The Menstrual Cycle
and Athletic Performance
By Drew Mulvey MS, CDN, CNS, CLT, PNL1, CISN
When it comes to sport and training, there can be some variation in progress from one week to the next, especially as women. One week we may be putting up 250 lbs on squats, a couple weeks we are struggling with 200 lbs. One week we may feel like our endurance is peaking, a couple weeks later it may be harder to breathe and easier to fatigue. It can be discouraging and frustrating. What if I told you that this is actually completely normal? Being women, this is exactly on point with our physiology. it has to do very much with a woman’s menstrual cycle and the fluctuations in hormones. Once this concept is grasped, one can train more efficiently and utilize specific times in the cycle to maximize gains. I will dispense that knowledge now.
Hormones: Estrogen and Progesterone
These hormones job is not only to help with reproduction, but have several other roles in the body and are very important for our overall health (and performance) to keep them balanced. First we will start with Estrogen.
Estrogen is responsible for blood pressure regulation, serotonin production, bone strength, increasing HDL, increased brain power and increased blood flow. I want you to keep that very last one in mind as this is an important concept for athletic performance. Estrogen is also incredibly important for muscle strength and power.
Progesterone is important for dopamine production, mood, sleep, appetite, learning, memory, and decreasing anxiety. Progesterone is considered a “catabolic” hormone and also increases another hormone called aldosterone. Ever wonder why you start to get hold water before your period? You can attribute it to this due to it’s role in sodium retention in the kidneys and release of potassium.
What Is The Cycle?
Women’s cycles typically last about 28 days. For some it can be 25, for others it can be upwards of 30-32, but this is the common average. This is then later broken up into two separate phases known as the follicular phase (days 1-14 or the first half of the cycle) and the luteal phase (14-28, or the second half of the cycle). There is also ovulation which falls right in between the two phases. The start of the follicular phase is the first day of your menses. With that in mind, what exactly happens during that phase? Let’s talk about that first.
Menstral Cycle Chart. November 3, 2020. Forth: Your Personal Best Website. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
The Follicular Phase
As mentioned previously, this phase lasts from day 1-14, day one being the onset of menses. On this day, both your estrogen and progesterone levels plummet. This can cause fatigue, lack of motivation, moodiness and a decrease in strength. After that initial first day, estrogen starts to rise. When estrogen levels start to rise, this gives athletes the competitive advantage.
Estrogen is responsible for blood flow and for muscle strength and power. The former is attributed to this hormone’s ability to increase the production of nitric oxide.1 This compound is responsible for vasodilation, which improves delivery of nutrients and the flow of blood to muscles and organs. The greater blood flow leads to greater oxygen exchange, which is incredibly important for lung function. All of those are essential when we are trying to progress closer to our athletic goals.
What does this mean for working out? This is the best time to add more weight to your strength training program and include more HIIT style workouts. In this phase, you are utilizing carbohydrates much more efficiently, which, as most sprint and interval workouts utilize the upper zone of your heart rate max (Zone 3) use carbs are the primary fuel, these will be much more beneficial for these types of workouts. So how should we time these?
Before your workout carbs can still be used but your body is not going to need as many of these if you are doing these style of workouts. Typically it is 30g of carbohydrates before working out. If you are trying to cut weight, your body may be a little more forgiving if you go into the workout with lower carbs. Yet overall, carbohydrates should be a little more emphasized during this phase as glycogen, your stored energy source, is being used up more readily.
What does that look like for the athlete? Talk to a coach or trainer about periodizing a workout where more strength (1-6 RM) and strength endurance (heavier but faster) workouts can be utilized and for the best results. In terms of endurance, this is the best time for fartlek, VO2 Max and intervals to be included as these are primarily anaerobic and pool from carbohydrates to fuel the workout.
After 60 minutes of heavy exercise I will still recommend at least 20g of protein along with a source of quick carbohydrates, at least 30 – 60 g. This could be a protein shake if the last large meal was consumed 6 hours before the cessation of the workout or can be in a complex meal with whole food proteins, a big emphasis on carbs and also some veggies and fats in there. One of my go tos is an egg sandwich with kale on gluten-free bread and blueberries on the side.
The Luteal Phase
This usually starts right after ovulation, that midpoint between the two phases. During this phase, estrogen starts to drop as progesterone starts to rise. That means the hormone responsible for blood flow, muscle strength and carb utilization starts to drop. The body starts to be a little more catabolic and mobilizes fats more for fuel. Has anyone ever experienced feeling great one week and feeling winded the next? If you have crossed over from the follicular phase, hormonal fluctuations are the driving force behind this. Does that mean you need less carbs? Fat is much harder to pool energy from and thus the opposite is warranted.
As fat is the primary fuel source, it is emphasized that more lower intensity training be done during this time and more “endurance style” workouts, such as Zone 2 of the “fat burning” zone. This is due to the level of fatigue and decreased blood flow which can inhibit one’s aerobic capacity. Therefore as an endurance athlete, this would be more tempo and threshold style workouts in a 20/80 fashion (moderate to low intensity). When performing threshold workouts, training at our aerobic threshold or “race pace,” it should only be maintained for a minimum of 20% of the time of the workout. Therefore, if the workout calls for 60 minutes, 8 minutes should be dedicated to this.
Nutrition wise, it is important before workouts to add foods that will help to increase blood flow, decrease fatigue and provide a source of energy to pull from. These foods contain the compound nitric oxide, which, as mentioned before, is important for blood flow and therefore oxygen exchange in the lungs. Some foods that are a great source of nitric oxide include cacao, spinach, and beets. In fact, beetroot juice has been shown to improve ventilation and oxygenation of the lungs. 2
My Luteal Phase Secret Weapon!
Here is my perfect pre workout solution which I have been incorporating. This has truly been a game changer for me. Your body needs more dilation for oxygenation and more amino acids to prevent muscle breakdown. Plus, you may need a little energy boost. Since your body is itching for more of that, here is a perfect blend for you!
2 tbsps full fat coconut milk
1 scoop Essential Amino Acids
½ scoop Ora Renewable Energy + Beet and Pomegranate (made with match, yerba mate, adaptogenic mushrooms and a nitric oxide blend with beet, pomegranate and spinach)
1 ½ cups organic coconut water
Dash of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
What’s another way to add this in? Try this!
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 ½ cups organic coconut water
½ tsp matcha green tea powder
½ tbsp raw cacao powder or 1 scoop Humann Beetroot Powder
⅛ tsp sea salt
1 tbsp full fat coconut milk
*Gauge both of these to see how you feel. Sometimes I add an extra source of carbohydrates, about 20 grams, such as ½ cup pomegranate juice or tart cherry juice.*
I love these products and am excited to share the love! Check out my dispensary for a 10% discount on these products and several more!
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References:
Nevzati E, Shafighi M, Bakhtian KD, Treiber H, Fandino J, Fathi AR. Estrogen induces nitric oxide production via nitric oxide synthase activation in endothelial cells. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2015;120:141-5. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-04981-6_24. PMID: 25366614.
Lidder S, Webb AJ. Vascular effects of dietary nitrate (as found in green leafy vegetables and beetroot) via the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Mar;75(3):677-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04420.x. PMID: 22882425; PMCID: PMC3575935.
