Cycle-syncing coaching - useful or not?

For a really long time, female hormones and the menstrual cycle were pretty much ignored by sports scientists 😒 

Now, they’re getting more attention - which is of course FANTASTIC news. 

However. Companies and fitness influencers are getting way ahead of the research, often positioning hormones as THE KEY to female performance. As if it’s the ONLY factor that matters for women when it comes to exercise 🧐

But we are way, way more than just our hormones. There are a TON of factors that can influence how good a workout will feel throughout the month, from sleep, stress levels, nutrition, and more. 

Everyone experiences their cycle differently, so tracking it for a few months to see what your individual pattern of symptoms TENDS to look like is a great idea. However, it’s also important to make sure you’re nailing the basics first. Like:

• Are you consistently getting a good night’s sleep?

• Are you fuelling enough to support what you’re doing in the gym? 

• Are you managing your stress effectively?

📈🩸When tracking your cycle, you might find that you feel absolutely FINE to train around your period one month, then rubbish the next. Sometimes this just happens (being a woman is SO FUN). But sometimes this is because of factors OUTSIDE of your cycle, i.e. your overall recovery was on point one week, then not so good the next, which just happens to be the week before your period. 

Either way - listen to your body IN THE MOMENT ✌️ There is absolutely NO need to plan a week of “low intensity” workouts just because a cycle syncing coach has told you too. If you feel great, then go ahead and train as you would ANY other time of the month.