10 Reasons Female Athletes Should Train Differently

I recently spent a weekend attending a physical therapy continuing education class about treating a female athlete. I was excited to learn more about the specific differences between female and male athletes. And I wanted to share the top 10 reasons female athletes should train differently. Plus, I'll explain each of the reasons. While some of the reasons may seem obvious, there are others that I feel are often overlooked. These could have a BIG impact on the way female athletes train. So, if you are a female athlete and want to train efficiently to maximize your performance and decrease injury… keep reading!

1. A woman's upper and lower body strength is different.

Overall the typical woman’s total body strength represents 63.5% of a man’s strength, but the greatest differences are found in upper body strength, with 50% less strength than men compared to lower body strength being only 20-30% less than men. A female athlete’s training program should always include upper-body and lower-body strengthening.

2. Female athletes have a higher risk for injury.

Until puberty, boys maintain about 10% greater muscle strength than girls. However, after age 12, boys continually increase in strength while strength plateaus in girls. This puts female athletes at an increased risk for injury! Keep reading to find out exactly what injuries are more prevalent in females and which muscles you should strengthen to prevent them.

3. They under-recruit the hamstrings.

Female athletes preferentially recruit their quadriceps first and under-recruit their hamstrings. Male athletes and non-athlete groups recruit the hamstring muscle before the quadriceps. A female athlete’s training program should include specific hamstring strength training to help prevent knee injuries.

4. They have an increased risk of ACL injury.

Women demonstrate decreased activation of their core, hip external rotators, gluteus medius, and hamstring muscles compared to men. Weakness in these muscles puts the female athlete at an increased risk for ACL injury due to altered lower body mechanics. To determine your risk, a physical therapist will assess your squatting and jumping mechanics and give you an individualized exercise program. The goal is to reduce hip adduction and internal rotation, knee abduction, and tibial external rotation (the mechanics that tear your ACL!) by strengthening these specific muscles.

5. Stretching recommendations are different.

Women have greater flexibility, with approximately 8 degrees greater hamstring flexibility throughout their lifespan. However, stretching may not always be indicated for female athletes. In fact, stretching an already loose muscle may lead to decreased force production of the muscle and thus decreased performance. On the flip side, tight muscles may alter your mechanics and put you at an increased risk for injury. If you are not sure which muscles you should or should not be stretching, a physical therapist will be able to evaluate your muscle length and advise you on this topic. 

6. They have more knee laxity.

Females have greater laxity in the knees than male athletes but less laxity than nonathletic females. Genu recurvatum, or knee hyperextension, of greater than 10 degrees is associated with overuse knee injuries, including tendonitis, patellofemoral syndrome, ITB friction syndrome, and ALC injury. 

7. They require more stabilizer strength.

Because of their postural alignment, women require more stabilizer strength than men. Female athletes should avoid strength training with machines. Resistance training machines that are typically set up like a circuit at the gym train your muscles in just one plane of motion, which can contribute to increased muscle imbalances. These machines also fail to develop your stabilizer muscles since you are often seated and supported during the exercise (your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles are not being challenged). Female athletes should instead maximize their time with dynamic strengthening exercises that address their movement patterns and challenge the core stabilizers such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, and kettlebell exercises.

8. There is less chance of dehydration.

Women begin sweating at higher skin and core temperatures but show heat tolerance similar to men. Female athletes handle heat stress more internally than men. Thus, during a workout, the female athlete will start sweating after their male counterparts. While it’s nice not to have pit stains until the end of the workout this also decreases the female’s risk for dehydration and heat stroke, a big plus for female endurance athletes!

9. The need for rest is different.

Women require shorter rest periods between sets than men but may require longer rest periods between training days than men. Female athletes can train quicker and harder on strength training days. Still, it is extra important to have rest days between strength training to prevent overuse injuries and allow muscle recovery. 

10. Women have a lower max heart rate.

The maximum heart rate for women is less than for men. You may know the generic equation of 220 – your age = maximal heart rate. This equation was a male-based calculation. A better way to calculate this for females is 206 – (age).88 = maximal heart rate.

I hope you found this information as interesting and helpful as I did! Information in this blog post was synthesized from the evidenced-based course presented by Brian Lawler, MS, PT, OCS, ATC, CSCS, and PES of North American Seminars Inc.

To learn how we can help you prevent injury, train properly, and increase dynamic stability, contact us to set up a free consultation.

Happy Training!