Stanford Female Athlete Science and Translational Research Program
Innovating ways to improve the health of female athletes of all abilities through athletic participation and performance.
FASTR is a research program at Stanford University that is committed to addressing the gender gap in sports science research. Our research focuses on early identification and intervention of injury to support health and performance for all female athletes.
A key aspect of our mission is translating cutting-edge research into practical insights for athletes, coaches, and practitioners. By empowering them with this knowledge, we aim to strengthen the bond between female athletes and their bodies, promoting lifelong athletes.
Females Are Underrepresented in Current Research
Our Vision
The FASTR Program at Stanford is a university-wide research initiative in collaboration with the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital with support from the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford. Both efforts are part of a multi-institution alliance focused on uncovering the biological principles that govern human performance.
Through our research, we seek to better understand the female athlete and provide the resources to make optimal health and performance more accessible to female athletes of all ages and abilities.
Are you a female runner who`s curious about incorporating resistance training into your routine but aren`t sure what the best type is to support your running goals? We got you covered! A new study was just published reviewing the best types of resistance training for running performance! In this post we break down how strength training can boost performance and what the various forms of strength training are!
We`re only scratching the surface of this topic, so leave a comment for us about what other strength training tips you`d like to learn more about!
Strength training and adequate protein intake are a critical part of maintaining muscle mass as we age! It`s never too early or too late to start an appropriate strength training routine ideally 2-3 days a week and finding ways to incorporate adequate protein into your daily fueling.
Looking for more guidance on how to build out a strength program? We recommend working with or using a plan designed by a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist to achieve the full benefits of a safe strength training program!
🚨 Very cool research alert! 🚨
A recent study by Shalaya Kipp, PhD and authors, looked at the effects of loosening women`s sports bra underbands from the sports bra tightness runners self-selected. When women ran in the sports bras with looser fitting underbands, they found some pretty incredible things for breathing rates and running efficiency!
Swipe through our post for the results and check out the full article to learn more about the importance of a choosing a properly fitted sports bra AND highlighting the important role of brands to make inclusive sports bra sizing for all women.
We want to extend our gratitude to everyone who was able to attend our FASTR team talk last night, it was so wonderful to see 250+ folks tuning in either in person or on Zoom! The passion for supporting female athletes is incredible to see!
For anyone who wasn’t able to join or has a teammate or athlete who couldn’t join, don’t fret, we recorded the session! You can find it at the link in our bio.
WE ARE HIRING! The FASTR Team is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in female athlete health and performance! Head on over to the link in our bio for more information about the role and how to apply.
Don`t forget to share this post and encourage any PhD students to apply! It will be a Summer 2025 start date! Deadline to apply is July 1st, 2024!
Are you an endurance athlete looking to incorporate caffeine to boost performance in your next workout or race? Check out this post and the full article in the Wu Tsai Human Performance Playbook with nutrition expert Louise Burke, PhD at the link in our bio!
*Reminder: large amounts of caffeine can impact sleep and in extreme doses can even be fatal. Caffeine sources can also impact digestion during races, so as always, practice your nutrition strategies in training!
Are you signed up for a race this summer and are curious about how to best prepare for the hot conditions? Check out the recent article in the Wu Tsai Human Performance Playbook to learn more from expert Chris Minson, PhD and runner Malia Pivec on how to incorporate heat training into your preparation for race day (link in our bio)! Remember to proceed with caution when performing any sort of heat training and to fuel and hydrate accordingly.
We`re recruiting! We are looking for female athletes racing the 2024 Western States 100 to participate in the cross-sectional group of our research study! If you are eligible and interested please email us at fastrprogram@stanford.edu for more information.
Thank you to the @wutsaialliance for supporting this study.
FASTR News and Events
May 1, 2024
The Wall Street Journal: “For These Women, ‘Biohacking’ Their Periods Gives Them Power”
April 10, 2024
We’re Hiring: Female Athlete Postdoctoral Scholar
March 5, 2024
High School Team Talk: All About the Female Athlete
FASTR Educational Videos
Animations courtesy Michelle Lehman. Video courtesy Tunner Dunn. Branding design by OLAB.