The female menstrual cycle and what information it provides us with

As I reported in my last blog, I’ve been training with KickAssSports since October 2020 and since then my training plan has been tailored to my cycle. But what exactly does that mean and why did I decide to change my training? What has changed and what does my training plan look like now? I will be answering these questions today and over the next few weeks. However, I would like to point out at this point that I am not a doctor or scientist. I am only reporting on my personal experiences with this topic in this blog.

What do I expect from cycle-based training?

Many of you are probably familiar with this: abdominal pain, headaches, bad mood, listlessness, water retention. I also struggled with these so-called PMS symptoms for a long time, every month anew.

After I stopped taking the pill for various reasons, the effects became more and more severe, my cycle was irregular and sometimes stopped completely.

In short: something had to change.

The latest impetus to get more involved with the cycle came from the YouTube series by KickAss mentor Laura Philipp. If you haven’t seen the videos yet, I really recommend them to you.

Phases of the cycle in brief

First of all, I would like to briefly explain the menstrual cycle to you: The female cycle normally lasts 28-35 days and can be divided into two halves. The first half of the cycle begins with the first day of your period and ends with ovulation. This phase is called the follicular phase and is dominated by the hormone oestrogen. Ovulation marks the change to the second half of the cycle, also known as the luteal phase, and ends before the period starts again. During this time, the hormone progesterone is predominant. We still need this information for the next blog posts.

As soon as you have decided to train cycle-based, you or your trainer will need the following information:

• Do you have a natural cycle (no hormonal contraceptives in use)?
  • Only then, in my opinion, does it make sense to adapt the training to the cycle
• Which phase are you in (follicular phase or corpus luteum phase)?
• Are you ovulating and if so, when?
• Do you have a period and if so, from when to when?

So that I know as much as possible about my cycle, it is necessary to record some parameters. When I discussed the topic of tracking with my friends, they all immediately thought of pink-colored apps with different smileys that are supposed to describe the well-being during the cycle. But there is also other, more objective data.

To know if and when I ovulated, I use the temperature and cervical mucus method.

Die Temperaturmethode oder: Täglich grüßt das Thermometer

This means that I measure my basal body temperature with a digital thermometer every morning before getting up. For an accurate measurement, you should always measure at the same point (oral, vaginal or rectal) for around 3 minutes. I then immediately enter the measured temperature into the Azum training platform. I know that sounds a bit daunting and annoying at first, but as soon as you have integrated the measurement into your morning routine, it’s really super quick and uncomplicated.

During the first half of the cycle, the temperature is consistently low and rises sharply at ovulation (approx. 0.3 – 0.5 degrees). The basal body temperature then remains at this level for about 3 days at a time and then rises again slightly until it drops again at the onset of your period. Can you also record such a temperature curve?

Cervical mucus

The cervical mucus can also be documented. After menstruation, women excrete a milky, creamy or even lumpy cervical mucus. Towards ovulation, the discharge becomes increasingly glassy, fluid, clear and spinnable. You can then easily pull it 3-4 cm apart between your fingers. The amount also increases. After ovulation, the mucus decreases again and becomes milky, creamy or lumpy.

Thanks to these two methods, it is possible to tell with a high degree of certainty whether ovulation has taken place.

Play it safe with LH tests

But if you want to know exactly, you can also do an LH test.

During ovulation, the level of the luteinizing hormone LH rises and causes the egg to burst. LH can be detected in the urine approximately 24-36 hours before ovulation. If the LH level is elevated, the ovulation test is positive and confirms that ovulation is imminent. With an average cycle length of 28 days, you should start testing between the eighth and tenth day of your cycle.

I tried this test a few times because I wasn’t sure whether the temperature rise was “clear” enough and whether I was actually ovulating. These tests work in a similar way to a pregnancy test, are not expensive and help you to develop a better feeling for your own cycle. You can either order them online or buy them at a well-stocked drugstore. It is important to note that there are different sensitivities of LH tests. It is best to start with a medium sensitivity (20 or 25 mlU/ml) and if the test is negative, try a higher sensitivity (e.g. 10 mlU/ml) next time, as the level of LH varies from woman to woman.

It is therefore possible for women to have a relatively low LH value of less than 20 mlU/ml despite imminent ovulation. In such cases, a test with 20 mlU/ml would not be effective and a higher sensitivity would have to be used.

These three methods will give you a pretty good idea of your cycle.

It can also be helpful to track sleep, moods, complaints and nutrition.

After a few months of recording, I was able to discover some connections.

It’s really exciting and it’s great fun to get to know your own body better.

Last but not least, I share all this information with my KickAss coaches so that they are aware of my hormonal situation and can plan my training accordingly.

The big advantage of tracking is also that I can see whether I have a functioning cycle and can check every month whether I’m healthy. Of course, it’s not easy at first to talk about such a personal topic with your coach, but I’ve learned that it’s only difficult at first and the more openly and frequently you talk about it, the easier it becomes.

So don’t be afraid.

What does cycle-based training look like?

Put simply, my training consists of two phases. One phase with lots of intensive, very hard training units and one phase with mainly relaxed basic units or technique training. The intensive training phase takes place during the first half of the cycle, while the extensive training phase takes place in the second half of the cycle. But more on this in the next blog.