The narrative review by Wohlgemuth et al. (2021) explains most research for nutrition and sports performance is on males instead of females and it is females who have a variety of fluctuating nutrition and metabolic changes depending on their cycle. For example, eumenorrheic women metabolize fat and protein at a higher percentage in the luteal phase compared to the follicular stage. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) and training recovery rate/ capacities also vary across the cycle.

Best practices for management of post-rehab training of an ACL injury in females. First, we will focus on making sure the athlete is ready for return to sport (RTS) after the rehab. We need to make sure their body and mind can exceed the capacity and demands needed in their sport. Currently, a metanalysis found that only about 69% of female athletes can return to their previous sport and 79% of elite females return to their sport with literature lacking on reasons for the hig

More discussion as grown in the past few years about the special considerations and ways to take advantage of the female cycle in exercise in sport. For sake of discussion, a young adult (premenopausal) moderately active female field sport athlete will be considered as an example for this article.   A recent study surveyed elite female athletes and found that 86% were unwilling or uncomfortable to take time off from the psychological and physical effects of the menstrual cycl

This article will discuss evidence-based principles for post-partum women who are breastfeeding and want to resume or begin training for endurance sports and activities. Depending on any comorbidities or trauma from the birthing process, the starting timeline would vary. One reason to improve fitness before and during pregnancy is the ability or capacity to return to sport and activities much sooner. A study found that 38% of elite female athletes returning to running withing

What are the recommendations and guidelines for exercise implementation in the post-partum phase? More specifically, how does one determine when, how much, and the expected benefits of exercising and movement? A sample recommendation of a daily exercise routine will be provided below and would be after 4-6 weeks post-partum. Why Some research studies have demonstrated safety and effectiveness of some exercise like Pilates as early as a few days post-partum. However, there is

Sample Athlete:  14-year-old eumenorrheic basketball player without symptoms of RED-S in the “specific preparatory” phase of the preseason.   The sport of basketball demands a variety of fitness abilities from the athlete unlike many other sports. There is nearly equal aerobic and anerobic needs as repeated sprinting and shuffling occur without significant rest between these bouts. Therefore, a key need is the ability to perform repeated short, high-intensity efforts (5-10 s

Recommended 4 Week Resistance Training Intervention for College Female Basketball Players During Pre-Season.   Rationale :             Female basketball players require a diverse set of fitness abilities to both excel in the sport and prevent injury. Basic requirements to be a proficient player consist of aerobic endurance, jumping ability, agility, strength, balance, coordination, and higher lactate thresholds. Regarding injury risk, a major concern in basketball are lower b

One RCT study tested a theory of transient hypocalcemia occurring towards the middle-later portion of the luteal phase in certain women. Subjects who supplemented with 1,000mg calcium for these 7-10 days saw significant reduction in PMS symptoms (Arab et al., 2020). Since divergence from serum calcium homeostasis affects so many systems from cognitive and emotional to muscle contraction and relaxation, I also investigated specific recommendations from this week’s article Reco