Women, gone are the days of feeling inferior to men in strength. You can train at higher volumes and higher intensities than previously believed years ago. You can become exceptionally strong, lean, powerful and explosive, all while still maintaining femininity, beauty and grace. You don’t have to fear getting big and bulky with strength training and looking like a man because we are genetically different from men. If you still think that strength training will alter your shot, your swing and make you tight then you need to educate yourself and experience firsthand the benefits of strength training.  If strength training is done properly you will be more flexible, faster, stronger and less prone to injury. To be blunt, women you can’t afford not to strength train year round if you want to play college or professional sports.

     You can reach all your goals in your sport with the proper training progressions and supervision over a period of years.  You now have access to the same information and training protocols that men have had in the past.  Don’t let exercise myths or cultural stigmas prevent you from doing what needs to be done to excel in the athletic arena.  We at FAF understand that there still exists misconceptions about the male and female bodies and how they react to strength training.  We want to bring these misconceptions to light so that female athletes will feel free and comfortable to pursue strength training as a way to not only enhance athletic performance but contribute to ones overall physical fitness and well-being.

     Yes, there are differences in the physiology of men and women that give men an advantage in terms of absolute strength.  These differences such as size and body structure are more likely explanations for the average absolute strength differences between the sexes. On average, men are taller and heavier, they have more lean muscle tissue and less fat.  Men have a wider frame that supports more muscle, as well as broader shoulders that provide a greater leverage advantage.  Research on male and female strength potential reveals that women possess about two thirds of the strength of men (1,2).  However, when other measures of strength are used, such as strength relative to cross-sectional area of muscle, the strength to men and women is nearly equal.  Muscles at the cellular level have a force development capability independent of sex, and women are as able as men to develop strength relative to total muscle mass.

      Strength should not be viewed in absolute terms.  The gender differences in absolute strength, for example, are not consistent for all muscle groups.  The distribution of muscle fiber types-fast and slow twitch- is similar in the two sexes, and women are able to use a greater portion of stored elastic energy than men during activities in which muscle is pre-stretched, such as in the counter movement prior to jumping.  On the other hand, men may have an advantage in neuromuscular response time that results in greater force production speed than women (3).  If the amount of lean body mass is factored into the strength equation, the relative strength difference between men and women is less appreciable.  Based on a strength-to-lean-body-mass ratio, women are about equal in strength to men.

     Let’s take a look at how hormones play a role in the equation.  We are not sure exactly how influential hormones are in the absolute strength of both men and women but we do know that androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) are the hormones that most likely influence strength.  The androstenedione response to weight lifting is similar in female and males (4).  The role of testosterone is more complex.  Testosterone increases with exercise and controls muscle size; increases red blood cells and decreases body fat. Women on average have about one tenth the testosterone of men (5).  This level of testosterone varies greatly in women but influences their strength development more than a typical man.  Women who have higher testosterone levels may have a greater potential for strength and power development than other women.  The level of testosterone fluctuates in women and most likely does not account for significant male-female differences in absolute strength.  Only women with a genetic predisposition for hypertrophy who participate in high-volume, high-intensity strength training will see substantial increases in limb circumference. 

     Does strength training cause women to become larger and heavier?  The truth is, strength training helps reduce body fat and increase lean weight (7).  These changes may result in a slight increase in overall weight, since lean body mass weighs more than fat.  You can have significant increases in strength with no change or a decrease in lower body girths, and a very small increase in upper-extremity girth.  Keep in mind women that you can use the same training methods as men without risk of injury.  In fact, no evidence suggests that women are more likely to be injured during strength training than men.  Just make sure you are taught proper exercise technique and always follow a program that gradually increases the intensity and load.

     The psychological benefits to strength training make all the time, work and effort rewarding.  Studies suggest that women who engage in strength training benefit from improved self-esteem.  Female athletes appear to be able to balance strength and femininity without feeling less feminine.  Most women will feel empowered and confident as they encounter and master their physical challenges. 

      Based on all this information, we can conclude that women can benefit from strength training as much as men.  If you follow a well-designed strength training program you will see an increase in muscle and bone strength, connective tissue strength, increased lean body mass, decreased fat tissue and enhanced self-confidence.  Most importantly, women need to train at intensities high enough to create these physiologic changes.  If you train at lower intensities the benefits may be minimal.  A well designed program should include exercises with free weights and dumbbells and exercises that use body weight resistance.  An emphasis should be placed on the use of free weight exercises including foot-based lower-body exercises such as the lunge, diagonal lunge, walking lunge, step up, lateral step up, and squat.  Women should also include upper-body exercises that employ multiple muscle groups such as body weight push-ups and pull-ups, and back extensions.  Women who have developed a strength base should consider total-body exercises such as the push press, hang clean, power clean, clean and jerk, and snatch (6).  Keep in mind that a training program should also stress multiplanar, multijoint, functional exercises because they develop intermuscular coordination, proprioception, and balance and result in strength that transfers to sports and daily activities.

REFERENCES

1. Hettinger J: physiology of Strength, Springfield, IL, Charles Thomas, 1961.
2. Holloway JB: Individual differences and their implications for resistance training, in Baechle TR (ed): Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 1994, pp 151-162.
3. Karlsson J, Jacobs I: Is the significance of muscle fiber types to muscle metabolism different in females than in males? In Borms J, Hebbelink M, Venerando A (eds): Women and Sport, an Historical, Biological, Physiological and Sports Medical Approach. Basel, Switzerland, S Karger, 1981.
4. National Strength and Conditioning Association: Position Paper: Strength Training for Female Athletes. National Strength and Conditioning Association, Colorado Springs, 1990.
5. Hakkinen K, Pakarinen A, Kyrolainen H, et al: Neuromuscular adaptations and serum hormones in females during prolonged power training. Int J Sports Med 1990;11(2):91-98.
6. Ebben WP, Jensen RL: Strength Training for Women: Debunking Myths That Block Opportunity. The Physician And Sportsmedicine-Vol 26-No. 5-May 98.
7. Fox E, Bowers R, Foss M: The Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport, Madison, WI, Brown and Benchmark, 1993.