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What Not To Do, Breaking Bad Strength Training Habits
By: Margaret Hofmann-Nein, MEd ACE-certified Personal Trainer |
This article will list key actions that female athletes need to avoid in a strength and conditioning program, mainly, to prevent injury and to help prolong their athletic careers. My observations of incorrect practices and techniques witnessed throughout an 8 year collegiate coaching career and 15 years in the fitness industry have led me to compile such a list. I feel that girls/women are making 4 big mistakes when it comes to strength and conditioning:
1. Girls are starting late on a strength training program or not even strength training at all for their sport.
2. Girls are not adhering to a program over a long period of time.
3. Girls are performing the wrong program, (one not age appropriate, sex specific or sport specific), and not performing the exercises correctly, in particular, plyometric type activities.
4. Not warming up properly for intense conditioning sessions, practices or games.
This website addresses these problems with handouts and articles on all these topics. Always look for articles and handouts on our sidebar to the left. More importantly, we have basic pre-designed strength and conditioning programs you can purchase today to get started on now so you won’t get left behind your competition. Click on “Conditioning Programs” at the top of page.
It is not an accepted practice to just do what the boys team is doing in the weight room or use a strength training program from another female sports team at your school. Get on a good strength training program based on your age, sex, your sport, your strength training history and your own personal health history and needs and goals. Also, make sure you get your information from the right sources. Meet and/or consult with a certified strength and conditioning specialist that understands the needs of female athletes and knows how to train female athletes. You can do that here at FAF with our “Ask A Question” service, we know female athletes and have trained them successfully. You have to prepare for your sport, don’t use your practices and games to get into shape. You have to be strong and in condition to handle the intense skill practices and rugged game schedule. Getting functionally stronger will improve posture, strength, flexibility, movement efficiency, reaction, speed, power, explosiveness and help you to prevent injury and prolong your career. Start now on a program and avoid these actions listed below.
1. Don’t get caught in a developmental lag with weight training; meaning being years behind your opponents as far as strength training and power levels are concerned. If you are serious about your sport and want to play in college or at the pro level then you must be on a good strength training program.
2. Don’t just wing-it in the weight room or watch what everyone else is doing and try to follow suit. This will be a waste of time and you may get injured.
3. Don’t believe it when people tell you that you need to wait until high school to start on a strength training program. This is false, girls/women can begin a strength and conditioning program as young as 7. This is fact.
4. Don’t believe it when people say you will get big and bulky. This is a myth. We dispel all the myths on this site, go to the section “Female Athlete.”
5.Don’t use a strength training program from another sport as your workout program. For example: if you are a junior high or high school softball player, then don’t perform the same strength program as the girls basketball or volleyball team.
6. Don’t start a jump training program until you have been taught how to jump and land with good form. Studies show that girls jump differently than boys. Knowing the proper progressions and total jumps per session are critical in a jump training program. Don’t jump and land on hard and unforgiving surfaces; ex. concrete.
7. Avoid full squats where hips go below the knees.
8. Stop running up and down stairs for conditioning, especially two at a time, this is very hard on the knees and may pre-dispose you to a knee injury. Female athletes are sustaining ACL knee injuries at alarming rates in comparison to men in the same high risk sports.
9. Stop exercising only on machines. This is not functional and not sport specific enough. You need a functional training program designed for your sport possibly along with an ACL injury prevention strategy incorporated.
10. Don’t exercise through pain. The old adage: No Pain, No Gain is incorrect. Be smart and get injuries taken care of so you will be in the game and not on the sideline and you will have a longer career in your sport.
11. Avoid downhill running if done on a consistent basis.
12. Stop over-playing instead of consistent strength training to handle the rigors of your sport.
13. Break the habit of starting and stopping a strength training program. Studies show that boys weight train more year round than girls. Girls are getting left behind and are increasing their risk of injury.
14. Stop neglecting your diet. Eat healthy with 3-4 balanced meals a day with healthy snacks in between. Hydrate properly. Women need to be very concerned about the levels of iron and calcium in their diet. If you have a poor diet you will not be 100% in your practices and games. You will also increase your chances for more injuries.
We hope this information will put you on the right path to properly preparing for your sport and preventing injury. If you have any other questions or concerns please contact us via our web site contact form or contact me directly via the “Ask A Question” service.
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