Are there aspects of training that a female climber should approach differently from male climbers? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

Since I’m not a sport scientist or a physiologist I’m not the best person to answer this question, however from my own experience I would say a few things:

* Your menstrual cycle may affect your performance in many different ways. For me there is a time before my period where I am more susceptible to injury, less able to deal with mental stress and have lower coordination. In short my performance drops for a few days. I know women who have a similar experience but also women who have very different experiences. You can track your period to see if your cycle is affecting your performance.

* If you do get a coach or receive a training program it could worth asking them how much they work with women. In my experience many men make assumptions about what I’m physically capable of based on grades and their own experience, along the lines of ‘well if she climbs this hard then she much be this strong’. This isn’t an ideal approach because I climb better than my physical capabilities. In other words my technique and experience make up for a lot. This has led to many trainers giving me too much high intensity training that I wasn’t ready for. Obviously this could also be true for men but maybe it’s more likely to be true for women.

* Optimal nutrition is different for men and women. I don’t know enough to say anything more specific but if you are looking to maximise your nutrition I would research or seek an expert in nutrition specific to women.

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