Donna Duffy & Louisa Raisbeck Most coaching systems were never designed with female athletes in mind. Yet, every day, coaches use training programs, recovery strategies, and performance models assuming they work equally well for everyone. The reality is more complicated. In Plain Terms Many coaching methods used with female athletes were originally developed using male participants. If you coach female athletes, you are very likely relying on information and data that did not

Dr Britta Maria Sorensen In 1967, race officials physically tried to drag Kathrine Switzer off the Boston Marathon course. She finished anyway. Less than 60 years later, Shanda Hill became the first woman to complete a Continuous Triple Deca Triathlon, 30 Ironman distances in 45 days. When asked about the pain, she said simply: “If I have to crawl, I will cross that finish line.” Shanda’s drive denoted not just mental toughness, but a volitional pain tolerance to endure the i

By Eline de Jager MSc BSc and Evgenia Angelidi MSc BSc Did you know that the average women will spend approximately seven years of their life menstruating? Despite being such a constant presence, the way our bodies behave each month can often feel like a guessing game. You might wake up feeling completely drained or notice your mood shifting without an obvious cause, only to realise a few days later that your period was just around the corner. While cycle tracking is ofte

Discover how training rewires respiratory muscles in female athletes. Dr. Priya Nandy explores the neuromuscular benefits of breathing efficiency.

Menstruation (also known as a period), as normal as it is, can be a big concern for adolescents , especially when they experience it for the first time (menarche) at about 12-13 years of age. When it comes to sports or physical activity, menstruation and the menstrual cycle (MC) can become an additional challenge. Athletes have reported experiencing a variety of mental and physical barriers throughout their MC, such as abdominal cramps , premenstrual syndrome (PMS) , anxiety

Introduction 2025 was a landmark year for women’s [1] sport. The Women’s Rugby World Cup in England broke records : Scotland reached their first quarter-final in 20 years, Ireland narrowly lost to France in their own quarter-final, and England claimed their third World Cup in front of a historic Twickenham crowd. Recent figures reported this as the second-biggest Rugby World Cup, men’s or women’s, in terms of digital reach. Purpose In light of these successes and achievemen