Sport Conditioning for Women

Despite the fact that the chemistry of female athletes is significantly different then the male athletes, many conditioning coaches do not modify their training programs for females. Understanding gender differences, from the obvious to the subtle and applying this knowledge can have a significant impact on training results. Women and men are different- right down to cellular level.

Physical Differences

Men and women are anatomically unique. The axial skeleton is defined as the principle supportive structure of the body. In males it is comprised of the skull, vertebrae, sternum and ribs. In females it includes the skull, vertebrae and the pelvis. This redrawing of the female axial skeleton helps us understand the basic physics involved in movement for males compared to females.

The adult male has a proportionately larger upper body and a narrow pelvis resulting in a high center of gravity above the pelvis. The design of the male anatomy results in reduced overall stability and the development of a dominant upper body.

The female skeleton is smoother and more delicate with a smaller and more rounded thoracic cage. The female pelvis tilts to the anterior (creating a greater lumbar curve) and is lower and wider than a male’s. This creates a lower center of gravity (located inside the pelvis) and results in improved overall body stability. The articulation of the female hip joint on the pelvis (the acetabulum, where the femur rotates) is at a more lateral and downward angle allowing for a greater rotation at the hip and the production of more three-dimensional movement.

These structural differences have a significant impact on female biomechanics, influencing the distribution of weight, forces and stresses during movement. Greater hip width in women creates a less vertical and more angled femur resulting in valgus legs (knock knees) along with a collapse of the arch of the foot. Together these mechanisms translate into a vulnerable knee joint that is prone to injury.

Physiological Differences

Most gender differences begin to surface at puberty when circulating hormones appear. The average man has about twice the muscle mass of the average women primarily due to testosterone levels. Women have more body fat (18% to 20%) than men (10% to 15%) to provide nourishment during pregnancy. This translates into a lower percentage of lean body mass in women.

Females have higher level of the hormones relaxin and elastin; these affect connective tissues making females more flexible then males at all ages. The hormonal fluctuations that occur in females during the menstrual cycle affect every cell influencing overall wellbeing, brain function and physical adaptation.

From a cardiovascular perspective, boys have a higher VO2 max than girls at all ages. But by age 16 they have a 50% greater aerobic capacity that continues throughout adulthood.

Psychological Differences

From a young as age 10, girls choose activities based on the opportunity to network socially, whereas boys are motivated by competition and dominance. Women are very social/emotional creatures with four times more neurological connections between the right (creative/emotional_ and left (logical/analytical) brain. The female athlete is hard-wired differently making the concept of socialization, leaning, skill building and self-awareness equally valuable with winning in the sport experience.

Injuries to Female Athletes

Over the past 20 years, concern for athlete safety has increased as more females have become involved in sports. Females are four times more likely to sustain a serious ACL knee injury compared to males. These injuries are most frequently in high risk sports that require jumping and cutting (e.g., soccer basketball and netball).

Another interesting trend is that female athletes are most often injured in a supervised setting (64% of injuries) compared to males who are most often injured in an unsupervised setting (55%). This information prompts us to consider whether our traditionally male dominated training methods are appropriate for female athletes.

Practical Considerations

If women and men are so distinctly different, should they be trained with these differences in mind? Research shows that women are at a greater risk for significant knee injury. Are these injuries as a result of training women too much like we train men? Or are they the result of training that does not consider the distinct needs of female athletes?

Regardless of the cause, female athletes need specific training to improve physical weaknesses. Presented here are some methods of modifying training for female athletes.

Sports Conditioning & Training

MOVEMENT

Strong movement skills are the foundation of athleticism. They teach the body to move sequentially through the kinetic chain to create efficient motor patterns, a mind-to-mind link and the ability to generate greater force. Teaching athletes to decelerate is a critical skill to build speed in multi-directional sport while reducing the risk of injury.

Diamond Multi-Directional Sprints to Coaches Cue

Set up: Place 4 cones in a diamond pattern. The athlete starts in the middle in a low athletic position ready to react to the coach’s cues.

Execution: The coach will give a direction cue- forward, backward, right or left- and the athlete moves as directed to the cone and then returns to starting position.

The coach cues the next direction when the athlete exhibits a balanced ready position in the middle of the diamond.

1 Foot, 2 Feet Hurdle Jumps

Set up: Position two 6’ hurdles two feet apart. Begin in between the two hurdles in a low athletic position (hips low, shoulders back, chest up and core set).

Execution: Pre-load the legs and push off the ground to jump laterally over a hurdle landing softly on a single leg in triple flexion. Counter the movement to land back in the center with both feet contacting the floor simultaneously. Repeat in the opposite direction.

Repeat the pattern for the desired number of repetitions with a focus on a good technique before increasing tempo.

BALANCE TRAINING

Strong balance is an asset for all athletes since it creates smart muscles and an efficient mind-to-muscle link. With a lower centre of gravity, women have an advantage in balance drills. Single leg exercises are a great way to decrease this stable base of support, create a greater balance challenge and strengthen the entire lower body. A simple, yet very important balance exercise for females is a simple leg squat. The challenge is to perform the exercise correctly with proper knee tracking. As a coach, focus most of your cues on knee alignment.

TRX Single Leg Squats

Set up: Begin in a balanced athletic position on a single leg. The TRX provides a second balance point and should be used to help spot the athlete through the squat.

Execution: The athlete triple flexes through the ankle, knee and hip while lowering down into a tuck position. Pause and hold the low position maintaining balance (without pulling on the TRX) and return sequentially through triple extensions to the starting position.

Before attempting the exercise on a more unstable surface such as the BOSU, make sure the athlete can complete the full range of motion with proper knee tracking.

Extreme Balance Board Squats with Fit Ball Passes

Set up: Plant both feet parallel and equal distance from the center of the balance board. Engage the core muscles and then lower into a tuck position with hips low and chest up.

Execution: In the tuck position, the athlete tosses a weighted fir ball back and forth between hands. Have the athlete progress to wider passes.

STRENGTH

Many female athletes have good lower body strength but don’t have matching upper body strength. Strength improvements can be maximized with the development of whole body movements that link mussels together sequentially. Linked system TM exercises allow the transfer of force generated in the lower body. The result is a lift that requires more muscle activation and core stabilization that transfers well to many sport skills.

Back Lunge To Single Arm Smartoner Row

Set Up: Anchor one end of the Smartoner TM to a fixed object with tension. Lunge back with a right leg into a split squat stance extending the right arm.

Execution: In one fluid movement, triple extend the lower body up to a single leg balance while pulling the Slastix back until the right hand is along the right side of the body.

Return to stating position, resisting the Slastix as the arm extends and the right leg moves back into a split squat stand. Repeat on the other side.

Woman have an increased lumber curve and a lower centre of gravity. So a standard push-up can increase stress on the lower back. The TRX system has progressively built upper body strength by allowing more options to adjusting resistance through body position.

TRX Push Up

Set Up: Have the athlete walk back from the point of attachment until she reaches a desired decline prone position. The athlete should be able to maintain a strong body position with good core activation and shoulder stabilization.

Execution: With hands in the line with the chest, lower down into a pushup. Push back up into the starting position while maintaining a straight body and control of the TRX.

Janice Hutton is the director of specialty markets in the education division of Twist Conditioning Inc. She has co-authorized eight internationally-recognized home study programs for Twist and is working with the Twist team to deliver live sport conditioning workshops in the US. Australia and U.K with over 20 years experience in the fitness industry. Janice is an active conditioning coach, personal trainer, fitness instructor and consultant in sport coaching and fitness.

Lisa Northup attained a B.Sc ( Kinesiology) and a Health and Fitness certificate from Simon Fraser University and is a certified Kinesiologist and certifies sport conditioning specialist. As one of Twist conditioning’s senior strength and conditioning coaches, she presents al conferences and delivers Twist BOSU certification and BCRPA accredited workshops. She works with athletes of different ages and abilities and in various sports.

Twist Conditioning acknowledges the contributions of Amy Apps and members of the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team who are currently training at our Vancouver Sport Conditioning Centre in preparation for the Pan American Games, World Cup and 2008 Summer Olympics.

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