Holly Lipson
“There is still a significant gender gap in sports research, with much of the data based on male athletes and generalized to females.”
Background
Lipson has spent over a decade working in elite sport environments across winter and summer disciplines. Her role as a team physiotherapist extends beyond injury treatment — it includes supporting athlete recovery, physical preparation, and creating environments that allow athletes to perform at their best.
On the road, this work can range from manual therapy and injury prevention to helping manage recovery, supporting training sessions, or even ensuring athletes have proper nutrition and fuel for performance.
Understanding Differences in Female Athletes
Early in her career, Lipson believed that male and female athletes could follow the same training models. However, working closely with athletes across disciplines revealed clear differences in training response, recovery needs, and injury risk.
A key issue is that much of the research guiding sports medicine has historically been conducted on male athletes and later applied to women.
While research in the female athlete space is growing rapidly, Lipson believes the field still has significant progress to make.
Challenges When Supporting Female Athletes
The primary challenge is ensuring coaching staff understand the physiological differences that influence female training and recovery.
For example, hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle can impact energy levels and training response. Many female athletes experience higher energy levels during the first half of their cycle, which may make it an ideal time to schedule higher intensity training sessions.
Understanding these differences allows coaches to better tailor training programs and ultimately support stronger performance outcomes.
Example from practice: “Females often have higher energy availability during the first half of their cycle, which can make it a great window for higher intensity training.”
Biggest Gaps in Knowledge and Support
• Limited female-specific research in sports medicine
• Knowledge gaps between clinicians and coaching staff
• Insufficient translation of research into real training programs
Lipson notes that while research is rapidly expanding in the female athlete space, better communication between medical professionals and coaching teams is still needed.
When she noticed the gap: “Growing up I believed males and females could follow the same training models. But as I worked with athletes more closely it became clear that training, recovery, and injury risk profiles can be very different.”
“A lot of sports medicine research has historically been conducted on male athletes and then generalized to females.”
What Needs to Change
Lipson believes stronger educational programs for coaches could significantly improve how training programs are designed for female athletes.
She also highlights the need for better support systems for athletes who choose to start families. Pregnancy and motherhood should not mean the end of an athlete’s career or the loss of sponsorship opportunities.
High-profile athletes across multiple sports are helping shift this narrative, proving that motherhood and elite sport can coexist with the right support systems in place.
Final Perspective
Working with female athletes is deeply meaningful for Lipson — especially as the mother of two daughters herself.
While there is still progress to be made, she is encouraged to see growing awareness and momentum toward creating more equitable opportunities for girls and women in sport.