This article was published on June 8, 2017

FitrWoman is a period tracker for elite athletes


FitrWoman is a period tracker for elite athletes Image by: Oscar Rethwill

Sports research company Orreco is set to release a new kind of fitness app targeted at women. The product is called ‘FitrWoman’ and, for female athletes, it is going to help you navigate training during your menstrual cycle.

The app is a little smarter than your average period tracker: it makes recommendations based on what point of your cycle you are currently in. The app gives direction based on period ‘zones’ — times during your cycle when your nutritional needs and injury risk change.

The advice is based on studies conducted by Doctor Georgie Bruinvels and a team of researchers at Orreco and other peer-reviewed research.  National Institute of Health research, for example, shows anemia is a risk factor for elite level athletes who experience heavy-flow days.

Celtic Women’s Football Club strength and conditioning coach Andrew Wiseman says

“FitrWoman has given us an important tool when it comes to player wellness and monitoring. It allows us to adapt strength, endurance and flexibility training to underlying physiology. It’s smarter training for better performance.”

Women face unique challenges at the elite fitness level due to increased risk of injury and hormonal imbalance attributed to their menstrual cycles. Traditional ‘period trackers’ are designed to remind you when you should take things down a notch, but they rely on research designed for women who live ‘average’ lifestyles. Athletes looking for solutions that go beyond the usual advice have been forced to rely on personal trainers and generalized training methods.

The FitrWoman app is going to empower women to optimize their workouts. It provides nutrition suggestions and training routines tailored to work with the specific user’s menstrual cycle.

The app will also receive an artificial intelligence update in the future.

This technology aims to, eventually, learn what works best with an individual to lower their risk of injury and increase results. Orreco plans on ‘officially’ releasing the app on June 9th at the Female Athlete Conference in Boston — but you can get it right now in the Apple iTunes store.

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