221: Growing Gains: Training & Nutrition through Teen Growth Spurts with Erica Mulholland

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast, host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes, a sports dietician and lifelong athlete, speaks with returning guest Erica Mulholland, a speed, agility, and strength coach based in Tampa, Florida. The conversation dives into the challenges and misconceptions around nutrition and body expectations for female athletes, with a focus on the impact of growth spurts on young athletes' performance, injury prevention, and training techniques.

Erica shares her expertise and experience to highlight the importance of balanced nutrition, the benefits of consistent strength training, and the necessity of rest and recovery. The episode emphasizes shifting the narrative from focusing on weight and body image to embracing strength, proper nutrition, and the natural development process. It serves as a resourceful guide for athletes, parents, and coaches to support the holistic well-being of female athletes.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:22 Meet Erica Mulholland: Speed, Agility, and Strength Coach
• 03:11 Understanding Growth Spurts in Female Athletes
• 05:18 The Importance of Nutrition During Growth Spurts
• 14:18 Common Overuse Injuries and Prevention
• 20:38 Personal Stories and Experiences
• 25:48 Holistic Training for Young Female Athletes
• 27:49 Importance of Rest and Recovery
• 29:08 Balancing Training with Breaks
• 31:23 Strength Training During Growth Spurts
• 33:52 Embracing Muscle Mass
• 35:55 Avoiding the Scale and Focusing on Performance
• 40:27 Nutrition and Growth for Young Athletes
• 44:29 Fun Questions and Final Thoughts

Erica is a 3x college All-American, Hall of Fame inductee for Johns Hopkins Women’s Soccer, and former US and Brazil semi-professional soccer player. She has a Master’s in Exercise Science in Performance Enhancement and Injury Reduction. She is a Tampa-based Speed, Agility, and Strength Coach who has been working with athletes for 13 years. She is also author of The Strong Female Athlete book, which is a science-based and experience-based text with a fresh, novel approach for youth female athletes to improve speed, reduce injury, and increase strength.

Erica's mission is to help youth female athletes become strong, resilient, and creative through exercise, while inspiring them to love movement and sports – to not see these as obligations, but rather, enjoyable escapes from the stressors of life.

For more about Erica and her work go to www.ericasuter.com or follow @fitsoccerqueen on Instagram.

Also check out Lindsey's interview with Erica about nutrition for teen athletes:

https://youtu.be/s7umlceHpTA?si=cZkMG6HFqGsvZcUS

And read more about Teen Athlete Nutrition:

https://www.lindseycortes.com/post/teen-athlete-nutrition

For more information about the show, head to work with Lindsey on improving your nutrition, head to:

http://www.lindseycortes.com/

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