Training with Rhythm: Female Physiology and Triathlon Performance (Part 2)

Note: This is Part 2 of Training with Rhythm: Female Physiology and Triathlon Performance.
If you haven’t read Part 1, start there for the foundations on rhythm, physiology, and common myths. We now move into the practical side, how to pace by feel, build strength that lasts, fuel properly, and recover well at every stage.

Adjusting Training: Pacing, Strength, Fuelling, and Rest

We’ve covered the big-picture approach; now let’s translate it into actionable coaching tactics. In this section, we look at four pillars of training – pacing, strength, fuelling, and rest – and discuss how female athletes can optimise each one across different physiological contexts. These are the knobs you can turn to fine-tune the engine.

Pacing and Perception: Listen to Your Body’s Cues

Pacing is not just about hitting a target time or power; it’s also about knowing how hard to push on a given day. Female athletes can benefit greatly from developing strong subjective pacing awareness, essentially, dialling into RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and internal signals, especially as hormones or life stages introduce variability in how you feel.

An athlete-led pacing approach means on days when you feel terrific, you capitalise (go for that hard interval session, or run a bit longer if it’s flowing); and on days when your body is giving warning signs (excessive fatigue, unusually high heart rate for pace, poor sleep from hormonal symptoms), you adjust down. For example, suppose it’s late luteal phase and you notice your breathing is laboured and heart rate higher than normal at tempo effort, rather than force the exact splits from your plan, you might scale back the intensity slightly or shorten the workout, knowing you’re in a temporary low-fuel, higher-stress mode. You’re still doing the work, just tuned to that day’s capacity. This kind of responsiveness can prevent overtraining and injury, and it’s something I encourage by building trust with athletes to speak up about how they feel.

It’s worth noting that feeling “off” or flat at times is normal for all athletes, not solely due to menstrual cycles. As one of my articles explains, athletes should not overreact to those low-energy days; “feeling flat is actually part of the plan” because it often means you’re in a heavy training block and fitness gains are incubating beneath the fatigue. The same message applies if you suspect hormones are at play: don’t panic. If it’s an important workout, try a longer warm-up or some self-talk (“I feel sluggish but I’ll ease in and see if I improve”). Often you’ll surprise yourself once you get going. And if not, it’s okay, bank what you can that day and live to fight another. Avoid the trap of chasing a “perfect” feeling every session. Training for endurance is a long game of averages, not daily heroics.

Practically, pacing adjustments might include using RPE or heart-rate zones instead of strict pace/watt targets on variable days. For instance, rather than insist on holding 220W on a day you feel awful, ride at an RPE 7/10 and see where the watts land. You’re still getting a solid stimulus. Over time, learning that effort can be a better guide than external numbers in certain situations is empowering. It’s the opposite of being overly data-driven or forcing the body, it’s working with your body’s rhythm. Many female athletes find that around menstruation or ovulation their perceived exertion at high intensities can shift, so they pace by feel and end up executing better (and with less frustration) than if they stared at a watch.

Finally, pacing in races deserves mention: Women often excel at endurance pacing and strategy, in part due to physiology (fat-burning capacity, etc.) and perhaps a bit due to temperament. There’s evidence from ultra-endurance events that women pace more evenly and are less likely to blow up compared to men. Use that to your advantage. In training, cultivate that sense of rhythm, an intuitive understanding of your sustainable effort. That way, regardless of cycle or age, you become a master of your own pace. It’s a huge confidence booster and performance asset when you know internally what you’re capable of on the day, and can adjust on the fly.

Strength and Conditioning: A Cornerstone, Not an Afterthought

If there’s one training element universally underlined for female athletes, it’s strength training. Consistency in strength work builds the chassis that lets you handle more swim/bike/run. This is true at 25 and even more so at 55. Let’s break down key considerations:

Young athletes (20s–30s)

In your 20s and 30s, higher oestrogen levels support muscle repair and bone density, making this a good time to build strength that lasts. Many young female triathletes still avoid proper strength work, often because of old myths about “bulking up” or simply a lack of time. The truth is that consistent strength training improves running economy, bike power, and overall resilience.

How to approach strength at this stage:

• Prioritise discipline-specific strength. Build it first through your training: paddles and pull buoy work in the pool, low-cadence big-gear efforts on the bike, and hill running on foot.

• Add gym work for balance and power. One or two short sessions a week with compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups will support posture and improve stability across all disciplines.

• Stay consistent. Women need regular strength work year-round to maintain muscle, not just in the off-season.

• Ignore the “bulky” myth. Women have to work very hard to gain muscle. What you build is lean mass that makes you faster and protects your joints.

Some athletes fine-tune lifting sessions around the high-oestrogen follicular phase, but that is a small detail. The main goal is regular stimulus and consistency over time.

Perimenopausal athletes

As oestrogen levels start to drop, muscles become more resistant to growth signals. Training that worked well in your 30s might now give you less return. The answer is not more volume, but more intent.

How to train through this stage:

• Lift heavier with control. Use lower reps (6 to 10) and higher loads to stimulate muscle growth and maintain bone density.

• Keep discipline-specific strength front and centre. Use low-cadence bike work, hill running, and swim strength sessions to maintain real-world performance gains.

• Include light impact work. Short hops, hill sprints, or a few minutes of jump rope help maintain bone density that swimming and cycling do not provide.

• Focus on muscle, not the scale. Many women gain a little weight but lose a clothing size once they build proper muscle. It improves power, metabolism, and confidence.

Build impact work slowly to avoid injury. Bones respond best to consistent, moderate stress rather than the occasional big effort.

Postmenopausal athletes

After menopause, strength training is essential. Muscle and bone loss accelerate, but both can be slowed or even reversed with proper resistance work.

What to focus on now:

• Train strength twice a week. Use large, functional movements such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, rows, and presses.

• Keep discipline strength in the plan. Big-gear efforts on the bike, hill running, and swim pull work all count as strength sessions when done with purpose.

• Be smart with recovery. Pair strength training with other high-stress sessions and allow easy days for recovery.

• Adapt as needed. Some women recover well and can train hard again the next day, while others need 48 hours between major strength and cardio efforts. Listen to your body and adjust.

Even if you start later in life, meaningful strength gains are possible. Regular training maintains power, supports posture, and helps keep movement smooth and stable as you age.

Strength gains will translate to better triathlon performance by improving your power-to-weight ratio (or preserving it as ageing tries to steal it). It also helps with stability, reducing fall risk and keeping your running form sound. Given the recovery considerations, you might schedule strength on low-endurance days or even pair a short high-intensity bike with strength to concentrate the hard stress in one day (an approach used to maximise adaptation while protecting recovery days). Always listen to your body. Some women can lift heavy and still do hard intervals next day, others prefer 48 hours between big strength and big cardio efforts. Adjust your rhythm accordingly.

One additional area is core and mobility work. Particularly for older athletes, incorporating core stability, balance, and mobility drills is invaluable. As oestrogen drops, joints may feel stiffer and pelvic floor issues can emerge (thanks to weaker supporting muscles). Include exercises for hip stability, glute activation, and even pelvic floor strengthening (which often ties into good diaphragmatic breathing). A strong trunk, not just abs, but the whole midsection, glutes, back, keeps your technique together in long races and prevents injury.

Fuelling and Nutrition: Matching Your Body’s Needs

Nutrition is a huge topic on its own, but we’ll focus on a few key points where female physiology and training intersect. Fuelling well can make the difference between thriving through hormonal fluctuations or crashing from them.

• Carbohydrates are your friend: There’s a myth that women should go low-carb or keto for endurance fat-burning. In practice, most female athletes do not thrive on chronic low-carb diets. Women’s bodies are already relatively adept at burning fat (thanks in part to oestrogen), and the bigger risk is under-fueling on carbs, leading to energy deficits and hormonal disruptions. During high-hormone phases (luteal), women actually have a harder time accessing stored glycogen, so adequate carb intake is critical to avoid bonking or excessive fatigue. This is one reason female athletes may have a higher perceived exertion later in their cycle, if they aren’t topping up carbs, they’re running on near-empty due to the body favouring fat (which is a slower fuel). The fix: don’t skimp on carbs around training, especially high intensity workouts. Fuel your hard sessions with easily digestible carbs (sport drink, gels, etc.), and prioritise recovery carbs after. To get faster, you need to fuel, not diet, through training stress.

• Protein – especially post-workout – is extra important for women: Women tend to have a slightly blunted muscle protein synthesis response compared to men, and oestrogen fluctuations can shorten the optimal “anabolic window” after exercise. That means getting protein in soon after training is wise. Aim for about 20–30 grams of high-quality protein within an hour after key sessions in younger athletes, and even more for masters women. This helps counteract the muscle breakdown that can otherwise occur and speeds recovery. Overall daily protein should be higher as you age. A ballpark is ~1.5–1.8g per kg bodyweight per day for older female athletes, spread evenly in meals. If you’re training hard and especially if you notice slower recovery, bumping up protein (and total calories) can be game-changing. Many masters women inadvertently undereat protein and wonder why they’re losing muscle or always sore.

• Don’t fear calories: maintain energy availability. Female athletes are at risk for Low Energy Availability (LEA) or the syndrome RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) if they chronically undereat for their activity level. This can lead to menstrual cycle disruptions in younger women (loss of period is a red flag) and worsened bone loss or metabolic issues in older women. It’s vital to match your intake to training demands. Perimenopause can tempt women to try drastic diets if weight is creeping up, but severe calorie cuts will backfire by breaking down muscle and slowing metabolism further. Often, simply fuelling better around workouts boosts performance such that body composition improves naturally.

• Hydration and electrolytes: The high progesterone of luteal phase can increase your baseline body temperature and cause you to sweat more sodium. This means in the week before your period, you might need to pay extra attention to hydration and salt intake, especially in the heat. Some women find they feel more bloated or retain water pre-period; paradoxically, that’s a sign to stay hydrated (dehydration will only worsen fluid retention). Postmenopausal women might have a diminished thirst signal or sweat response changes, so habitually drinking fluids during training is key, since the natural prompt might be weaker. In any case, starting workouts well-hydrated and including electrolytes in longer sessions (over an hour) is a smart practice for all athletes, with a bit of extra mindfulness during hormonal phases that affect fluid balance.

The golden rule is to treat food as fuel and recovery, not as the enemy.

Recovery and Rest: The Unsung Hero (Especially for Women)

The training you don’t do is just as important as the training you do. Recovery encompasses sleep, rest days, and overall downtime, and its relative importance grows as hormonal advantages fade. Let’s underscore some points:

• Sleep is number one. Regardless of gender, sleep is the foundation of recovery, but women face some unique sleep disruptors. Late in the luteal phase, shifting hormones (falling progesterone) can cause insomnia or poorer sleep quality. During perimenopause, sleep often becomes a major issue, as nights sweats and hormonal swings lead to frequent waking. Postmenopausal women often report improved sleep once the transition settles, but may still not sleep as deeply as in youth. All this means female athletes should be fierce about protecting sleep time. No supplement or hack can replace lost sleep.

• Built-in rest days and recovery weeks: Masters athletes especially need to embrace rest days as part of training. For a postmenopausal athlete, the 72-hour recovery window between hard sessions might effectively mean two easy days (or at least non-impact days) per week. That’s fine, with intelligent planning, those recovery days can include technique-focussed swim drills or gentle yoga, so you’re still moving but not straining. Younger athletes might get by with one rest day a week; older ones might need two or more short “off” periods in a week (e.g. a mid-week day off and a light active recovery Sunday). Perimenopausal athletes may find it helpful to have a floating rest day they can insert when a bad symptom day hits, giving themselves permission to take a day off when migraines or exhaustion strike, then resume training after. Flexibility in recovery is a tool: it’s better to take a strategic rest than to grind through and underperform for a week.

• Communication during recovery: If you have a coach, keep them in the loop on fatigue and recovery status. Don’t just report workouts; report how you felt. A good coach will listen and might say “okay, skip tomorrow’s session, get a massage or stretch, and we’ll hit it the next day.” Those decisions come from honest feedback. If self-coached, you must play both roles and objectively give yourself permission to rest. It can be hard, as we’re often our own worst taskmasters. Remind yourself: a day of rest is a day of progress.

Coach–Athlete Partnership: Feedback, Trust, and Pattern Recognition

No training plan, however well-researched, reaches its full potential without a solid coach–athlete relationship (even if that “coach” is your own inner voice). This is especially true when navigating female physiology, because there are more personal variables at play. Open communication, feedback loops, and mutual trust allow for the nuanced adjustments we’ve been discussing.

Open dialogue about sensitive topics: Historically, many female athletes felt uncomfortable talking about menstrual cycles, PMS, or menopausal symptoms with (often male) coaches. Something as basic as a period should be as easy to mention as a sore Achilles. If you’re an athlete, inform your coach about relevant aspects of your physiology. For example, if you noticed you usually feel burnt out the week before your period, let the coach know, together you might plan a deload in that window, or at least the coach will understand if your tempo run pace is slower on those days. If you’re entering perimenopause and sleep is a disaster, say so. Your training might be adjusted to accommodate lower recovery.

Feedback and pattern recognition: Women’s bodies can be a bit more “dynamic” with performance than men’s, so tracking and recognising patterns is gold. Maybe after 6 months of data, you observe that an athlete’s best training weeks often coincide with ovulation, for example. This can be a pattern to act on. The coach-athlete duo can then tailor the plan: perhaps scheduling time trials or key brick workouts when she’s historically most on-form, and ensuring lighter loads before any predictable slump. This individualised approach transforms a generic plan into a personal rhythm. It’s the opposite of one-size-fits-all; it’s one-size-fits-one.

Importantly, patterns are very individual. I encourage athletes to note subjective metrics: energy, mood, sleep quality, hunger, etc., along with the objective (pace, HR). Over time, this builds a rich picture.

Trust and flexibility: Trust is a two-way street. The athlete needs to trust that the coach isn’t going to dismiss her concerns as excuses. The coach, on the flip side, trusts the athlete to give honest effort and honest feedback. When an athlete says, “I’m really wiped out today,” a good coach doesn’t immediately think she’s lazy, they evaluate why. Have we been pushing too hard? Is there life stress? They might adjust the session without judgement. This trust empowers the athlete to be forthcoming. When trust is there, an athlete can say “Coach, my legs feel like lead due to PMS, can I swap today’s run with tomorrow’s easy swim?” and the coach will more often than not agree that’s sensible. The training plan serves the athlete, not the other way around.

For self-coached athletes, this point is about being kind and honest with yourself. Don’t ignore your own patterns or beat yourself up for them. Instead of thinking “why am I so weak, I suck the week before my period,” recognise the pattern neutrally: “late luteal is hard for me; I’ll schedule extra rest then.” That’s you being both athlete and coach to yourself in a constructive way.

Conclusion: The Power of Simplicity and Consistency

When you strip away the jargon and the Instagram “biohacks,” training female endurance athletes isn’t mystical. It’s practical. As we’ve seen, simplicity and consistency trumps complexity. The female body flourishes with a consistent training rhythm: regular workouts, repeated cycles of stress and recovery, month after month. Yes, we layer on a keen awareness of female-specific details (like cycle symptoms or menopausal shifts), but we do not let them derail the big picture. Avoiding the paralysis of over-analysis is crucial. Often the women who succeed are those who simply kept training through the noise, adjusting when needed, but never losing sight of the fundamental work.

Think of legendary women in triathlon or endurance sport. Are they genetically gifted? Sure. But they also tend to be masters of routine. They put in the miles, rain or shine, whether feeling 100% or 70%. They listen to their bodies but also cultivate the mental toughness to persevere through discomfort, knowing the difference between “good pain” and signals to back off. They focus on what they can do each day, not what the perfect hypothetical hormonal theory said they should do.

“Simplicity” also means focussing on the basics: get strong, build aerobic endurance, practise your sport skills, fuel and rest well. These basic ingredients, applied with patience, will take any athlete, female or male, further than the trendiest new supplement or algorithm. It’s fitting to recall my Sense Endurance philosophy: “no fluff, no gimmicks, no overcomplication”. Doing the simple things repeatedly, with intent. That is where results come from. A training plan that cannot be followed consistently is far less useful than a bare-bones plan executed week in, week out. So, rather than constantly seeking a new trick for women’s physiology, first ask: Am I nailing the basics appropriate for my current stage of life? Simplicity is about knowing the priorities and sticking to them.

In closing, training with rhythm is about flow rather than constant optimisation. When you find your flow, balancing work and rest, listening and leading your body, trusting the process, you set the stage for peak performance across all seasons of womanhood.

Coaching support
 If you want guidance applying these principles to your own training, my coaching services are designed to help athletes build lasting strength, confidence, and structure that fits real life.

Training through pregnancy
 For those training through pregnancy or returning afterwards, my Training Plans for Pregnant Athletes provide clear structure and rhythm to “detrain” safely and purposefully.

Keep it simple, keep it consistent, stay strong, and enjoy the journey of becoming the best athlete you can be: on your own terms. In the long run, rhythm wins over gimmicks.