Deciding to focus on your fitness is as much about knowing your body, as it is about wanting to change it according to your goals. The more you know about it, the better you can plan the approach. This could range from something as simple as figuring out what is the best time in the day for you to exercise, to what meal you should be eating before and after exercising, to something more complex like how your heart reacts to cardio, or how your hormones may help you figure out the right way to workout.
I saw an Instagram post recently which asked a question using clever gym jargon: should women switch from the bro-split to the flow-split? A bro-split is a mostly male-driven division of workouts according to muscle groups or the way muscles move. Example: push-pull-legs or chest day, leg day, back day and so on. A flow-split is something a lot of trainers and even gynaecologists are saying should be what women should try out—working out according to their menstrual cycle. And much of this is to do with estrogen levels in the body.
“High estrogen levels will make it easier for you to approach cardio and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) with more enthusiasm. During ovulation, when the body is getting ready to get pregnant, is when you will feel the fittest in your cycle,” says Devika Chopra, who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist based in Mumbai.
Chopra, who is 40, has been working out for as long as she can remember. She has tried all sorts of workout methods including the bro-split. Over the last few years, she has started advising her patients to exercise according to what she calls “the life-stage of the woman’s body”.
An example she uses is how a lot of women, once they hit menopause, suffer from a waddle-like walk, because of a weaker pelvic girdle. “This leads to protruding stomachs. So post 40, remember to train the pelvic muscles along with glutes, upper hamstrings, and core training. The age-group and what hormone is predominant in that part of our life is extremely important to how the body reacts.”
She doesn’t strictly adhere to the 28-day cycle but says it depends on every individual. She adds that the body is more pliable in the second half of the cycle, so this is a great time to do more flexibility work while working out during periods is encouraged because it strengthens the pelvic floor, which can result in reduced period pains.
Fitness trainer Priyanka Lahiri has a lot of experience of training with women clients. “What Devika Chopra says is right,” Lahiri says, when told of Chopra’s opinions on training and the cycle. “But I would not change my split unless my goals are changing. Instead, and this is difficult for a lot of my clients, I try to push them even more when they are feeling bogged down by hormonal changes during the period cycle.”
Lahiri says that it is important to target certain activities during phases, but to change things around too much “add another layer of complication to the already complicated relationship between women and exercising.”
That said, she encourages gym-goers to target their PRs (personal records) and heavy lifting during the luteal phase. This is when the body is preparing for pregnancy, starts after ovulation and lasts for about two weeks. “This is when you go hardest in the gym. But that does not mean not lifting weights in the remaining two weeks of the cycle.”
Lahiri is more interested in focusing on the benefits of training rather than on the reasons to not train during or just before menstruation. “This is mainly because happy hormones like oxytocin levels increase when you workout. The blood flow increases to all the muscles, and the sense of achievement post working out helps you counter the mood swings that come with a period. Yes your energy might be slightly low, but push through it, even if it is at a slightly lower intensity,” she says.
Some might wonder about the role of testosterone in all this. On this, a Healthline article reviewed by California-based gynaecologist Stacy A. Henigsman, titled, How to Use Cycle Syncing To Connect With Your Body, suggests a small spike in testosterone levels around ovulation. “However, results seemed to vary based on how testosterone levels were sampled. Certain medications and underlying conditions can also affect testosterone levels. More research using consistent sample methods among larger participant groups is needed to understand the menstrual cycle’s effect on testosterone fully,” the article states.
There are other factors to consider as well, which include mood, the ability to focus, period pain intensity, and sleep quality, which might all determine how much and what kind of workouts one is able to do. But exercising can make all of these factors better. “Use the cycle as an advantage rather than as a reason to not workout. Yes some phases have advantages so use them that way,” says Lahiri.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator, podcaster and writer.