The Invisible Load of Female Athletes: Why Doing More Might Be Holding You Back — with Chloe Giles

"Sometimes it's about doing less and knowing when enough's enough."

Most female athletes juggle multiple roles: student, employee, partner, which creates an invisible load that can lead to over-training and under-recovering. We sit down with Chloe Giles, Carlton VfLW's Strength & Conditioning Coach and PhD student, to break down the truth about why rest is not a weakness and how managing your full load, not just your training load, is key to unlocking your full potential. A critical listen for any athlete or coach looking to balance performance with wellbeing.

Key Takeaways 

• The Invisible Load: Female athletes often carry an "invisible load" of roles/ responsibilities outside of organized training that coaches and athletes must consider 
• The Sub-Elite Struggle: Athletes at the sub-elite level face the toughest challenge, juggling an almost full-time commitment to sport with financial pressures from work and study, leading to the breaking point for many . Chloe Giles calls this "sub-financial," not "sub-elite".
• Social Media Misinformation: Social media, paints an unrealistic picture of what athletes "should" be doing.
• Consistency Over Perfection: The key piece of advice is that consistency with treating yourself as an athlete is better than perfection. 
• Recovery is Not a Bonus: Recovery is where adaptation happens. It should be approached to the same standard as compulsory training. The main pillars for effective recovery, which athletes have the most control over, are sleep and nutrition not expensive 1%ers 
• Coaches and the 'Vibe': Coaches and staff need to be aware of their own external loads and how their energy affects the team. Vulnerability and professionalism can and should be merged to create an honest, supportive environment.

Timestamps:

• 01:11 — The Invisible Load: Exhaustion and the grind are holding athletes back 
• 03:43 — Why athletes think they're not doing enough, and how social media influencers paint an unrealistic picture
• 06:01 — How much is too much? The highly individualized nature of load management
• 10:30 — How load management changes for women due to roles like student, worker, and carer, and the lack of research on female athletes
• 14:13 — The sub-elite breaking point
• 27:20 — Key findings from Chloe's PhD on female athlete load
• 30:58 — How Chloe uses weekly schedule mapping and small, manageable changes to support athletes
• 37:09 — Implementing load management in a team setting
• 49:49 — The importance of recovery
• 01:03:57 — One piece of advice for all female athletes

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