Summary:

In this episode of the Smart Strength Training podcast, I take a deep dive into cycle syncing, the idea that women should pre plan their training intensity around different phases of the menstrual cycle. While the concept has been heavily popularised across the fitness industry, media outlets, and social platforms, and it sounds appealing on the surface. There are some assumptions made for it to work that don't hold true in real life or to the research.

I explain the hormonal rationale often used to justify cycle syncing and highlight the practical challenges of applying it in the real world, including cycle variability, symptom unpredictability, and the added complexity it places on already busy lives.

Chapters :

00:15 – What cycle syncing is and why it has become so popular in women’s training

02:40 – Clarifying what cycle syncing actually means versus day to day training adjustments based on symptoms

03:46 – The hormonal argument behind cycle syncing and why it sounds convincing on paper

06:03 – Practical limitations of cycle syncing, cycle variability, tracking, and real-life constraints

07:22 – What the research actually shows on strength, muscle protein synthesis, and performance across the cycle

11:51 – Why autoregulation beats cycle syncing and how to adjust training without sacrificing consistency

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