The Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Sligo based sports science leaders Orreco have announced a groundbreaking technology partnership which will see LGFA promote a new app for women, helping to tailor training regimes based on players’ hormones through their menstrual cycle.
FitrWoman has been developed by Orreco and provides personalised, day-to-day, evidence based training and nutrition suggestions tailored to the changing hormones in a woman’s cycle.
It also allows access to insights gleaned by Orreco’s two decades of working with top athletes including Olympic legend Sonia O’Sullivan and encourages women to maintain and manager their exercise regimes.
The FitrWoman app has been well received in the US since its launch in Boston a year ago and is available to download from the Apple and Google Play stores.
One of the important elements behind the app is to create training thinking which acknowledges the different physiology between men and women. 73 percent of young women between 16 and 24 have said that their periods have stopped them from exercising or playing sport at some point, and added factor which does not apply to men.
Under the partnership, Orreco scientists and performance experts will also work with the LGFA to deliver provincial coach education workshops and provincial player education workshops and will conduct LGFA specific research for the specialised area of ‘the female athlete’ to benefit girls and women playing Ladies Gaelic Football.
Historically, there has been a lack of research conducted in female athletes and more and more elite female athletes have spoken out about the issue. As the anatomy and physiology of men and women is very different, training requirements also differ.
Research is gradually emerging to highlight how exercise and nutrition can be altered to optimise training and performance and to reduce injury risk in women, but more is needed. The idea is that women need to train as women and not as men.
Orreco has pioneered research around the needs of female athletes – its first client was Olympic medalist Sonia O’Sullivan – and says the FitrWoman app will now help bring that expertise to millions of women worldwide.
“FitrWoman provides the latest insights, research and tips specifically focused on female athletes,” said Product Development manager Gráinne Conefrey.
“The app is a one-stop shop that allows users to keep track of their own cycle while also viewing key training and nutrition suggestions which change depending on a user’s phase.”
“Our goal is to give exercising women a competitive edge at all times during their menstrual cycle. By tailoring training and nutrition in line with the fluctuations in hormones throughout the cycle, women can learn to adapt training to gain maximum benefits, reduce injury risk, and know when to prioritise recovery.”
“The FitrWoman app is an essential download for our players and all female athletes,” added Ladies Gaelic Football Association CEO Helen O’Rourke.
“We have heard anecdotal evidence for many years relating to the effects of the menstrual cycle on player training, performance and recovery.”
“We are now delighted to officially endorse the FitrWoman app, which will provide our players with key tips and insights, while also providing further understanding around the challenges associated with the menstrual cycle.”
Image credit: Piaras O’Midheach, Sportsfile
