It is important to understand that the basic principles of strength training apply as they are for both sexes. However in the case of women some specific areas need to be addressed such as pregnancy, menopause, and others that arise due to structural and physiological differences. This is where strength training concepts need due modification with these specific needs in mind. The following guidelines for assessment and exercise prescription take into consideration these specific areas for designing and implementation of effective strength programs for women of all ages and varying fitness levels.
Various kinds of Strength:

For all practical purposes Strength can be defined as: The ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert Maximum Force. However the concept of strength is not all that simple when applied to working examples. This gives rise to various specific definitions of the strength. Let’s take time to understand some of them, in order to better our understanding of the concept.

• Anaerobic Strength:
• Aerobic Strength:
• Starting Strength:
• Explosive Strength:
• Absolute Strength:
• Relative Strength:
• Linear Strength Endurance
• Non-Linear Strength Endurance

Benefits of Strength Training (with * specific to women):

1) Functional Capacity
2) Disease Prevention
3) Stress Release*
4) Body Composition*
5) Bone Health*
6) Improved Sexual Function*
7) Reduction in symptoms of Menopause*
8) Easier, safer Pregnancy*
9) Easier Child Birth*
10)Healthier Infants*
11)Faster return to Pre-Pregnancy Wt*
12)Improved Hydration Status
13)Improved Thermoregulation
14)Improved Glucose Tolerance
15)Improved HDL levels
16)Reduced Triglycerides
17)Injury Prevention
18)Improved Sports Performance
19)Improved Balance*
20)Improved overall quality of life
21)Promotes Longevity and Vitality

Assessing Strength:
1 Repetition Maximum (1 RM): is the maximum weight that one can lift for any given movement in one single effort.

The 1 RM is the standard method used for measuring strength in most fitness and performance settings. Strength measurements are restricted to certain compound movements only due to the risk of injury involved in trying to test strength levels of smaller muscles. For all practical purposes the body can be divided into four basic segments to test strength. These are:

• Muscles of the anterior shoulder girdle: or the pushing muscles. These comprise of the pectoralis group, deltoids, serratus anterior, and triceps. The standard exercise used to test these muscles is the bench press.

• Muscles of the posterior shoulder girdle: or the pulling muscles. These comprise of the lattissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids, trapezius, biceps, and brachialis. The standard exercise used to test these muscles is either the bent row, or the lat pulldown.

• Muscles of the trunk: these act as the stabilizers and coordinate movements between the upper and lower body. These comprise of the abdominals, obliques, erector spinae, and the quadratus group. Generally strength testing is not done for these muscles, which are involved in flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation of the spine. The reason being these are small and weak muscles, thus risk for injury is extremely high.

• Locomotors: as the term suggests these are the muscles that help us move around. The main muscles in this group are the gluteus group, quadriceps, and hamstring, namely the knee and hip extensors. The standard exercise used to test these muscles is the squat or the leg press.

Testing for 1 RM:
1. After a thorough warm up, perform a couple of sets with a light weight that can allow about 15 reps or so.
2. Now increase the weight so that 8 to 10 reps can be managed.
3. Then increase weight to allow about 5 to 6 reps.
4. At this point increase 2.5 to 5 lb per effort for bench press and bent rows, and 5 to 10 lbs for leg press and squats, till 1 RM is reached.
5. Allow full recovery between attempts (2 to 2.5 min).

Note: strength testing can also be performed for simple exercises if the muscle group involved is strong enough, such as the knee curl and extension. In the case of extremely strong individuals small muscles such as the biceps and abdominals can also be tested.

Inherent Problems with Strength Testing:

Strength Testing requires a maximal effort. This greatly increases the risk of injury even for highly trained athletes. To safely test unconditioned athletes we use:

Predicted 1 RM: this method is based on the fact that most individuals can manage a certain number of repetitions with a given percentage of their personal 1 RM value for a certain lift. The approximate corresponding repetitions for various percent values of 1 RM are given in the table below:

%1RM 100% 95% 90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 60%
Reps 1 2 2-3 4-5 8 10 12 14 16

Testing for Predicted 1 RM:
1) Warm up the subject thoroughly.
2) Make her perform one set of a given movement with a very light weight eith which she can manage about 20 reps fairly easily.
3) After about 2 min rest, increase the weight slightly so that she can manage about 15 reps fairly easily.
4) Now for the third set increase the weight with which you feel that she should be able to barely manage 10 to 12 reps.
5) After a two minute rest interval make the subject squeeze out as many reps as is possible. Ensure strict form and full ROM.
6) Compare the results to the table given above.
7) If the subject manages less than 10 reps that is just fine.
8) But if she does more than 15 reps, the test is not valid. Let her rest for five minutes and re-test after increasing the resistance suitably.

General Guidelines for Strength Training:
1. Address all of the body’s energy systems.
2. Use mainly structural and compound movements.
3. But at the same time use various movements.
4. Train all major muscle groups.
5. Avoid imbalances between opposing muscle groups.
6. Use high intensity and low to moderate volumes.
7. Allow enough time for recovery.
8. Provide optimum nutrition.
9. Use variation to avoid plateaus.
10. Have a progressive periodized approach for safe optimal results.

Training Intensity:

Poor Fitness Extremely light resistance (< 50% 1 RM) or
simple free-hand weight supported movements.
Low Fitness Beginners 50 to 60% of 1 RM
Regular Exercisers 70 to 80% of 1 RM ( also for Hypertrophy)
High Fitness 85 to 100% of 1 RM (also for Strength and Power)

Volume:

Poor Fitness 2 sets per movement x 10 to 20 reps x
5 to 10 movements
Low Fitness Beginners 15 to 20 reps x 8 to 12 exercises x
1 to 3 circuits
Regular Exercisers 4 to 6 sets large muscle groups +
2 to 3 sets small muscles.
Hypertrophy Beginners 10 sets, intermediate 12 to 15 sets, and
advanced 20 to 25 sets per muscle group
High fitness & Strength Beginners 4 to 6 sets, Advanced 8 to 10
sets (only compound movements)

Recuperation (Acute & Chronic):

Acute Chronic
Poor Fitness 1 min 24 hours
Low Fitness Beginners 2 to 0 min bet circuits 48 hours
Regular Exercisers 1 min to 30 sec bet sets 72 to 96 hours
Hypertrophy 1 min to 30 sec bet sets 96 hours to 1 week
High fitness & Strength 2.5 to 5 min bet sets 96 hours to 1 week

Guidelines for Pregnant Women:
1) Reduce intensity to 60 to 70% due to slack muscles and tendons.
2) Avoid supine movements.
3) Avoid abdominal strengthening and use ab/back support.
4) Avoid impact.
5) Avoid dehydration and excess temperatures.
6) Make necessary dietary modifications to suffice exercise and fetal needs.

Guidelines for osteoporosis and arthritis:
1) Make sure to get correct nutrients for bone health (refer table below).
2) Moderation is the key word for injury prevention.
3) For arthritis, reduce intensity to 50 to 60 % and fol low the 4 hour pain rule.
4) Take enough antioxidants.

This table lists all the essential nutrients for a healthy skeletal system, how much of each do you require, anti-nutrients that inhibit their uptake, and the foods that are good sources of them:

Nutrient RDA* Inhibitors Best food sources - per 100 gm serving.

Calcium Child 600 mg
Adult 800 mg Lack of exercise, tea, coffee, alcohol, lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, hormonal imbalance.
Milk (120 mg), yogurt (149), Swiss cheese (925), Cheddar cheese (750), almonds(234), Brewer’s yeast (234), parsley, coriander, spinach (250), corn tortillas (200).

Vitamin D
Child 10 mcg
Adult 10 mcg
Lack of sunlight, fried foods.
Herrings (22.5mcg), mackerel (17.5), salmon (12.5), oysters (3), cheese (2), eggs (1.5).

Magnesium
Child 170 mg
Adult 300 mg
Large amts of Calcium from milk products, proteins, fats, oxalates, phytates.
Wheat germ (490 mg), almonds (270), cashew nuts (267), brewer’s yeast (231), buck wheat flour (229), peanuts (225), cooked beans (37), Garlic (36), raisins, green peas (35).
Phosphorus
Child 800 mg
Adult 800 mg
Too much iron, magnesium, aluminum.
Present in almost all foods.

Vitamin C
Child 35 mg
Adult 40 mg
Smoking, alcohol, pollution, stress, fried food, tea, coffee.
Peppers (100 mg), watercress (60),
Cabbage (60), broccoli (110), cauliflower (60), strawberries (60), lemons (80), kiwi fruit (85), oranges (50), tomatoes (60).

Zinc
Child 7 mg
Adult 15 mg
High calcium uptake, low protein uptake, copper, alcohol, excess sugar, phytates, oxalates.
Oysters (148 mg), ginger root (6.8), lamb (5.3), dry split peas (4.2), egg yolk (3.5), peanuts (3.2), almonds (3.1), whole wheat (3.2 mg)

What is the “Q” angle?

The “Q” angle is the angle at which the femur tapers inwards in females, due to broader pelvis. Over time weak muscles and chronic valgus stress can cause the knees to bend inward, causing severe pain and injury to the joint. It can be prevented through correct strength training at an early age.

Program Design & Periodization:

The benefits of a periodized program are:
1) Ensure steady progress.
2) Safety and injury prevention.
3) Avoid Chronic fatigue, chronic injury and burnout.
4) Provide variation and make training interesting.
5) Facilitate Adherence.
6) Successful achievement of long term goals.