Training Around Your Menstrual Cycle: What Every Active Woman Should Know

Have you ever felt like your training just hits differently depending on the week???

Some days you feel strong, powerful and unstoppable…
Other days everything feels heavier, slower and harder to recover from.

That’s not in your head, it’s what is happening in your body.

Understanding your menstrual cycle isn’t about limiting what you can do. It’s about training smarter, reducing injury risk and getting more out of your body long-term.

What’s Actually Happening Throughout the Cycle?

Your menstrual cycle is driven by fluctuations in hormones like oestrogen, progesterone and relaxin, and these don’t just affect mood or energy.

They influence:

• Strength and power output
• Recovery capacity
• Coordination and reaction time
• Ligament laxity (how “loose” your joints are)

And that last one is where injury risk becomes important. 

So, let’s break down the stages: 

Menstruation (Days 1–5)

• Hormones are at their lowest
• Your body is shedding the uterine lining

Training tip:
Focus on lower intensity training, recovery and movement that feels good.

Follicular Phase (Days 1–13)

• Energy starts to rise
• Your body is preparing an egg and rebuilding
• Oestrogen peaks just before ovulation

Training tip:
Great time to build strength, increase intensity and push training. Some research shows that strength training during this phase results in greater increases in muscle strength when compared to training in other stages of your cycle. 

You are primed to train hard in this stage, oestrogen helps you recover better and faster. Take advantage of this! 

Ovulation (Mid-cycle)

• Hormones peak
  
• You may feel your strongest and most powerful
• Oestrogen drops off post ovulation

Training tip:
Maximise your performance here (it’s a good time to check those 1RM’s) due to a release of testosterone, but be mindful of technique and control due to increased injury risk.

Luteal Phase (Post ovulation)

• Progesterone is produced, peaks and then props off if you do not fall pregnant
• Your body prepares for a potential pregnancy

Training tip:
Dial back intensity slightly, focus on control, recovery and consistency.

 

When Are You More At Risk Of Injury?

Research shows that ACL injury risk is highest during the pre-ovulatory phase (the late follicular phase, or simply just before ovulation).

This is when:

• Oestrogen levels are rising
• Ligament laxity can increase
• Knee stability may decrease

This combination can lead to:

• Increased knee valgus (collapse inward)
• Reduced neuromuscular control
• Higher stress on the ACL during dynamic movements, such as changing direction and landing 

There is also emerging evidence that injury risk may increase again during the mid-luteal phase (5-9 days post ovulation), when hormones like progesterone and relaxin peak. 

This phase has been linked to:

• Changes in collagen and ligament strength
• Reduced tissue resilience
• Increased risk of soft tissue injuries

What About Muscle and Tendon Injuries?

It’s not just ACLs.

Women may be more likely to experience soft tissue injuries (muscle injuries, tendon irritation) during:

• Late follicular phase (just before ovulation)
• Late luteal / pre-menstrual phase

Why?

Because hormonal changes can impact:

• Tissue stiffness
• Load tolerance
• Recovery capacity

Meaning your body may not handle the same training load the same way across the month.

Why This Matters for Training

This doesn’t mean you should stop training at certain times. It means you should adjust how you train.

Ignoring these patterns can lead to:

• Recurrent injuries
• Frustrating plateaus
• Longer recovery times
• That cycle of “it feels better… then flares up again”

Sound familiar?

Here’s How to Train Smarter (Not Less)

Here’s how we approach it… 

1.  Track Your Cycle

Start noticing patterns:

• When do you feel strongest?
• When do things feel harder?
• When do injuries or niggles show up?

Awareness is step one.

2. Modify High-Risk Phases

During pre-ovulatory and late luteal phases, consider:

• Reducing high-impact or high-speed change of direction work
• Being mindful with heavy or maximal lifts
• Increasing focus on control and technique
• Incorporate injury prevention programs pre game,  like this one https://invigoratehealth.com.au/injury-prevention-program/ (Yeah, we’ve got you). 

3. Prioritise Strength and Control

A strong, resilient body is your best protection.

Focus on:

• Glute and hamstring strength
• Single leg stability
• Landing mechanics
• Upper back strength

This reduces load on vulnerable structures like the ACL.

4. Don’t Ignore Early Signs

Pain, tightness or reduced performance isn’t random.

It’s feedback.

The earlier you address it, the easier it is to manage.

The Bigger Picture

Your menstrual cycle isn’t a weakness. It’s a performance variable.

When you understand it, you can:

• Train more effectively
• Reduce injury risk
• Improve recovery
• Stay consistent long-term

And consistency is what actually drives results.

Takeaway

If you’ve been dealing with recurring injuries, frustrating setbacks or unpredictable performance…

It might not just be your training program.
It might be when you’re training the way you are.

How We Can Help

At Invigorate, we don’t just treat injuries, we look at the full picture. That includes: training load, movement patterns and yes, your cycle

If you want to better understand your body and train without constant setbacks make sure you book in with our team today or send us a DM to get started.