Exercise for Your Cycle 101: Luteal Phase

What’s Happening?

The luteal phase is the longest in the cycle and carries you from ovulation until the onset of flow. The second half of the cycle begins with high energy levels, but as hormones taper off the late luteal phase is typically when women experience symptoms of PMS. This is a key time for listening to your body and employing movement as an instrument of self-care.

Hormones + Metabolism

Hormone levels peak early in this phase and then begin a sharp decline. High estrogen and testosterone levels taper off while progesterone increases until the few days preceding your period. This shift can have you asking for more alone time and self-reflection. You may experience a feeling akin to nesting or the desire to bring tasks to completion. Metabolism is elevated and your body burns more energy at its baseline during this phase. This can leave you feeling depleted with high intensity or excessive exercise.

Body

You still have energy to burn early in this week, but as hormones drop off and your period approaches, your body will be asking for more rest and gentle movement. This vaginally “dry” phase continues through your period where you may experience breast tenderness and bloating as a result of water retention. Sleep in and practice self care in preparation for the next cycle. 

Exercise

The luteal phase is a tricky one when it comes to exercise. Post-ovulation hormone and energy levels remain high, but then begin to decline sharply toward the end of the cycle. Progesterone peaks in this phase which is good for inflammation and injury prevention, but this calming effect can also mean you don’t have sufficient explosive energy for high intensity. When it comes to your workouts, consider the luteal phase in two parts: early and late.

Early Luteal [3-5 days]

• Slow + Heavy Resistance Training

  With lingering energy post-ovulation, you may find that you still have sufficient power reserve to give in workouts. Leverage this opportunity to build lean muscle by increasing resistance and dialing in awareness to create the mind-muscle connection.

• Targeted Muscle Groups

  Rather than engaging in complex movement patters, focus on targeting single muscle groups with a slow and heavy effort.

• Focused Awareness + Activation

  Engage in deep breathing and focused awareness during movement to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and alleviate any anxiety that might be arising.

Late Luteal [2-4 days]

With the mid-luteal slump of all key hormones, energy drops off significantly. Paired with a metabolism increase in this phase, your body is susceptible to resource depletion—particularly with excessive or overly demanding exercise. Not to mention that with progesterone plummeting, the good sleep you may have experienced in the early luteal phase begins to suffer. Turn to yoga practices, easy walking or leisurely cycling, and active rest for supportive movement in the days leading up to your period.

• Gentle + Restorative Yoga

  Let your breath be your guide and consider longer held postures to tap into your slow + steady strength.

• Walking

  Get access to endorphins without the risk of burnout. As an added bonus, time in nature can soothe the mental and emotional overwhelm signature to the late luteal phase.

• Active Rest

  Turn to meditation practices, supine postures, and supported stretching to give your body rest while bringing quiet to the mind.

When to Move

Stick to early workouts in the first 3-5 days of this phase and transition to evening movement practices as your period approaches.