Women's Fitness
Strength training is one of the most underestimated and under-utilised aspects of a sports specific program, and while it doesn’t need to form the foundation of your training, you shouldn’t avoid using weights to prepare your body adequately for pounding the pavement or playing ball. Outside of improving your performance, weight training has so many more benefits:
1. Injury Prevention
The most common injuries I see are knee, lower leg, and lower back, and are for the most part caused by structural imbalances, poor posture and consistently incorrect movement patterns.
The major imbalances that I see are:
– Anterior versus posterior chain
Our glutes and hamstrings are our primary drivers, especially when it comes to moving faster and more explosively. Having a strong posterior chain can be the difference between conquering Heartbreak Hill, and winning that 100m one on one finish. However most people are quad dominant and could benefit from programs that focus on opening the front of the body and strengthening the back of the body (hamstring curl, hip thrust and deadlift variations are an integral part of all my training programs).
– Single-leg imbalances
Runners are unilaterally dominant, so if you have a weakness on one side, you will compensate on the other side, setting yourself for injury. Single leg movements such as lunges, single leg-off box squats, step-ups, single-leg deadlifts and split jumps are all advantageous when correcting side to side imbalances
– Lateral versus medial imbalance (outside vs inside)
A good proportion of knee injuries are caused by an imbalance between the outside of the leg being too tight – the major culprits being the ITB (iliotibial band) and the TFL (tensor fasciae latae), with the inside of the leg being too weak – adductors and VMO (vastus medialis). This causes incorrect tracking of the knee leading to friction, inflammation and pain. I suggest foam rolling for myofascial release of the ITB, TFL and quadriceps, and then adding in VMO step ups (with heel elevated), wall sits and glute bridges squeezing a hockey ball between the knees, to engage and strengthen the adductors and VMO.
2. Improving Power to Weight Ratio
One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to lifting is that you will get “big”, but muscle mass is not necessarily synonymous with strength. Having an optimal power-to-weight ratio just means that you have the right amount of muscle to carry your engine for the duration of your task. It comes down to picking the right exercises in the right rep range with the right load.
For maximal strength and power gains without adding unwanted mass, I suggest picking compound “task-specific” movements. For example, runners or track and field athletes could benefit from front squats, back squats and deadlifts, performing them in sets of 2-5 reps at 70-80 percent of a one-rep maximum. These movements are relatively easy to learn, pack a muscular punch on the legs and posterior chain, and emphasize core stability and posture. They’re also guaranteed to tighten and tone that tush!
3. Improving posture and breathing
When you think of running, the last thing you think of is training the upper body. However, your posture dictates the efficiency of your breathing, so if you’re hunched over with the rounded shoulder posture typically seen in many desk jockeys, chances are you’ll be compressing your diaphragm. This is very inefficient and will cause you to tire much more quickly. Alleviating poor posture can be achieved by adding corrective upper body movements into your program (I like to do them on my recovery days) like external rotation, lower trap raises, serratus pull downs, bent over lateral flyes, face pulls, Turkish get-ups, planks (straight-arm and side) and bent over rows, to pull the shoulders back and allow you to remain much more open and upright for the duration.
4. Improving core strength and stability
Contrary to popular belief, you’ll get more “core” strength from lifting heavy weights (research shows that deadlifts and pullups have two of the highest abdominal activations) than you will from countless sit-ups. The bracing of the spine that you learn during resistance training is “functional” in that it sets you up to be able to perform better outside the gym in everyday life.
5. Improving Body Composition
Cardio may make you a smaller version of yourself but only weight training has the power to truly change the shape of your body. No amount of cardio will build that booty for you! Resistance training protocols can be used to elicit a specific hormonal response from the body, helping to target more “stubborn” areas of fat. Lifting weights also makes the body more insulin sensitive ie more efficient at using carbohydrates and sugar for fuel, instead of storing the excess as fat. Say goodbye to thunder thighs and muffin tops.
6. Making gains in the Off Season
The Off Season is the perfect time to get some gains and build an even more solid foundation from which to peak. You’ll be able to handle more volume and load without DOMS impacting on your “in season” sports specific performance. It will also help to ensure that your “optimal” body composition is achieved and maintained in the least stressful way possible. ‘’
