Why Weight Room: 4 Reasons Why Female Athletes Should Weight Train
“Think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they’re afraid of having too many defined muscles and being made fun of or called unattractive” - Serena Williams
For a lot of female athletes, the weight room can be intimidating, especially your first time. The equipment, the males surrounding you lifting twice your bodyweight, and the blasting Workout Spotify playlist can be daunting. But not only are the females considering all the external factors blinding them from their goals, they are also fighting internal demons; the thought of how their body could change. Bulky thighs and muscular biceps are not a part of the Victoria Secret Model beauty standard. While body image and appearance is a whole other issue for countless female athletes, it plays a major factor in the reluctance to lift weights when not forced to.
“The most uncomfortable part of a workout for female student-athletes is psychological. The popular culture of today glamorizes female athletes that are lean and toned, but the gut-wrenching effort that’s required to obtain these goals is deemed “masculine.” - Kim Ledford and Chris Hobbs, article “How athletic administrators and coaches can encourage females to embrace strength training” via Coach&AD.
According to Holy Crane and her piece “No Girls Allowed: A Psychosocial Examination of Women’s Relationship to Strength Training and the Weight Room”, just around 24.7% of American females meet the recommendation of strength training two or more times per week! Crane also found that in most gym spaces with strength training equipment men accounted for 80% or more of the occupitants. Nonetheless, the weight room can be intimidating. However, in order to change these notions in the weight room we must start destigmatizing and showing girls why they should partake in strength building. Here are 4 reasons why female athletes should go in the weight room:
Becoming physically and mentally more powerful: Obviously increased time in the weight room causes ALL athletes to be more physically and mentally powerful! Physically, engaging in weight training helps improve body awareness and coordination, as well as causes a higher vertical, faster speeds, and easier transitional movements. Additionally, it is proven that participating in athletic activity and body movement increases serotonin levels, which is the neurotransmitter associated with happiness! It is evident that mental agility is so important in being a successful athlete. Thus, the weight room is beneficial because it increases both physical and mental strength.
Injury Prevention: Weight training exercises are a huge part of many injury prevention and physical therapy programs. Female athletes are more likely to encounter lower limb and body injuries than their male counterparts. For example, a female is two to eight times more likely to suffer from knee injuries and four to six times more likely to suffer from an ACL tear. Thus, weight room training can help prevent such detrimental injuries by learning correct technique and building strength in those muscles.
Development of a Better Outlook on Weight Training: Coaches have found that once their athletes start getting in the weight room, they start to see the strides they are making in regard to their sport. This positive outlook is further seen when athletes are partaking in exercises and training schedules specifically designed for females, making them feel more specialized and understood. Simply, the sooner female athletes go in the weight room, the sooner the culture around strength training changes!
Improves Nutritional Education: It is clear that many girls fear the weight room because of societal body image standards. These standards don’t only weigh on female athletes when in the gym but also when outside of the gym. Strength building and weight training can play a huge role in proper education on how to healthily fuel one's body. Talking about what to eat before and after training and making sure athletes get enough fuel is another benefit of weight room training!
Further recommended reading:
Holy Crane’s study on women and the weight room: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/190610/Crane_umn_0130M_18186.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Relentless Athletics has great articles on female athletes and weight lifting! Here is the link: https://www.relentlessathleticsllc.com/learn-the-science
Amazing article on why female athletes are reluctant to go to the weight room: http://www.sheplaysnow.com/girls-afraid-weight-room/
Sources:
https://coachad.com/articles/encouraging-female-athletes-embrace-strength-training/
https://training-conditioning.com/article/barbie-doesn-t-play-sports/