How to Modify Your Lifting Routine During Your Period
- Morgan Meese
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Supporting Performance and Recovery with Cycle Awareness
As a female CrossFit athlete, you already know that performance isn’t just about how hard you push—it's about how well you listen to your body.
One area that often gets overlooked? Your menstrual cycle.
If you’ve mastered the basics of lifting with good form, smart progressions, and pelvic floor support, the next step in leveling up your training is understanding how to train with your cycle, not against it.
Lifting Modifications for Period Week
Some say that a woman's menstrual cycle is their 5th vital sign, along with heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. That makes it pretty important if you're placing in the ring with those other bodily functions.
With that being said, as females, working with our menstrual cycle, and specifically the period of menstruation is super important to benefit our overall health and wellness. Here are a few ways to adjust your training during menstruation without derailing progress:
1. Lower your intensity. This might mean lifting at 60–75% of your usual max effort or choosing lighter weights with more controlled reps. Think of this week as a “deload” that helps your body recover while still moving.
2. Focus on form and breath work. Use this time to reinforce good movement patterns, especially core and pelvic floor connection. Slowing down your lifts can actually build more awareness and help prevent leaks, heaviness, or discomfort. Learn more about breathwork and pelvic floor coordination at the blog post here.
3. Swap max lifts for accessories. This can be a great week for things like banded glute work, tempo squats, core stability work, and single-leg exercises. They build strength without pushing your system too hard.
4. Be flexible. Some months, you might feel great during your period and hit a PR. Other months, not so much. That’s okay. The goal is to build consistency over time, not force peak performance every single day.
Recovery Strategies That Actually Help
This is also a time to focus on recovery. Your body is doing extra work internally, so give it the support it needs. Although these concepts go without saying, they are even more important to focus on during menstruation:
Get enough sleep (7–9 hours, minimum)
Hydrate (add electrolytes if needed)
Eat enough protein and carbs to fuel your training
Take a walk or stretch if you’re feeling extra sore
It can also be a good idea to incorporate recovery techniques within the gym setting. Activities like body tempering, foam rolling, stretching, and breath work (like we mentioned before) are great ways to support your body during this specific time of the month. Prioritizing healthy habits, like those in the bulleted list above, and recovery techniques can help pack a punch on your performance in the gym as you complete your menstrual period.
Learn more about recovery techniques at the blog post here.
Bottom Line
You’re not broken, fragile, or “less than” because your body changes throughout the month. If anything, you're stronger because of it. You’re a female athlete with an amazing system that—when supported—can perform better because you listen to it.
Just like with anything else, knowing when and how to pull back in life and in the gym is a strength, not a weakness. And when you train with your menstrual cycle in mind, you build resilience—not just in your lifts, but in your whole body.
Need Help with Leaks, Pressure, or Pelvic Pain?
If you're dealing with pelvic floor symptoms like leaking during double unders, heaviness with barbell lifts, or pressure that worsens around your cycle, you're not alone—and you don’t have to just “deal with it.”
Learn more about common pelvic health dysfunction experienced by female CrossFit athletes at the blog post here.
If you're looking for help, here at The Well Physio we specialize in helping female CrossFit athletes move with confidence, lift without limits, and feel strong in every phase of their cycle.
👉🏼 Click here to learn more about pelvic health physical therapy or book your free consultation to get started.