Reviews

Dr. Stacy T. Sims Rodale Press 2016

The catchphrase of Roar, a newly released training book by Dr. Stacy T. Sims, is simple but compelling: women are not small men. In making this statement, Sims addresses a gap in both exercise physiology research as well as athletic literature – targeted exploration of the female athlete.

Female athletes often suffer from a lack of information with regards to how hormone levels (including those enhanced by various birth control methods), menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause impact their training. “Can you let me know when you’re on your period?” is a question that few coaches pose to their female athletes, likely from a combination of lack of unawareness of training impacts and plain old awkwardness. Sims’s book, though thoroughly scient if ic, is written accessibly and leaves t he reader wondering, ‘How have I been running this long and not known this?’

Sims does not shy away from other oft-ignored issues that may resonate with female athletes, such as body image struggles, disordered eating and the female-athlete triad. Using the daily food journals of athletes who she has personally coached, Sims points out where and when women often go wrong, offering example days that readers may follow along with in their own life.

With recipes, injury-prevention exercises, meal plans, biohacking t ips ( hello branched-chain amino acids) and more, there is no area of advice for the female athlete that Sims leaves undiscussed. It is a book that female runners will want on their shelf to reference again and again, no matter their age or training intensity. If I were the supreme ruler of the universe, I’d make it mandatory reading for all high school and university level cross-country and track coaches.

One need look no further than Team Canada’s performance at the Rio Olympics to know that female athletes are kicking butt everyday. Finally, there’s a book that communicates and celebrates the innate difference of the female athlete from her male counterpart and says “girls, it’s not unladylike to roar.”– CF