Nicolai is a Strength and Conditioning Specialist with New South Wales Institute of Sport. She has just finished working with High Performance Sport New Zealand as the lead S&C of the Women’s Blacksticks Hockey team and previously with New Zealand Rowing in the elite and U23/Junior pathways. Nicolai has previously worked in a multitude of sports and has incorporated gymnastic skills and principals throughout her programming. She is an ASCA Level 2, Pro-Scheme Elite coach, with a Masters in Strength and Conditioning and over a decade of experience, as well as a background in coaching men’s gymnastics.

QUOTES

“Gymnastics is the foundation of all movement and has applications across every arena”

“Any athlete that needs their shoulders, hanging and handstands can make such a difference”

“If you are in shoulder dominant sport and you cannot hang off a bar for 30s, doing a bunch of bench press may not be your number one priority”

“If you have the body and spatial awareness, you are able to learn other movements faster and transfer your strength into our environments”

SHOWNOTES

1) Nicolai’s background and journey in strength and conditioning and gymnastics

2) The benefits of gymnastics for all athletes

3) Examples of using applied gymnastics exercises with different sports including rowing, athletics and swimming

4) Progressing and regressing different gymnastics exercises like back bridges, handstands and ring fallouts

5) How you can adapt gymnastics for different sized athletes and the benefits for larger athletes

6) Different skills and movement expression to challenge athletes with

7) The transferability of gymnastics to athletics performance

8) Nicolai’s role in promoting female strength and conditioning and the benefits of a support network

9) Things to be aware of in regard to females working in sport and female athletes

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Alex Clarke

Lin Jinling

Dalecki Strength

Chris Gavilgio