Protocols / WOMEN'S HEALTH

Women's Strength & Cycle

Train by how you feel, not by the calendar.

Cycle effects on performance are trivial on average and differ from woman to woman, so this protocol keeps your programme and teaches you to adjust it by feel. It also covers the pill, iron (blood test first), low energy availability (REDs), your pelvic floor, and pregnancy and postpartum pointers, with your midwife always first.

€9 · one-time payment · instant PDF · by Anthony Falcone

What's included

  • What the cycle research really shows
  • Train-by-feel weekly method and cycle log
  • The pill, iron and heavy periods: when to see a doctor
  • Eating enough: low energy availability (REDs)
  • Pelvic floor basics
  • Pregnancy and after-birth pointers
  • 18 peer-reviewed references

Built for

Build Muscle · Peak Performance

Inside the PDF: 11 chapters

  1. Before You Start: This protocol is for adult women who strength train or want to start. It does not replace your doctor, midwife or physiotherapist. Some symptoms need a check-up, not a training tweak.
  2. Women Build Strength Like Men: Start with the good news. When women and men follow the same programme, they gain muscle at a similar rate. There is no need for a separate 'women's workout'.
  3. What the Cycle Research Really Shows: Social media is full of 'cycle syncing' plans that change your training every week of your cycle. The research does not support a general rule like that. Here is what it does show.
  4. Train by Feel: The Weekly Method: This is our coaching method, built on the research above: keep your programme, track your cycle and symptoms for three months, and let the log, not the calendar, tell you when to adjust.
  5. The Pill and Other Hormonal Contraception: Many women wonder whether the pill makes them weaker or stronger. The short answer: probably not by enough to matter, and it is not a reason to choose or change contraception.
  6. Iron and Heavy Periods: Iron carries oxygen to your muscles. Women lose iron with every period, which is why iron deficiency is common in women who train, and why heavy periods deserve a doctor's attention.
  7. Eat Enough: Low Energy Availability: The most common nutrition mistake in women who train hard is not eating too much. It is eating too little for the training they do.
  8. Your Pelvic Floor: Leaking urine when you jump, run, cough or lift heavy is common in women who train, including those who never had a baby. It is common, but it is not something you have to live with.
  9. Pregnancy: If you are pregnant, training is usually good for you and your baby. But the first step is always your midwife or doctor, because some pregnancies need a different plan.
  10. After Birth: There is no fixed date when you are 'ready' after giving birth. Your recovery depends on the birth, your pelvic floor, your sleep and how you feel. Your midwife or doctor sets the starting point.
  11. Your Cycle Log: Copy this into a notebook or your phone. One line per training day. After three cycles, you will know more about your own body than any general rule can tell you.

Safety notes

  • Stop training and get medical help for chest pain, fainting, unusual breathlessness, or a racing or irregular heartbeat. If you are pregnant, see the warning signs in the Pregnancy chapter.
  • Choosing, stopping or changing contraception is a medical decision. Make it with your doctor, for your health and your life, not for your training.
  • Heavy periods are a medical issue, not something to push through. If you soak through protection quickly, pass large clots, or feel exhausted or breathless, see your doctor. Heavy bleeding can be treated, and its cause should be checked.
  • Missing periods are not a sign of fitness. If your periods become irregular or stop and you are not pregnant, see your doctor. If you think you might have an eating disorder, please talk to your doctor; help works best early.
  • See a doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist if leaking does not improve after a few months of training, or if you feel heaviness or a bulge in the vagina, have pain, or have trouble emptying your bladder or bowel.
  • If you are pregnant, stop and contact your midwife or doctor if you have vaginal bleeding, fluid leaking, regular painful contractions, chest pain, persistent dizziness or faintness, calf pain or swelling, or unusual shortness of breath.
  • See your doctor straight away for heavy bleeding, fever, a painful or red wound, calf pain or swelling, or chest pain. Talk to your doctor or midwife if you feel low, anxious or hopeless for more than a couple of weeks: postnatal depression is common and treatable.

References (18)

  1. Roberts, B.M., Nuckols, G. & Krieger, J.W. (2020). Sex Differences in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 34(5), 1448-1460. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003521
  2. Bull, F.C. et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
  3. Morton, R.W. et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6), 376-384. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
  4. McNulty, K.L. et al. (2020). The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 50(10), 1813-1827. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01319-3
  5. Colenso-Semple, L.M. et al. (2023). Current evidence shows no influence of women's menstrual cycle phase on acute strength performance or adaptations to resistance exercise training. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1054542. doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1054542
  6. Kissow, J. et al. (2022). Effects of Follicular and Luteal Phase-Based Menstrual Cycle Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Mass. Sports Medicine, 52(12), 2813-2819. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01679-y
  7. Bruinvels, G. et al. (2021). Prevalence and frequency of menstrual cycle symptoms are associated with availability to train and compete: a study of 6812 exercising women recruited using the Strava exercise app. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55(8), 438-443. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102792
  8. Elliott-Sale, K.J. et al. (2020). The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Exercise Performance in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 50(10), 1785-1812. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01317-5
  9. Pasricha, S.R. et al. (2021). Iron deficiency. The Lancet, 397(10270), 233-248. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32594-0
  10. Sim, M. et al. (2019). Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative review. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(7), 1463-1478. doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04157-y
  11. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015b). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for iron. EFSA Journal, 13(10), 4254. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4254
  12. Mountjoy, M. et al. (2023). 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(17), 1073-1098. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994
  13. Teixeira, R.V. et al. (2018). Prevalence of urinary incontinence in female athletes: a systematic review with meta-analysis. International Urogynecology Journal, 29(12), 1717-1725. doi.org/10.1007/s00192-018-3651-1
  14. Dumoulin, C., Cacciari, L.P. & Hay-Smith, E.J.C. (2018). Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10, CD005654. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub4
  15. Mottola, M.F. et al. (2018). 2019 Canadian guideline for physical activity throughout pregnancy. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(21), 1339-1346. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-100056
  16. Woodley, S.J. et al. (2020). Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 5, CD007471. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007471.pub4
  17. De-Regil, L.M. et al. (2015). Effects and safety of periconceptional oral folate supplementation for preventing birth defects. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 12, CD007950. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007950.pub3
  18. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015a). Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal, 13(5), 4102. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4102

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General education, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before you start.