Cycle-based training

Competitive sport and the female cycle are often associated with negative experiences. But with a few adjustments to your training, you can also use your period to your advantage. Since my training has been adapted to my cycle, I feel better about training and accept that I simply can’t perform as well on some days. I have also learned that being open about the topic has been a key factor for me in feeling better in training. I now take my “superwoman days” particularly seriously. But what is it like when you have your period on competition day?

I have been racing mountain bikes since I was five years old. What was still an intense hobby as a child has become more and more professional over the past few years. Since I was allowed to compete in my first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup (then still U23) in 2016, I have been able to compete in the European World Cups every year since then. I compete in the Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) discipline, which is a physically and technically demanding discipline. We ride a circuit with about 3-4.5 km and 30-150 meters of elevation gain so often that we have about 1.5 hours of racing time at the finish.

The training includes a variety of endurance, intensive shorter units (intervals), strength and technique. It is a great challenge to find the right balance between the different demands of my sport. I have been training with Philipp Seipp and Kick Ass Sports for around 1.5 years. Since then, my training has been adapted to my cycle in addition to all the other requirements. This has changed a lot for me, but only for the better.

Adaptation of the training

It’s actually crazy: I’ve been working on my performance with various trainers for around eight years and it’s only since I changed 1.5 years ago that my female cycle has been integrated into my training plan. Previously, I simply accepted that this was not taken into account and therefore trained like a man. I often trained intensive intervals on the first day of my cycle, i.e. the day my period started, despite severe pain in my abdomen and didn’t listen to the alarm signals at all. I also didn’t feel like I could talk about it, my period was a taboo subject.

The openness with the topic and the naturalness of talking about it had a very positive influence on me. I immediately realized that being able to talk openly about my period and the challenges that come with it can make a huge difference to me. No sooner said than done, the training was adapted.

At this point, it is important to emphasize that I have a natural cycle and do not take hormonal contraceptives. This is important because when taking hormonal contraceptives (the pill), the hormone level remains constant and the natural hormonal processes are suppressed.

For me, this means that I can train most intensively in the first half of my cycle, when hormone production is constantly low. This doesn’t mean that I never do intensive sessions in the second half of my cycle, but we are very sensitive to my well-being and perceived recovery. Over the years, I have found that I usually have some severe abdominal pain on the first and third day of my period. As soon as I have pain, I no longer do any intensive sessions. As exercise can actually alleviate this pain and easy cycling is very good for me then, I ride foundation sessions on these days. When my training was not yet adapted to my cycle, I often still trained intensively on these days. However, I never felt well during and after the session, but there was no way I didn’t want to train because of it. That’s one of the most important things I’ve learned about my cycle-based training: Don’t force anything. When I have cramps and my body is crying out for rest and relaxation, the last thing that helps is an intense training stimulus. That sounds easier for me now than it is, because saying “no” to a training session wasn’t easy for me at all at first.

“Superwoman time”

Since I’ve been paying more attention to my cycle, I’ve noticed that I don’t regenerate as well in the second half of my cycle as I do in the first and that I’m often hungrier. I don’t completely change my diet depending on the half of my cycle, but there are a few little things that I pay attention to. In the second half of my cycle, I eat a little more protein than in the first half, I eat a little more overall and try to avoid hunger pangs by eating well before I feel empty. I have also found that caffeine can trigger very strong cramps in my abdomen during my period. I discovered this because on the first to third day of my period, I would get very bad stomach pains and cramps half an hour after my morning coffee. Since I switched to decaffeinated coffee, I no longer have these “caffeine cramps”.

In addition to all the unpleasant aspects of my period, I have also learned how I can use my period to my advantage. I always feel particularly good in the first half of my cycle, which is why I call it my “superwoman time”. When competitions take place during this period, I always feel particularly good at the start. That doesn’t mean that I promptly feel bad or unwell in the second half of the cycle, I see the Superwoman time more as a kind of bonus to my normal state. After a race, I recover faster in the first half of the cycle, so I often don’t have heavy or tired legs the day after the race. However, the second half of the cycle is really not bad per se, I’ve also raced very well then. In addition, we mustn’t forget that a competition depends on many factors, the cycle is just one of them.

Competition days with period

But what if a competition is exactly on the start day of my period? To be honest, this hasn’t happened to me yet, which is certainly no coincidence. A race is also a state of stress for the body. Although many races have been on the calculated start date of my period, I have always had my period a few days later. This is also something very admirable that happens in our bodies, as it acts as a kind of self-protection. Of course, it may well be that this is not the case for every woman. Because if there’s one thing we know, it’s that every woman’s cycle is unique.

So my period has never started on a race day, but I’ve often had my period on race days. How does that feel? Fortunately, I haven’t had any abdominal cramps during a race yet, but there have been races where I’ve been a bit more weak because I felt like my body needed a lot of strength for my period. I often feel bloated and heavy, which is not a good feeling for race days. If a race is on the fourth or fifth day of my period, then I know that anything is possible, because on those days I feel my “superwoman powers” at their most intense. When I’m at the start line and the seconds are counting down, I no longer think about my period or how I feel because of it, because then all that matters is the race and demanding the best possible from my body.

Overall, I’ve learned a lot about my cycle over the past few months and have started to understand myself better as a result. I am much more relaxed and positive about my cycle and have far fewer negative associations with my period now that I understand more about it and can talk about it openly. With a few adjustments to my training and the right diet, I have also managed to reduce my cramps and pain. I also know that I can perform at my best in the second half of my cycle and I see the first half of my cycle as a superpower.

It’s a shame that there is very little exchange between female athletes about periods. I would like to see periods not being a taboo subject, especially for young female athletes. Thanks to Laura Philipp and Philipp Seipp for letting me learn so much from you!