phase does not change how your muscles respond to resistance training in terms of muscle building. However, your cycle phase does directly impact energy, strength, and endurance for exercise due to fluctuating hormone levels. 

Energy is generally highest during the mid-follicular phase and around ovulation due to low progesterone, while the luteal phase (pre-period) often brings lower energy, higher fatigue, and reduced motivation. 

Stick around for part 2 – where I am going to share more insights on how to understand your cycle, how to track your cycle, understanding contraception’s impact on hormones and performance, & how to know if you’re in perimenopause. 

In the meantime, if you’re looking for coaching and more guidance on hormones, wellness and performance, then you’re in the right place. I meet women where they are: You don’t have to be an elite athlete to coach with me. 

I’ve found  in MTB:

So whatever your goals are and no matter where you’re starting from, I’m here for you.  MTB mamas is community-driven, evidence-based and human first. Not rigid. Book a session in now. 

You’ve got this, 

Ali x x

reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39630025/

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