HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR DIET AND STRENGTH TRAINING AROUND YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
You might feel as if you’re underperforming in the gym during certain times of the month. I’m here to tell you that it is not only normal, but also ideal to have this experience. It means you are a woman who is functioning within a healthy hormonal profile. To take it even further, I’m going to try and show you how to use your natural hormonal cycle to get great gains, and vary your styles of training in the gym, so that you don’t plateau, or get bored.
First, let’s break down the different stages of the typical stereotypical 28-day menstrual cycle.
WHAT ARE THE PHASES OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE?
The menstrual cycle can be broken down into two phases – the follicular and luteal phases.
The FOLLICULAR PHASE begins at menstruation, and can be separated by two stages:
Period – lasting anywhere from 3-8 days
Proliferation stage – lasting up to 14 days, from the day your period ends to the beginning of ovulation
The LUTEAL PHASE begins at ovulation and ends when your period starts
WHAT HAPPENS TO A WOMAN’S HORMONES DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE?
As you can see in the image below, the hormones oestrogen, progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinising hormone (LH) experience transient-like effects throughout the menstrual cycle.
Even though it only increases slightly during ovulation, testosterone also plays a part (shown below).
During the follicular stage when your period begins, the pituitary gland in the brain releases follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), stimulating the ovaries to produce follicles that mature (now referred to as graafian follicles), ending in ovulation.
Oestrogen and luteinizing hormone rise to prepare for the release of the egg into the fallopian tubes as you enter the luteal phase.
LH and oestrogen levels then start to die down at the beginning of the luteal phase once the egg is released. This triggers a gradual spike in progesterone, helping the body prepare for fertilization by stimulating glandular, and blood vessel development.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME FOR WOMEN TO BUILD STRENGTH DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE?
A 2016 study by Frisen et al., split women into two groups, having one group train legs during different weeks of their cycle. The study concluded that the group who did most of their training in the follicular phase gained the most lean body mass, even though both groups did the same amount of volume.
Another study from 2014, by Song et al., had women unilaterally train their legs using a single leg press, and a single leg body weight squat over the course of three menstrual cycles. They had one leg do eight workouts during the follicular phase, and two workouts in the luteal phase. Then the second leg did two workouts in the follicular phase, and two in the eight in the luteal. The results showed that the legs that did the most volume during the follicular phase gained more strength (measured by isometric force), and also had an increase in muscle cross sectional area than that in the luteal phase, even though total volume was matched
As you can probably gather from both of those studies, the follicular phase (beginning on the day your period ends, and ending when ovulation begins) is the best time to shift your focus towards gaining strength, building muscle, and hitting your personal bests in the gym. In the week leading up to your period, the more logical training routine should have more of a HIIT, light weights, or even yoga style focus, depending on the severity of your PMS and menstrual cramps. The main goals during this time should be to maintain your routine, and to keep stress as low as possible.
Here is the practical application that I give to my clients to outline how training to the menstrual cycle can be optimised:
WEEK 1 – EARLY FOLLICULAR PHASE Heavy Strength Focus 4-8 rep range
WEEK 2 – LATE FOLLICULAR PHASE Volume Based for Hypertrophy (Muscle Mass) 8-12 rep range
WEEK 3 – EARLY LUTEAL PHASE Volume Based Hypertrophy (Muscle Mass) 8-12 rep range
WEEK 4 – LATE LUTEAL PHASE Light Weights 12+ reps
HOW TO EAT DURING YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Tweaking your diet for strength training according to your menstrual cycle is going to help you get great results.
A 2020 metanalysis pulled data from 26 randomised controlled trials and found that RMR (resting metabolic rate) was greater in the luteal phase in comparison to the follicular. Several other studies were able to determine that this increase amounted to 89-279kcal per day. This tell us that the body is expending more energy for function ability during the luteal phase. The amount of calories differ from study to study, so nothing is concrete, but the common theme they all share is a recommendation of an individualised approach to nutrition for women. The recommendation makes sense if you consider the fact that women experience menstrual cycle side effects that can be very different to one another.
THE WEEK LEADING UP TO YOUR PERIOD
One of the things we should consider for a strength building diet worked around your menstrual cycle that also promotes fat loss, is refeeding days (sometimes referred to as cheat days). I am obviously not a woman, so I’ll never truly understand what women experience, but I know from the studies, and from being told by my clients and other women in my life, that the week leading up to your period can be the worst for bloating, cramps, backaches, and other symptoms. This would be the ideal time to schedule in your refeeding days. In my experience, women tend to get the best results for fat loss having one refeeding day per week, and then two, or three in a row during the last week of the luteal phase leading up to their period, but you should structure this to suit your own situation.
To curb cravings, adding things to your diet that promote gut health could be beneficial during the week leading up to your period. Fermented foods like kim chi, sauerkraut, and kefir help bacterial diversity thrive in the gut, while psyllium help with healthy, regular bowel movements, without increasing flatulence. Complex carbohydrates such as those found in fruits & vegetables are the best sources of fibre.
Flaxseed has been known to have hormonal-like effects that has been shown to ease menopausal symptoms in some studies, which is why I highly recommend using it as a go-to source of fibre for women.
Becoming aware of your cravings duriing this time of the month is your biggest tool for success. Allowing yourself to have a bit of comfort food will reduce the chances of binging too much, and free you from the guilt that comes with it.
DURING YOUR PERIOD
It is much more common for women to become anaemic than men, and this is mainly because of the loss of blood that happens every month. Iron is needed to produce red blood cells, and to transport oxygen around the body. Low iron levels will cause low energy, so this is a great time to up your iron intake. This means including lots of red meat and seafood in your diet. Vegetables also have iron, but because the absorption gets blocked by phytic acid humans can only absorb 1% of it from plants. If you are vegan, or vegetarian you could be making things more difficult for yourself than they should be, but you can get by with iron supplements.
Vitamin C is needed for the absorption of iron, so you should be taking it during the week of your period as well. FYI red vegetables are the best source of Vitamin C.
Eliminating, or at least decreasing your caffeine intake will also help maintain healthy iron levels, as the polyphenols in caffeine block the absorption of iron. It is also a vaso-constrictor, meaning that it constricts your arteries, which can make your period cramps even worse!
CONCLUSION FOR OPTIMISING STRENGTH TRAINING & DIET AROUND YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
The main point I think we can take from all of this is that staying in tune with your body as a woman is key to your fitness success. Learning how to work your training, and eating habits around your menstrual cycle can be a total game changer.
Ride the wave, sister!
Tayvis Gabbidon Personal Trainer & Nutritionist
References:
> Effects on power, strength and lean body mass of menstrual/oral contraceptive cycle based resistance training. Frisen et al., (2016): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26558833/
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If you want to trigger me, just say that saturated fat is unhealthy. I’m here to show you that it is not. In fact, including saturated fat in our diets is essential for maintaining an optimal biological state of well-being.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SATURATED FAT?
Saturated fat is needed for:
Mental development – the brain is made up of mostly saturated fat and cholesterol.
Bone development – saturated fats metabolise calcium.
Cardiovascular function – the lungs are coated with fatty acids that are saturated.
The nervous system – as in the brain the nervous system is largely made up of saturated fats.
Hormonal support – saturated fats are the building blocks to making hormones such as testosterone, oestrogen, cortisol, etc.
According to the independent study, A Critical Review of Cardio Disease by Dr Walter Willet from Harvard School of Public Health, we can see that saturated fat is not linked to heart disease and protects against strokes. Daily nut consumption is associated with a 35% decrease in the risk of heart attacks. Consuming full fat dairy is associated with a 60% reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes, lowers high density cholesterol, triglyceride levels and inflammation markers. People that eat egg yolks can reduce the chance of becoming diabetic by 42%. I highly recommend reading Dr Willett’s book, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating if you want to gain more of an understanding of his research.
WHY IS SATURATED FAT SEEN AS UNHEALTHY?
You should never trust the science. Question it always. Lessons learned during the recent COVID pandemic have proven why this approach is most important. The same goes for the scientific understanding of saturated fat.
To understand the history, we must go back to the 1920s to spend time with Dr Charles Best & Dr Frederick Banting, two scientists who earned a Nobel Peace Prize for purifying insulin, making it available for pharmaceutical use. They also made some other interesting discoveries.
Drs Best & Banting were the first scientists to discover an accumulation of fat in and around the organs in diabetics. This discovery lead them to believe that dietary fat was the cause of type 2 diabetes. The development of the infamous food pyramid that was pushed onto the public was a direct result of this. It could be fair to say that certain powerful food corporations were able capitalise on these studies, but that’s a different conversation altogether!
Fortunately, technology has advanced a lot since the 1920s. The science that was missing from their research was the role of the liver. The liver plays a key role in fat metabolism. It is now known that the liver converts sugars into fat to be stored, either as subcutaneous – on the outside of the body – or visceral fat – in and around the organs. In fact, to put it quite simply, body fat is nothing more than stored sugar. Once there is no more room for it to be stored in the liver, the body is forced to store fat in the pancreas. When this happens, a person loses the ability to create insulin on their own. Welcome to type 2 diabetes.
Since the recommendation of ‘low fat’ diets by the bodies that govern food & drugs, we have noticed a 400%+ increase in heart disease, diabetes & obesity. Until the public is completely re-educated about nutrition this problem isn’t going to get better.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SATURATED FATS?
Palmitic acid is often considered an unhealthy saturated fat because people often associate it with palm oil, but you will find that the acid (not the oil product) is already a part of our biological make up. Here are the different types of saturated fatty acids and their benefits:
Caprylic acid – found in coconut oil, dairy, breast milk, nuts. Great for the immune system, acne, and is anti-viral.
Lauric acid – found in coconut oil, breast milk. Needed for the immune system and is anti-viral.
Palmitic acid – abundant in fish, nuts, seeds, animal products. 50% of cell membrane is made up palmitic acid.
Butyric acid – found in butter and vegetable sources. This is the main fatty acid that feeds cells in the colon.
WHICH FATS SHOULD I AVOID?
We can put lipids (fats) into three categories – saturated, unsaturated and trans.
Unsaturated fats – EPAs & DHAs – are the omegas. These often get promoted as ‘healthy fats’, but you should now understand that saturated fat is just as important.
Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems. They are found in hydrogenated foods. This is when a hydrogen atom is introduced to an oil to solidify it, preventing it from going rank. Margarine often disguised as ‘spreadable butter’ is a form of trans fat. Trans fats can also be found in fast food, microwave meals and other processed foods. We should avoid these fats at all costs.
The rule that I follow says, if you can dig it from the ground, pick it from a tree or plant, or slaughter it and it’s still in its unaltered state then it is OK to eat. The most important part of that statement is that it is still in its unaltered state. Meaning unrefined and unprocessed.
Study comparing consumption of Saturated Fats vs Unsaturated Fats:
http://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i1246 Astrup, A., Dyerberg, J., Elwood, P., Hermansen, K., Hu, F.B., Jakobsen, M.U., …Willett, W.C. (2011). The role of reducing intakes of saturated fat in the prevention of cardiovascular disease: Where does the evidence stand in 2010? [PDF]. Am J Clin Nutr, 93(4): 684–8. doi: 10.3945/ ajcn.110.004622
Short answer – yes! The healthy version of the world’s favourite chocolate coconut treat shares an almost identical taste to the original and is super easy to make!
Keto Bounty Bar Recipe Ingredients
Filling
200 g desiccated / shredded coconut unsweetened
2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp granulated sweetener or to your taste
4 tbsp coconut cream
6 tbsp coconut oil melted
Sugar free chocolate coating
100 g coconut oil melted
6 tbsp powdered sweetener
45 g cocoa unsweetened
2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Mix all the filling ingredients together until well combined. Spoon into a square dish lined with baking parchment/paper. Place in the freezer until firm enough to cut.
Remove from the freezer and cut into bars, squares or roll handfuls into balls. Place each one on a baking tray lined with baking parchment/paper. Place the baking tray with the coconut bars back into the freezer to completely freeze and set. Mix all the coating ingredients together and mix well. Dip each frozen bar, square or ball into the sugar free chocolate coating and place on a lined baking tray. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month and the fridge for up to 1 week.
The Immortal Training approach to training the abdominal group is always functional. That means that we aren’t going to waste our time focusing on a bunch of small movements like crunches and sit-ups. And if we do include any of those exercises they will be tweaked in a way as to engage the core correctly. Working together, the core muscles’ main job is to anchor and balance the body, in most cases, while the bigger muscles work. You may notice that when you go to perform a dead lift, bracing your abs is the first thing that happens. This is an example of how the core works – typically, never alone.
DO I NEED ANY EQUIPMENT?
Here’s what you need…
Kettle Bell or Home Made Kettle Bell (see video)
Resistance Bands
LET’S GET IT!
Watch the video below to for instructions on how to perform each exercise.
The goblet squat is a great move for beginners that are just learning how to squat. It can also be done with kettle bells and dumbbells just the same, so it is a very versatile exercise.
Main Muscles: Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps
Key Points:
Keep your back straight, chest high & core tight
Stand over the cable
Hold the close grip attachment on the heels of your palms in front of your chest
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