Abstract: After four years of invite-only access, the Women’s Running Academy is opening its doors more widely—and it’s more powerful than ever. This email shares a behind-the-scenes update on newly streamlined programming and dives into one of the three foundational pillars that make this membership uniquely effective for women: biomechanics. From pelvic structure to connective tissue laxity, from muscle mass to core function, the training is intentionally designed around the female body and lived experience. It’s not just about running better—it’s about reclaiming space, building strength, and training in a way that truly works for you.

Hey Reader,

This past week I’ve been doing a lot of behind the scenes work on my Women’s Running Academy membership. I’ve been updating the formatting of all the workouts so that they are more seamlessly “plug & play” through the app. This membership has been running on this platform for over 3 years now (up until now, it’s been invite only to my former 1-on-1 clients and those who completed my 12 - week mentorship), so there’s A LOT there!

It’s been tedious work to be honest. AND it’s gotten me really excited! There is so much good stuff in there, some that even I haven’t seen in a while. I’ve saved a couple of gems to work back into my own training and I can’t wait for you try out this programming!

One big question I always get is, why is the Women’s Running Academy just for women? Or what make’s the Women’s Running Academy specific to women?

While female-specific anatomy and physiology are key components, the reasons go much deeper. In a world where women are constantly asked to shrink themselves—physically, emotionally, and energetically—for the benefit of others, having a space dedicated to their personal athletic goals is vital. This isn’t just about workouts—it’s about claiming space and prioritizing ourselves.

The Women’s Running Academy is a monthly membership that provides streamlined running programs paired with intentional strength training. These aren’t just any training plans—they’re crafted specifically for female biomechanics, physiology, and the social contexts in which women live. It’s about recognizing that everything from our pelvic structure to cultural messaging shapes how we move, recover, and thrive.

Let’s explore the three foundational pillars that make this work so uniquely powerful:

1. Smart, Run Supportive Strength Work that is specific to the Biomechanics of the Female Body
2. Integrated with your training in the Context of Female Physiology
3. Informed by the Context of What It Means to Be Female in This World

Specific Biomechanical Considerations for the Female Body

Before dig deeper into this one, it’s important to note. Anatomical variation exists along a spectrum. Not all of these are exclusively unique to females AND not all females fall on this end of the spectrum

I recently heard the phrase “labels help triage, but biology flows” and I think that’s a perfect way to describe how we approach this in the Women’s Running Academy. Many women share certain structural tendencies and we use that as a starting place to inform your programming while you learn specifically how to support YOUR unique body along the way. Some of those tendencies that inform are training are:

• Pelvis shape
• Core function
• Muscle mass
• Relative connective tissue laxity
• Breast tissue

Exercise selection and intentional cuing to support these pieces is directly intetegrated into the Women’s Running Academy programming.

Pelvis Shape:
Females tend to have a narrower infrapubic angle, a wider pelvic inlet (those “childbearing hips”) and a more narrow pelvic outlet. From a running mechanics perspective, this structure makes it harder to access internal rotation during mid-stance—the phase in your stride where maximum force is exchanged between you and the ground.

This means we often need to focus more on:

• Improving internal rotation
• Building force production during mid-stance
• Creating length and function in the glutes and posterior pelvic floor

Core Function:
A narrower infrapubic angle also tends to pair with a narrow infrasternal angle—the angle beneath your ribcage. This affects core muscle recruitment and the way we use our diaphragm (our key breathing muscle). In general, women may benefit from more targeted training of the internal obliques for more of a bottom up core engagement and to support trunk stability and rotational control, while taking care not to grip down with upper rectus abdominis muscles. In my experience, this also plays into the “context of what it means to be a female in this world” message of being smaller and tendency to suck it in because of it (hint: this does the opposite of what we need for our core and pelvic floor).

Muscle Mass:
Add to this the natural difference in muscle mass between men and women. On average, men build and maintain muscle more easily. That muscle supports force production, while protecting joint and bone health. For women, developing and maintaining muscle requires more intentional strength training—and even more so as we age.

Unless you live under a rock or found a completely different corner of social media to live in, you know that women are being told more and more to “lift heavy.” We need to focus more on relatively heavy lifts with reps in the 5 - 8 range (and feeling like that’s close to all you could do at the weight), not the lighter weight with reps in the 15 - 20+ range. By the way, we can still build muscle with those higher rep schemes but when we are also trying to balance it with our running, lower volume (fewer reps) with higher intensity (heavier weight) tend to be better.

It’s not just about “lifting heavy” though. It’s about doing it in a way that works with your body.

Many women are told to lift heavy but find the movements don’t feel good. Why? Partly because of some of the reasons stated above. Generating force into the ground to actually lift something heavy requires internal rotation and bottom up pressure management through the core, you now know can be more difficult given our anatomical structure. Knowing this lets us train smarter, not harder, intentionally building up to those heavy lifts in a way that works with our bodies!

Connective Tissue Laxity:
Many women, especially those with narrower frames, tend to have more laxity in their connective tissue. More mobility isn’t always better!

In my experience some of the bendiest, most flexible runners actually tend to be the stiffest in a few specific places in the body - usually feet, calves, ribs, pelvic floor and neck. The body needs stiffness, stability, and safety (all 3 plus awareness of the body in space). With a bit more connective tissue laxity, muscles overcompensate, creating that chronic “tight” feeling. Instead of stretching, we often need to build strength and support so our bodies feel safe and can let go of protective tension.

Breasts:
Whether you’re part of the “itty bitty titty committee” (I’m the proud president! Really. My best friend in high school’s mom bestowed that title) or have heavier breast tissue, it matters. Larger breasts and/or tight sports bras affect posture, breathing, rotation, and ribcage mechanics. All of this influences your running stack and efficiency. In the Women’s Running Academy, I program chest-opening and upper-back mobility work to account for these variables—something male-centric programs typically don’t address.

And of course, pregnancy and postpartum bring even more extremes to these patterns. I often describe pregnancy and postpartum as revealing “invisible ink”—they highlight pre-existing tendencies, not necessarily create entirely new issues. Training with this awareness benefits all women, not just those in childbearing seasons.

​

​

…. I’m going to put a to-be continued on this email and follow up with the additional two pillars in next week’s newsletter:

2. Integrated with your training in the Context of Female Physiology

3. Informed by the Context of What It Means to Be Female in This World

This email, as most of my emails tend to do, is already getting long, and I want to make sure those two pieces get their due attention as well.

In the meantime, check out the Women’s Running Academy Membership --rooted in the biomechanics of the female body, in the context of female physiology—and just as importantly, in the lived experience of being a woman in today’s world.

It’s your one-stop shop for:

• Smart, efficient, and streamlined running programming
• Strength training designed specifically for female runners
• Plug-and-play training that adapts to you and your goals
• A community where your body, your experiences, and your voice matter

I’ve built this to support progress that’s sustainable and meaningful—for your performance, and for your life.

Enrollment opens to the waitlist first, with priority acces beginning on Wednesday, May 21, then to the rest of the public Monday, May 26th and closes Friday, May 30.

​Click here to learn more.​

I’d love for you to join us.

Your Coach,
Alison

Alison Marie Helms, PhD Certified Personal Trainer and Running Coach Unlock your full running potential through physics and physiology. ​Work with me.​