Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes

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As seen in The Washington Post, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, The Wall Street Journal, NPR’s Science Friday, Outside, Runner’s World, & STAT News

"Illuminating. . . . Yu’s overview of the many ways women athletes are underserved enrages, and her mastery of the scientific literature impresses. This is a valuable contribution to the growing science on women in sports."

—Publishers Weekly

"A brisk, well-researched study of athletic performance.”

—Kirkus

“This important distillation of the science underlying women's sports performance illuminates what we've known all along—that we're different but not lesser.”

—Bonnie Tsui, author of Why We Swim

“Christine Yu deftly skewers the failings of current sports science research, but also finds encouraging signs that the experiences of women athletes are finally being taken seriously. A meticulously reported, often surprising, and ultimately uplifting read.”

—Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure

“More women are playing sports than ever before, and yet our understanding of how they can best excel remains woefully inadequate. Christine Yu’s book convincingly argues that it’s time for exercise and sports research to include women.”

—Christie Aschwanden, author of Good to Go

“This book is a deeply important asset for building a better future for women in sport. Yu gives context to the experiences of so many female athletes and calls for a future where female athletes are studied, supported and valued equally.”

—Kate Courtney, Olympian and World Champion mountain-bike racer

“Up to Speed is a roadmap and toolbox for athletes of all ages. Every coach should read it and discuss it with their athletes. I wish I had been able to read this book while I was competing.”

—Kara Goucher, Olympic long-distance runner and author of The Longest Race

“An essential read for all of those women (and men!) trying to navigate the world of sex and gender difference in sport, nutrition, exercise and adaptations.”

—Stacy Sims, author of Roar

“Christine Yu goes to great pains to point out the inaccuracy of false narratives about female inadequacy in sports. She celebrates the brave and unsung scientists and advocates who have derailed these claims.”

—Carole A. Oglesby, Trustee Emeritus, Women’s Sports Foundation and Professor Emeritus, Temple University

“A must read for anyone interested in women athletes—their healthcare, their performance, what we know, what we don't know, and why there is so much more that needs to be done to get female athletes the care, resources and answers they need. Thank you, Christine, for this terrific resource!”

—Kathryn Ackerman, MD, MPH, Founder of the Female Athlete Conference and Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School

About Up to Speed

How the Latest Science Can Help Women Achieve Their Athletic Potential

Over the last 50 years, women have made extraordinary advances in athletics, accomplishing incredible feats and smashing long-held beliefs about the limits of their physical capabilities. Today, more women than ever are playing sports and staying active longer. Whether they’re elite athletes looking for an edge or enthusiastic amateurs, women deserve a system and culture of sports that helps them thrive, one that’s based on science and tailored to their lived experience.

And yet, the institutions of sport and science have largely ignored the needs of this growing population. Women struggle to find accurate advice to help them feel and perform their best. More often than not, the guidance they receive is based on research that fails to take into account their experiences and the distinct anatomy, biology, and physiology of female bodies. So much of what we take as gospel about exercise and sports is based solely on studies of men. Men’s experiences set the standards for athletic progression, training and nutrition guidelines, injury prevention protocols, and athletic gear design.

The good news is that this is finally changing. Researchers are creating more inclusive studies to close the gender data gap. They’re examining the ways women can boost athletic performance, reduce injury, and stay healthy.

In UP TO SPEED: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes, sports and health journalist Christine Yu disentangles myth and gender bias from real science, making the case for new approaches that can help women athletes excel at every stage of life, from adolescence to adulthood, through pregnancy, menopause, and beyond. She explains the latest research and celebrates the researchers, athletes, and advocates pushing back against the status quo and proposing better solutions to improve the active and athletic lives of women and girls.

Talking about humans and their bodies within the context of sports and science is a tricky endeavor. Both disciplines rely heavily on binary categories that often conflate sex and gender and don’t accurately describe the larger spectrum of sex or gender. Ultimately, the systemic injustices and assumptions embedded in sports and science don’t just affect women and girls. They affect all people. By examining how women and girls are marginalized and excluded, we can start to uncover ways to make these systems more equitable for everyone.

Available now from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House