Claire Zai, MS
Females have always had an uphill battle when it comes to sports and exercise opportunities. They have been told for decades to get “smaller” and to primarily do cardio as their form of exercise. This societal pressure was best visualized during the NCAA tournament with the massive discrepancy between the male and female exercise areas. Well, Claire Zai is an incredibly strong female helping other females get stronger themselves. Getting a masters degree in physiology, specifically biomechanics, Claire has worked in the scientific world but now works primarily as a coach with Barbell Medicine helping others reach their strength goals. Claire is a scientist, state-record holding powerlifter, and women’s advocate and brings all of that to the table talking with us.
In this episode, we talk with Claire about why empowering women is so important, how men and women differ when it comes to training, and also how differing biology affects exercise and recovery. Let us know what you think of the episode!
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Show Notes
(1:00 – 4:50) – Introductions
Question 1: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
(4:50 – 18:00) – Preventive Medicine and Women’s Empowerment
Question 2: Given your background and perspective, what does preventive medicine mean to you?
Question 3: Do you think that your background in coaching will give you a unique perspective in patient care compared to other doctors?
Question 4: Can you tell us a little bit about the load women fundraiser and why you decided to start it?
Question 5: What does it mean to be chronically under-loaded, why are women under-loaded, and what experiences have you had where someone has told you “you’re lifting too much?”
(18:00 – 38:00) – Gender differences in training
Question 6: What gender differences are there between men and women when it comes to training?
Question 7: Are there any changes that females need to make around their training due to the menstrual cycle?
Question 8: How do we go about changing the narrative around women strength training and being chronically under-loaded?
(38:00 – 54:30) – Rehabbing and Training with Injuries
Question 8: You recently suffered a back injury and have been rehabbing it, can you tell us a little bit about that and what you’ve been doing to rehab it?
Question 9: Is there anything you wish people knew about pain and rehab?
(54:30 – 56:40 ) – Wrapping it Up
Question 10: If someone were to ask you how to get healthy while you were waiting for your coffee, what do you tell them in 2 minutes?
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:28 — 77.6MB)
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