Many players have one week a month that feels different, and for a lot of them that's their period. How you handle it matters more than the four or five days of training. Here's a plan that keeps you moving without making a bad week worse.
My plan is simple. If you feel fine, train as planned. If you feel rough, trim the session and keep moving. That's my coaching view, and I'll say where the research backs it and where it doesn't. Most of the studies are on women athletes in general. I found one small tennis study and nothing on padel, so treat all of this as general athlete research.
How common it is
Symptoms are common. In a survey of 6,812 adult women who exercise, 84% reported stomach cramps and 86% reported tiredness. The more symptoms they had, the more often they missed or changed training.
In a study of elite athletes who weren't using hormonal contraception, 77% said their cycle had negative effects, mostly on days 1 and 2 of the period. How much it bothers you is personal, so judge it by how you feel.
Does the cycle phase matter?
You'll see a lot of content about planning training around the phases of your cycle. The evidence isn't strong enough to build a plan on. A review of 78 studies found only a trivial dip in performance early in the cycle, and the authors rated the evidence low quality. They said no general rule can be written, and each person should look at her own response.
That's not the same as saying there's no effect. The studies are small, the methods are inconsistent and people respond differently. Players often say they feel worse in the first days of a period, even when tests show little change. The one tennis study I found had only 10 college players. Their serve wasn't affected on the first day of bleeding, but that's far too small to build a plan on.
Train by feel
Here's what I suggest. This is coaching practice, not a study result. Nobody has tested these exact adjustments.
- Feel fine: train as planned. Your period isn't a reason to change anything.
- Feel rough: keep the session but trim it. Cut a set or two on the big lifts and stop each set a little earlier than usual.
- Cardio: do as much as you tolerate. If the bleeding is heavy or you're wiped out, cut it shorter.
Core work is fine too. No study links core exercise to harm during your period. Core strengthening has even been used as a treatment for period pain in trials.
Extra mobility or stretching is a fine choice if it feels good. That's a coaching choice, and you don't have to do it.
What helps with cramps
The best-supported fix is regular training across the month. A Cochrane review found that exercise for about 45 to 60 minutes, three or more times a week, cut period pain by about 25 mm on a 100 mm scale. The evidence is low quality, and it says nothing about a single session.
A 2024 review of 49 studies found that resistance and multi-component exercise cut period pain, and resistance exercise worked best after eight weeks or more.
- Heat. In one review, heat worked about as well as painkillers, or better. A hot water bottle or heat pack on your lower belly is easy to try.
- Light movement. Many athletes find a walk or an easy bike helps on the day. There's no trial of a single session, so see how it feels.
- Regular training through the month, as above.
- Rest, if that's what you need. A day off is allowed.
When to see a doctor
A period is normal. Some patterns need a doctor, and no training tweak fixes them. The numbers below are rough guides, and the doctor decides.
- No first period by about age 15, or about 3 years after breast development started.
- Periods that stop for 3 months or more after being regular.
- Cycles that are often shorter than about 21 days or longer than about 45 days.
- Very heavy bleeding: soaking a pad or tampon every 1 to 2 hours, bleeding for longer than about 7 days, or new dizziness, breathlessness or tiredness.
- Pain that doubles you over, makes you miss school or sport, or doesn't ease with heat and light movement.
Heavy bleeding is common in athletes. In surveys of women who exercise, 36% to 54% reported it. About a third reported a past diagnosis of anaemia, and only 22% had sought medical advice. If you bleed heavily or feel flat all the time, ask a doctor to check your iron. Don't start iron tablets on your own.
A missed period isn't a fitness badge
Periods that stop or turn irregular aren't a sign that you're fit. They can mean your body isn't getting enough energy for the training you do. This is called low energy availability, or REDs. It can bring missed periods, stress fractures and constant tiredness.
Some researchers say the evidence shows links more than proof of cause. That's another reason for a doctor to look at the full picture. Being very lean isn't a goal, and nobody should praise a player for it.
Who to talk to
Talk to a parent or an adult you trust. For some players that's a female coach, and for others it's their mum. Pick whoever you find easiest.
Painkillers, iron tablets and hormonal contraception, including the pill, are for you, a parent and a doctor to decide. A coach shouldn't suggest them. If you track your cycle, the record is for your doctor. It's not a performance tool.
Coaches and parents: ask how she feels, listen, and let her say how the session goes. Keep comments about her body, her weight or "excuses" out of it.
Based on Bruinvels et al. (2016, 2020), McNulty et al. (2020), Otaka et al. (2018), Armour et al. (2019, Cochrane), Zheng et al. (2024), Mountjoy et al. (2023) and ACOG Committee Opinion 651 (2015).