5. Does cycle syncing your workouts actually work?

Quick introduction: Cycle syncing means adjusting your workout routine depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle.

TL;DR: Currently, there are no guidelines on cycle syncing workouts. However, it may still be worth trying to see if it makes a difference for you.

Research: One review found a slight drop in exercise performance during the menstrual phase (they call it the early follicular phase) of the cycle. However, its effect is negligible. For now, researchers suggest taking a more personalized approach, based on how your performance and energy levels shift throughout your cycle.¹

Doc’s opinion: Your body goes through many physiological aka bodily changes across the menstrual cycle, which may impact workouts. So, adapting your exercise routine to the cycle phases and assessing the results may be worth exploring. While everyone’s experience will vary, you may particularly notice a difference if:

• You’re sensitive to your cycle phases.

• You train frequently or at high intensity without modifying for your cycle.

What we know

In cycle syncing, you modify your workout plan for every phase of the menstrual cycle. It aims to optimize exercise performance and overall well-being.

The practice takes into account that hormonal fluctuations during your cycle influence your energy levels, which in turn can impact how you feel during workouts.

So instead of performing the same type of exercises throughout the cycle, here’s what you can do for potential benefit:

Phases	Energy Level	Exercises
Menstrual and Luteal	Low	Low-impact exercises like Yoga2 and walking
Follicular and Ovulation	High	High-intensity workouts like endurance or resistance training3

Understanding hormonal fluctuations during cycle phases and their effects on the body

Estrogen and progesterone are the two main female hormones. They keep fluctuating throughout the four phases of the menstrual cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal.

Evidence suggests these hormonal variations may impact your energy levels and mood.⁴

Moreover, the continuous rise and fall of these hormones may affect body systems that influence exercise performance, including:

• Cardiovascular system (heart rate, blood flow)

• Respiratory system (breathing)

• Metabolic system (energy production, storage, and use)

• Neuromuscular system⁵ (muscle activation, strength, coordination, balance, fatigue resistance)

Here’s a quick breakdown of a typical 28-day cycle⁶ and how hormone and energy levels fluctuate during different phases:

Phase	Timeline (Approx.)	Hormonal changes	Body changes	Energy levels
Menstrual	1-5 days	Estrogen and progesterone are the lowest.	No fertilization = shedding of the uterine lining aka period.	Low
Follicular	6-13 days	Estrogen starts rising and reaches its peak just before ovulation.	Growth of follicles in the ovaries containing immature eggs.	High
Ovulation	Around day 14	Estrogen remains high.	Release of a mature egg from the ovary.	Highest
Luteal	15-28 days	Progesterone starts rising and reaches its peak around day 21. Estrogen is moderately high. If no fertilization happens, both hormone levels drop significantly.	Thickening of the uterine lining in preparation for potential fertilized egg implantation.	Low (especially during late luteal days 24-28)

What does evidence say?

A 2020 review of 78 studies, published in Sports Medicine, studied the effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance in women with regular cycles.

Researchers observed that exercise performance was slightly lower during the early follicular phase or the period days. However, in comparison to the other phases, the dip was trivial.

Meaning? Most women did not notice a significant difference in exercise performance across their cycle.

Even though it was an extensive review, the researchers concluded that they cannot form general guidelines on cycle syncing workouts. Three reasons why:

1. The findings weren’t strong enough to draw a concrete conclusion.

2. Results were not consistent—they varied a lot from study to study.

3. The number of high-quality studies was limited.

Verdict for now?

Researchers suggest taking a personalized approach to this situation. You may attempt cycle syncing your workouts and observe if it makes a difference to your exercise performance and well-being.

To help you apply their recommendation, we prepared a practical 5-step guide:

1

Observation

Track performance, energy levels, mood, and motivation during your usual exercise routine throughout your cycle.

2

Experimentation

Adjust your workouts based on how you feel during the four phases of your cycle. Typically, low energy = low-impact exercises, high energy = high-impact exercises.

3

Comparison

Note any differences compared to your earlier routine.

4

Evaluation

Assess if cycle syncing your workouts is helping your overall performance and well-being.

5

Conclusion

Decide whether to continue the practice or return to your usual workout routine

References

1. McNulty KL, Elliott-Sale KJ, Dolan E, Swinton PA, Ansdell P, Goodall S, Thomas K, Hicks KM. The effects of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance in eumenorrheic women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports medicine. 2020 Oct;50(10):1813-27.

2. Mitra S, Mitra M, Saha M, Nandi DK. Yoga for Psychophysiological Wellbeing during Menstrual Phases in Eumenorrheic Females. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback. 2025 Mar;50(1):135-48.

3. Kissow J, Jacobsen KJ, Gunnarsson TP, Jessen S, Hostrup M. Effects of follicular and luteal phase-based menstrual cycle resistance training on muscle strength and mass. Sports Medicine. 2022 Dec;52(12):2813-9.

4. Washio H. Assessment of Well-Being Across Menstrual Phases in Female Students. Women's Health Reports. 2023 Oct 1;4(1):531-5.

5. Pallavi LC, SoUza UJ, Shivaprakash G. Assessment of musculoskeletal strength and levels of fatigue during different phases of menstrual cycle in young adults. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR. 2017 Feb 1;11(2):CC11.

6. Thiyagarajan DK, Basit H, Jeanmonod R. Physiology, menstrual cycle. InStatPearls [Internet] 2024 Sep 27. StatPearls Publishing.

Written by

Vaibhavi Kodnani

Researched by

Dr Inara Isani

Reviewed by

Dr P Liston