Natalie holds a Masters in Exercise and Sport Science (Sydney University) and is an ASCA Level 2 Professional Coach. She currently works a lecturer in Sports Performance at the Australian College of Physical Education, and is the Penrith Panthers Premier League Netball S&C Coach. From 2010 to 2020 she held roles at NSW Institute of Sport in Sport Science, where she was involved in Athlete Testing and Monitoring; along with athlete physical preparation using Heat and Altitude Training for athletes from sports including Track and Field, Kayaking, Netball and Rugby League. Nat has been a conference presenter at the ASCA International Conference in 2015 and 2019.

QUOTE

“It is a really big area and we still do not understand how a menstrual cycle can impact on female performance overall”

“Mid-follicular phase may be the best time to put some strength in training”

“To get a good picture of what is happening with athletes’ cycles, you would probably need to track for around 6 months”

“If athletes are stressed in another part of life, that may trigger a worse cycle”

“In an altitude room, you don’t have to work as hard mechanically, but you still feel like you have worked perceptually”

“For heat acclimation, there is a holding effect of around 7-10 days after the last stimulus”

SHOWNOTES

1) Natalie’s backstory in strength and conditioning and sport science

2) The menstruation cycle and what we currently know about it

3) Setting up training around the menstruation cycle for both strength and conditioning

4) Ways of recording the menstrual cycle for females including apps and the effect of age of menstrual cycle symptoms

5) The role of the S&C coach in helping female athletes with their menstrual cycle

6) The possibility of menstrual cycles syncing up based who the athletes are around and the use of oral contraceptives to regulate the menstrual cycle around competitions

7) The benefits of heat and altitude to drive athlete adaptations

8) The "ins and outs" of using an altitude room, including working inside and recovering outside

9) Deciding whether heat or altitude interventions might be more beneficial for the athletes

10) Active versus passive heat/altitude exposure and the positives and negatives of each

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Justin Crow

Jordan Peterson