The Ready State Podcast

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushWomen have always trained hard. The science surrounding how they fuel, recover, build bone, and respond to training has had a lot of catching up to do.In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet sit down with Dr. Kate Ackerman, a triple-boarded physician, former elite lightweight rower, and co-founder and president of the Women’s Health, Sports & Performance Institute (WHSP), to explore what changes when female physiology becomes part of the research question from the beginning.Kate traces her work back to her own experience making weight as an athlete, then unpacks the evolution from the Female Athlete Triad to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), including how underfueling can affect hormones, bone, cardiovascular health, injury risk, and performance. She explains why bone health begins much earlier than most people realize, how iron status should be evaluated in athletes, and why RED-S deserves attention in postmenopausal women, too.They also dig into menopause research, strength training, GLP-1s, and WHSP’s mission to answer the questions women themselves say matter to their health and performance.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeHow low energy availability and RED-S can affect bone, hormones, cardiovascular health, injury risk, and athletic performance and why RED-S can occur in both men and women.Why adolescence represents such an important window for building bone density, with roughly 90% of peak bone mass accrued by age 18.What athletes, parents, and coaches should understand about iron and ferritin, including why one lab value rarely tells the whole story.Why RED-S can matter after menopause, even when menstrual-cycle changes can no longer serve as a warning sign.How WHSP is approaching unanswered questions around female athletes across the lifespan, from adolescent health and pregnancy to menopause, strength training, hormone therapy, and performance.Key Highlights: (00:00) Intro: Dr. Kate Ackerman & the Future of Female Athlete Health(04:35) Kate’s journey from collegiate rowing to lightweight competition(06:04) Making weight, underfueling & Crystal Light cereal(09:30) Extreme weight-cutting tactics in lightweight rowing(12:05) When losing your menstrual cycle was a “badge of honor”(12:44) The Female Athlete Triad & Kate’s experience with menstrual loss(15:43) Kate’s unconventional path into sports medicine(16:33) Becoming triple-boarded in internal medicine, sports medicine & endocrinology(20:50) Understanding the Female Athlete Triad & RED-S(21:10) Why Kate calls osteoporosis a “childhood disease”(23:01) How low energy availability affects health & performance(24:49) RED-S warning signs for parents, coaches & athletes(29:16) Why WHSP was created & the research gap in female athletes(30:26) Building a one-stop medical model around the female athlete(33:33) Moving from reactive healthcare toward prevention & performance(39:06) Iron deficiency, ferritin & what athletes should know about their labs(41:26) Why ferritin alone doesn’t tell the whole story(43:53) WHSP’s research across the female lifespan(44:51) Menopause, hormone therapy & the questions we still need to answer(47:16) Strength training, bone health & better markers for RED-S recovery(48:47) What the Boston Marathon study revealed about underfueling & performance(53:06) What female athletes say they actually want researchers to study(55:10) RED-S in postmenopausal women(56:43) What RED-S can look like without a menstrual cycle as a marker(58:26) GLP-1s, underfueling & muscle loss(1:01:02) Strength training research for postmenopausal women(1:02:16) Kate’s vision for the future of female athlete health(1:05:34) Infinite Shelf: Ted Lasso & The NightingaleHuge thanks to our sponsors, BEDGEAR, Momentous, and LMNT.

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushWhat if the fitness metrics you’re obsessing over aren’t telling you what you think they are? HRV. VO2 max. Resting heart rate. Zone 2. Wearables have given us more data than ever… but do you know how to use it to inform your training?In this episode of the Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with renowned strength and conditioning coach Joel Jamieson to cut through the noise around cardiovascular fitness, recovery, and resilience. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience coaching UFC champions, Olympic athletes, special operators, and professional sports teams, Joel explains why a higher HRV isn’t always “better,” what Zone 2 training is really trying to accomplish, and why your aerobic engine matters even if endurance sports aren’t your thing.They also explore how to balance low, moderate, and high-intensity training, practical ways to measure whether your conditioning is actually improving, and why stress outside the gym has to factor into how you train. The takeaway? Better fitness isn’t about chasing a perfect score – but about understanding what your body can handle, how well it recovers, and how to train accordingly.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy a higher HRV doesn’t always mean you’re better recoveredWhat Zone 2 training is actually trying to accomplishWhy cardiovascular fitness is important for improving resilienceHow to balance low, moderate, & high-intensity conditioningWhy stress outside the gym should influence how you trainKey Highlights: (00:00) Intro: Joel Jamieson on HRV & Conditioning(03:33) The HRV Problem for Midlife Athletes(05:13) What Is HRV?(09:41) The Evolution of HRV Tracking(13:32) What's a Good HRV?(16:18) Morning vs Overnight HRV(20:49) Why Higher HRV Isn't Always Better(24:00) HRV, Resting Heart Rate, & Heart Rate Recovery(26:50) Chest Strap vs Wrist-Based HRV(29:33) How to Improve Your HRV(34:10) How Fast Cardiovascular Fitness Declines(37:53) Training Intensity Zones Explained(43:30) Low, Moderate, & High Intensity Training(45:59) Why Low-Intensity Training Builds VO2 Max(48:33) Is VO2 Max Testing Worth It?(51:04) The Cooper's Test(55:09) How Fast Can Conditioning Improve?(59:55) Team Athletes & Recovery(1:01:46) Life Stress, HRV, & Training(1:04:00) Lifestyle Sets Your Gym Limits(1:05:21) Infinite ShelfHuge thanks to our sponsors,Momentous, LMNT, and BEDGEAR.

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushWhat does it take to keep someone performing when their job leaves almost no room for downtime? In this episode of the Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with longtime friend Dr. Drew Contreras, a retired Army physical therapist who went from supporting soldiers in combat to becoming the first full-time physical therapist embedded in the White House Medical Unit.Drew shares what he learned caring for everyone from White House staff to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden – and why the fundamentals of human performance matter even more when time is your most valuable resource. From encouraging naps during relentless work schedules to introducing walking meetings at the White House, Drew explains how small changes can help people stay functional under extraordinary pressure.The conversation also explores the changing role of physical therapy, why PTs should be doing more than treating injuries one patient at a time, and how technology such as digital health and AI could reshape the profession.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhat working with two sitting U.S. presidents taught Drew about keeping people functional under extreme pressureWhy naps, walking meetings, and other simple interventions can make a major difference during sustained periods of high-stress workHow physical therapists became a “force multiplier” for keeping soldiers healthy and operational during deploymentWhy Drew believes physical therapists should play a bigger role in performance and musculoskeletal primary careWhy embracing new technology such as digital health and AI will be essential for the future of physical therapyKey Highlights: (00:00) Intro to Dr. Drew Contreras(02:55) How a Combat PT Got Handpicked for the White House(07:00) The Birthday Basketball Game That Started It All(12:05) Building a Wellness Culture in the White House(19:15) What Actually Moved the Needle on Health(22:05) Naps, Walking Meetings, & Reframing Work(26:30) Deploying as One of the First Combat PTs(31:00) PT as Human Performance, Not Just Rehab(33:20) Treating Obama vs. Biden – Different Ages, Different Needs(38:50) Leading the APTA & Scaling Physical Therapy(43:45) The Money Problem in Physical Therapy(53:30) PT as Musculoskeletal Primary Care(1:00:30) AI, Digital Health, & the Future of PT(1:04:21) What the Presidency Really Does to a Person(1:11:30) Infinite Shelf: Legacy by James KerrHuge thanks to our sponsors, LMNT, BEDGEAR, and Momentous.