Women’s hormones and cycles are very sensitive and very complex to understand. Many high intensity or endurance athletes (but not all) will experience irregular or total loss of menstruation which can bring with it consequences to bone density, injury risk, and compromised fertility. Regarding athletic performance through a women’s cycle, a systematic review published in...
Dumbbells have long been viewed as a tool for traditional body building style exercise for muscle growth and strength training. Most often they are used for isolated single joint upper body movements such as bicep curls and lateral raises. You will also see people using dumbbells to perform variations of an overhead press and a...
The third trimester of pregnancy is when the demands of the fetus are greater due to rapid growth and development. Fetal growth is dependent upon blood supply of oxygen and nutrients from the mother via the placenta. Vigorous intensity exercise (defined as at least 70% of maximum heart rate or an exertion level at which...
Women can experience a lot of undesirable symptoms during perimenopause, including reduced energy levels, dramatic mood changes, and incredibly uncomfortable hot flashes. Many also notice changes in their body composition, including the loss of lean muscle mass and increased abdominal fat. Put another way, perimenopause is stressful for everyone; however, it can be especially frustrating...
By: Erica Tran, PT, DPT, OCS Background For most of my life, osteoporosis felt like something I would deal with later. Something for my future self. Something that showed up in your 60s after a doctor ordered a DEXA scan and told you your bones were fragile. But bone loss does not suddenly appear at...
Most patients presenting to our Boulder and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices are facing a pain or symptoms which are limiting their ability to participate in the activities they enjoy. Their current abilities, or lack thereof, prevent them from being available for work, life, and recreational activities. Availability is often the greatest predictor of long-term health...
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training has become increasingly popular in both rehabilitation and performance settings because of its ability to stimulate muscle growth and strength adaptations with lighter loads. But what happens when BFR is added to traditional heavy strength training? A recent systematic review and meta-analysis (Mckee et al. J Strength Conditioning Res. 2026)...
Exercise remains our best intervention for extending an individual’s health span and lifespan. Both our quality and quantity of life are positively impacted by consistent aerobic exercise and strength training performance each week. In particular, strength training is our best tool to reduce the loss of muscle mass associated with aging (sarcopenia). In addition, new...
By: Erica Tran, PT, DPT, OCS Let’s talk about something most women quietly deal with but rarely bring up: leaking when you jump rope. If you’ve ever felt that unexpected drip mid workout, or quietly avoided jump rope altogether, you’re not alone, and it is not just “part of being a woman.” As your physical...
One of the reasons our species reached the top of the food chain involves our ability to thrive under a variety of environments and circumstances. Our ability to conserve energy and resources during times of scarcity has ensured our survival, but in times of abundance these physiological mechanisms likely hold us back from our fitness...
