What does cycle-appropriate training really look like in professional sport?
We wanted to find out - and asked a team that stands for female strength and top sporting performance like no other: the VfL Wolfsburg women.
In conversation with Omar Jose Rüppel, the Wolves' head physiotherapist and athletics coach, it became clear that what happens there in everyday training is much more than tactics and technique - it is empowerment in action.
Interview: Omar Jose Rüppel, Head Physio & Athletics Coach at VfL Wolfsburg Women's Soccer
HER ONE: How do you take the cycle into account in everyday training?
Omar Rüppel:
"We plan the workload depending on the cycle phase. In the luteal phase, for example, the risk of injury is higher, while many players are particularly efficient in the follicular phase. We track this regularly and talk about it openly - every player is different."
HER ONE: How does that work in a team sport?
Omar Rüppel:
"It's not always easy because, of course, not everyone is in the same cycle. But open communication helps. If players talk honestly about symptoms such as cramps or exhaustion, we can adapt the training in a targeted way."
HER ONE: What tools do you use for this?
Omar Rüppel:
"We use apps for tracking, temperature measurement with basal thermometers or Ovula Ring, and also medical checks and hormone analysis at the start of the season. It's about combining subjective feelings with data."
HER ONE is a premium partner of the Wolves
Strong actions for strong women: Dince February 2025, VfL Wolfsburg has welcomed HER ONE as a new premium partner of the VfL women's team. For us, this partnership is far more than just a sponsorship. It is a conscious alliance: for female empowerment, genuine self-care and the visibility of women in competitive sport.
"Top performance starts with self-care. What has long been clear in professional sport applies to each and every one of us: the right support makes all the difference."
- Chanyu XuFounder & Managing Director of HER ONE
Together with the female wolves, we implement campaigns for Menstruation Day, develop video formats on the topic of "cycle-oriented training" and raise awareness of female health on and off the pitch with targeted initiatives.
