Should you lift heavy on your period?
Short answer: probably not your heaviest. But you can definitely lift. Here's the nuance that nobody on TikTok gives you.
The actual science
Days 1-3 of your cycle, estrogen and progesterone are both at their lowest. Some women feel great. Others feel terrible. Both are normal.
A 2016 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine found no consistent decrease in maximal strength during menstruation. But "no consistent decrease" across a population doesn't mean you personally won't feel weaker. Individual variation is huge here.
When to push and when to back off
If you're on day 1 with heavy cramping and fatigue, doing 70% of your normal working weight is fine. You're still training. You're still building.
If you're on day 3 and feeling surprisingly good, go for your regular session. Some women actually feel a strength bump on days 3-5 as estrogen starts rising.
The worst thing you can do is skip entirely because you assume you can't. The second worst thing is forcing heavy singles through cramps because some influencer said periods are "just an excuse." Neither extreme is right.
Practical tips
Ibuprofen before training helps with cramps and doesn't affect muscle growth (despite the old myth). Take it 30 min before your session.
Wear dark colors. Obvious but nobody says it.
Menstrual discs or cups work better than pads for heavy lifting. Nothing shifts.
Drink extra water. You're losing fluid and iron.
What Lune does differently
Most fitness apps give you the same workout on day 1 as day 14. Lune adjusts your intensity based on where you are in your cycle. If you're in your menstrual phase, your workout dials back automatically. If you're in your follicular phase, it pushes you. Same program, adapted to your biology.
Train with your cycle, not against it
Lune adjusts your workouts to your menstrual cycle automatically. Same program, smarter timing.
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