12 Best Follicular Phase Exercises for Better Cycle Syncing

Syncing your movement practice with your menstrual cycle—also known as exercise cycle syncing—can have numerous benefits, including decreasing PMS symptoms, improving mood, lowering stress, and increasing energy. 

Each phase is characterized by different energy levels, stamina, appetite, and other physical symptoms, which can make some exercises more optimal for specific phases in your cycle. 

So, what are the best follicular phase exercises? This phase is characterized by two distinct parts, and there are different exercise recommendations for each. Here’s everything you need to know about your hormones, symptoms, and energy during the phase, and the best follicular phase exercises for both parts.

What is cycle syncing? 

First: what exactly is cycle syncing? Cycle syncing involves aligning your diet, exercise, work tasks, social interactions, and self-care practices with these phases of your menstrual cycle. This concept was popularized by functional nutritionist Alisa Vitti. By syncing your lifestyle with your cycle, you can gain a better understanding of your body, enhance overall wellbeing, and boost your energy levels.  

Adapting your exercise routine to align with your menstrual cycle can help:  

• Alleviate period symptoms  
• Enhance your mood  
• Reduce stress  
• Combat PMS symptoms  

When it comes to exercise, it’s commonly believed that consistent hard work will yield results. While this approach benefits some people, it doesn’t always work well for everyone. Historically, exercise research has been skewed towards men. This has resulted in fitness recommendations that often overlook gender-specific hormone differences and responses.  

Hormones play an essential role in muscle development and energy use in the body. Your experience with exercise can vary across different phases of your menstrual cycle as hormones like estrogen, progesterone, LH, and FSH vary greatly from phase to phase—affecting your energy levels and perceived effort.

>>MORE: The Ultimate Guide to Cycle Syncing Workouts

Can you still practice cycle syncing on hormonal birth control?  

Yes, you can practice cycle syncing while on hormonal birth control. Women on hormonal birth control may still experience regular, predictable withdrawal bleeds, which often resemble menstrual periods. Even with hormonal birth control, some principles of cycle syncing can be applied to understand better and connect with how you feel throughout the month. You might observe patterns in energy levels, mood, and exercise performance. Cycle syncing can help you tune into your body’s signals and align your lifestyle.   

What exercises should you do in the follicular phase?

The follicular phase of the menstrual cycle can be split into two parts: early follicular and mid-late follicular. These two parts come with quite different symptoms, meaning your energy and perceived effort levels may be varied. Here are the best follicular phase exercises to do in each part.

Early follicular phase exercises

Day one of your cycle starts with menstrual bleeding and marks the beginning of the follicular phase. During this time, estrogen and progesterone levels are at their lowest.

When you have your period—which usually lasts about three to seven days—you may feel more lethargic. While research suggests that stamina and endurance is very low during this time, studies have also shown that movement during your period can lead to less painful periods.  

So, what are the best early follicular phase exercises? Focus on low intensity workouts.

Pilates

Pilates is a low-impact exercise that focuses on core strength, flexibility, and posture. Doing pilates can help build a strong foundation for other exercises—that you might do during other parts of your cycle—and reduce stress.

Walking

This low-intensity cardiovascular exercise is easy on the body and can improve circulation and reduce stress.

Yoga

Yoga is a great mind-body practice that can increase flexibility, strength, and balance while reducing stress and improving mood. 

Light weight lifting

Light weight lifting involves strength training using lighter weights and higher repetitions. This follicular phase exercise builds lean muscle mass, increases bone density, and boosts metabolism. Doing lighter lifting during this part of the follicular phase can also lay the groundwork for heavier lifting later in your cycle. 

Bodyweight exercises

If you don’t have weights or want to exercise without equipment, bodyweight exercises that use your own weight as resistance can also help build strength, endurance, and coordination. Bodyweight exercises include push-ups, squats, and lunges—you can always add weight to later in your cycle.

Slow-paced cardio

Slow-paced cardio includes cardiovascular exercise performed at a moderate intensity, such as swimming, cycling, or kayaking. 

For some women, the flow of their period affects their comfort during exercise, while others may not experience any discomfort with high-intensity workouts. It’s important to recognize that cycle syncing and exercise comfort can vary widely from person to person. By tracking your cycle and observing how you feel throughout different phases, you can better determine what types of exercise work best for you during each phase.  

Mid-late follicular phase exercises

Days six to 14 of your cycle generally represent the latter part of the follicular phase. During this period, estrogen levels gradually rise, peaking just before ovulation, when energy peaks.  

As estrogen levels increase, many women begin to regain their energy. These increased hormone levels facilitate muscle building, maintenance, and efficient use of stored carbohydrates for energy.  

Many women find they can comfortably engage in higher-intensity workouts and tackle heavier weights, more repetitions, and faster speeds. You may feel more energized during workouts due to improved access to stored carbohydrates, and find you are better equipped to handle intense training sessions.

So, what are the best late follicular phase workouts? This is a good time to tackle high-intensity workouts.

Running

This high-impact, high-intensity exercise can improve cardiovascular health, endurance, and strength—and this is an especially good time for more intense running like sprinting and long runs. Sprinting can boost metabolism and increase calorie burn, while long runs can help clear the mind and reduce stress.

High-intensity spinning or cycling

Whether you choose a stationary bike or to head outside, cycling is excellent for building cardiovascular fitness and increasing endurance.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training involves short bursts of exercise alternating with periods of rest or low-intensity activity. These are highly efficient workouts that can improve fitness, strength, and endurance in a short amount of time. 

Heavy lifting

Heavy lifting involves using heavier weights and lower repetitions to build muscle mass. This exercise can increase strength, power, and bone density.

Zumba

Zumba is a dance-fitness class that offers a fun and energetic workout. This exercise can improve your cardiovascular health, coordination, and mood.

Hiking

Hiking is a great combination of cardiovascular and strength exercise—and it's outdoors! Hiking can improve balance, coordination, and overall fitness while reducing stress.

As you’re choosing which high-intensity workouts to do and how often, be mindful that you might be more prone to overtraining and muscle damage during this phase. Make sure to take adequate time to recover between sessions and focus on stretching and staying hydrated. 

Are you stronger during your follicular phase? 

You may feel more lethargic in the first part of your follicular phase, when you’re on your period. After your period, however, high estrogen levels can positively affect muscle strength and endurance—so yes, you may feel stronger and more energized in the mid-late follicular phase!

Some research suggests a connection between rising estrogen levels and an increase in strength for female athletes. Estrogen also can help with muscle recovery, making it easier for you to recover from any high-intensity training you may do during this phase.

How to create your own menstrual cycle workout plan 

Tracking your menstrual cycle and making slight adjustments to your daily activities in alignment with your hormones can empower you to take control of your health and wellness goals. By understanding how hormonal fluctuations affect your energy levels throughout different phases, you can plan your exercise and other activities more effectively.  

But how can you know where exactly you are in your cycle, especially if you have irregular cycles or periods?

Oova’s at-home hormone monitoring test provides you with unique hormone information and patterns. You’ll get quantitative hormone level results within minutes, allowing you to track your specific fluctuations and cycle timing—and adjust your lifestyle and exercises with accuracy.

Follicular phase exercises: the bottom line

The follicular phase is made up of two parts: the early follicular phase, when you’re on your period, and the mid-late follicular phase, when estrogen rises leading up to ovulation.

In the first part of this phase, the best early follicular phase exercises are low-intensity workouts like walking and pilates. You may feel lethargic, but low-intensity movement can help with period symptoms.

In the second part of the phase, your estrogen levels rise and can make you feel stronger and more energized. The best mid-late follicular exercises are high-intensity workouts that capitalize on this strength and energy.

Cycle syncing your workouts to the fluctuations in your hormones can help decrease symptoms, improve your mood, and increase overall health benefits. If you’re looking for an accurate, personalized way to track your hormone levels and cycle from home, Oova can help.