🎧 Listen to the corresponding podcast episode

<aside> 👉 Disclaimer: this should not be taken as medical advice, this is based on my experience as a personal trainer and functional health coach, research, and personal experience. This is going to apply mainly to my girlies who are NOT on birth control. Taking the pill typically prevents ovulation and even if you have a bleed, you’re not going through these same hormonal cycles - so keep that in mind.

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Introduction:

• Women are on a 28-day hormonal cycle (unlike men who have a 24 hour hormonal cycle). This means we have 4 distinct phases of our menstrual cycle (Menstruation, Follicular, Ovulation, and Luteal). They are very similar to the 4 seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall)
• Your hormones change significantly throughout these phases. The way you build muscle, metabolize, process carbs, think, feel, and act changes along with these phases. This is a guide to help you optimize your workouts for muscle growth by syncing them with these phases.

source: @floliving on IG

Understand the Hormones That Affect Muscle Growth & Fat Loss:

Keep in mind, there are other hormones at work here, but for the purposes of this framework, we will focus on the 3 main ones that affect your exercise physiology.

• Testosterone:
  • Promotes muscle growth and strength development by boosting muscle protein synthesis, enhances sex drive, and helps with overall sense of well-being, energy, and zest for life
• Estrogen:
  • Estrogen gives women their distinctively female characteristics - larger breasts, smaller waist size, and wider hips. Estrogen helps prevent muscle atrophy and preserve muscle strength
• Progesterone
  • Prepares the body to actually hold a pregnancy & baby. In the context of exercise, it is a catabolic hormone which means it prevents muscle repair. It also affects insulin sensitivity & can make us more insulin resistant (which means it affects your blood sugar and in turn - the way you store fat)

source: latticetraining.com

Step 1: Track Your Menstrual Cycle

<aside> 👉 Before syncing your workouts, track your menstrual cycle to identify its phases: Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory, and Luteal. Keep in mind that a typical cycle is 28 days, but everyone is different. Mine, for example, is typically 29 or 30 days on average.

My favorite apps are:

• Myflo⁠ period tracker app
• ⁠Stardust⁠ app
• Natural Cycles </aside>

🗓️ Week-by-Week Framework to Sync Your Workouts:

1. First Quarter of Cycle (Follicular Phase)

Rising levels of estrogen and testosterone allow you to lift heavy, do higher intensity workouts, and build muscle really efficiently. This is the time you can really push yourself. Your body is more resilient, and capable of rebuilding muscle effectively.

• Exercise: Weight lifting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), workout classes like Barry’s, running, sprints