More Female Strength

Pandemic Edition! COVID-19 had us all staying at home, and Cassi and Katherine are back from hiatus to talk at-home workouts. How to structure them, what equipment you need (spoiler: it could be none at all!) and how to get the support you need for training at home.

We sit down with Jordan Feigenbaum from Barbell Medicine to talk about his recent article, ‘Shades of Gray: Sex, Gender, and Fairness in Sport,” in which he busts the myth of “biological sex,” describes the relative recency of womens sports, gives a history of gender elegibility testing in sport, and points out where the current rulebooks fail. In short, this issue is full of nuance, and we get into it all!

Quiana Welch joins us for a raw, honest conversation about her training and experiences through pregnancy, birth, and beginning her postpartum journey. Quiana is a high-level multi-sport strength athlete and we talk about expectations versus reality, training strategies, racism in healthcare, and being okay getting angry! Quiana gives us the rundown on all the resources that helped her throughout her pregnancy, so all you mamas and mamas-to-be, listen and take notes!

Cassi and Katherine are back from hiatus and take a moment to share some exciting personal updates! Then we take a look at our growth as coaches over time. We share what we used think was true, and discuss the things we do differently based on what we think is true NOW.

On this week’s episode, we start with a quick discussion of USAPL’s ban on trans athletes, and give you some action items to help make your voice heard. Then we get into GPP: what is it, why do we want it, how do we program for it. Everybody’s training gets into a slump now and then - adding in conditioning and bodybuilding movements is our favorite way to stay entertained and happy under the bar.

Happy 2019! We managed to bypass all of New Year’s Resolution season to drop this episode on you in the doldrums of mid February. Lost some of the sparkle of the new year? No problem. We talk about realistic goal setting - how to align your goals to your real life, so that you can actually stick to them and feel good about it! We also talk about maintenance. Spoiler! It doesn’t exist. Don’t despair, though, we have you covered.

On our final episode of 2018, we round out the year with some bitching, some praise, some grab bag questions, and we talk about our personal highs and lows and what we are hoping for in the coming year. Thank you for listening, see you in 2019!

Today we sit down with Richmond-based Gabby Brost to talk about her coaching business, GAB Strength, her athletic career, and her approach to life in the gym and as a coach. And of course, we talk about her consistently excellent content creation on Instagram. We also have a couple of fun announcements about upcoming projects and collaborations!!!

Stress incontinence caused by lifting is extremely common, but not part of normal pelvic floor function. Cassi and Katherine start this conversation by discussing their different experiences with stress incontinence, including what they’ve discovered through research and physical therapy, and their strategies for managing pesky pee while under the barbell.

Adrienne Thomas, powerlifter and GWPL Ambassador, sat down with us to talk about the conversations she’s facilitating through Instagram, on how each of us can act to help increase access and inclusion in the fitness community. We also got to talk Harry Potter (#SquatsForSirius)! We’re so excited about this one, so let us know your thoughts!

Emily Socolinsky joins us for this lively kitchen sink conversation that includes: back pain, training senior citizens, eating disorders and body image, opening gyms, the Charm City Strongwoman Contest, and the value of strength. Plus, very special guest, Cassi’s dad Doyle Niemann!

A core mission of this podcast is to increase the accessibility of barbells to all people, and especially those who have historically not been included in strength culture. On today’s episode, Cassi and Katherine begin their discussion about what inclusivity means when it comes to gyms, how you might approach inclusivity if you want to change your gym environment, and some ways to be an aspiring ally. We also talk about our queer-ish identities, and the September issue of Vogue Magazine.

Being a strength athlete can take many forms, and Sarah Al-Khayyal knows this first hand. She joined us from Reno, where she is the General Manager for apparel powerhouse Doughnuts and Deadlifts, to talk about her journey to the barbell, her experiences managing chronic back pain, and her perspective on maintaining a relationship with strength training long-term.

Our second Lifter Spotlight focuses on Katherine’s lifter, Dayva Sagal, who has developed successful strategies for getting enough protein on a vegan diet. Dayva offers up her own experience as a lifter and shares her favorite vegan protein sources. Also, Cassi recaps Pull for Pride Richmond!

In our continuing series about food and nutrition for training, we interviewed Kelsea Koenreich, owner of Team Proscience, her Life, Nutrition and Fitness Coaching business. Kelsea joins us for a chat about how she came to be a strength athlete, her approach to nutrition, and how to find balance as her family grows in size.