Sport & Fitness
Target Audience:
Girl Power: A Story of Women Strenght Training In Different Parts of the World
In 1972 the federal civil right “Title IX” was passed in the united states, a law that ensures gender equality in federally funded education and activities:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
This Law included physical education in public schools that housed sports clubs and participated in tournaments (1,2). Although there was a surge in female participation in sports after this law, girls in the united states still join sports later, and they drop twice often as males (3,4). Additionally, when training programs are compared between genders, females seem to have less strength training focus than males in their programs (5). And when they do, females athletes are more likely to have their strength and conditioning program designed by an uncertified coach (5). Although “Title IX” may ensure equal opportunities, gender inequity seems to persist.
It is important to note here that the volume of published information on females strength training is limited and geographically biased; meaning, other countries have fewer published articles about this topic, hence the choice of country. Whither different cultures have similar trends is yet to be evaluated! Additionally, what we mean by strength training in this article is a collection of exercises designed to improve strength and muscle endurance that usually incorporate load lifting or exercising with variable weights and movement speeds.
Now let’s talk about Saudi Arabia, which participated in the women’s Olympics in 2012; the country has only allowed females to attend sports events in 2017. Similar to the United States’ “Title IX” law, Saudi Arabia had a surge of females participating in sports after the announcement of the country’s 2030 vision and its associated legislation (6). According to the Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdul Aziz Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia now has 24 females soccer team leagues, 23 females national teams, 38 federations with females sports representatives and board members (7). The Ministry of Education has recently introduced physical education sessions in public schools for girls (8). The Ministry of Sports has initiated the “Mahd Academy” national project to discover and train talents from childhood.
Although these rabid changes are positive, and I am confident that we are heading in the right direction, cautious mitigation planning is warranted. These laws ensure equal opportunities, but equity requires more than laws. For example, a coach’s perception of the female athletes’ strength training might influence how they design the training program. Strength and conditioning training should be incorporated into females sports programs and carefully designed to prepare them for their chosen sports to ensure that Saudi women in sports meet their goals or optimal potentials.
Mahd Academy is an excellent example of a mitigation plan; their training model is based on introducing sports training and physical conditioning early in childhood (6 years old) and adjusting the programs based on growth curves of both genders. This training model is coined in academic research by the phrase “synergistic adaptation method,” which is supported by the American National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)(10). We also need similar mitigation programs for women and girls in the community. For example, incorporating “synergistic adaptation method” of strength and conditioning training into schools to build a health and wellness foundation early in childhood; have movement experts services in community centers to facilitate, support and motivate activity of older women in the community.
Now that we established why I am mainly addressing females in this article! So what makes strength training important for females? Accumulating evidence has shown that resistance training improves general health and sports performance for both sexes (11,12). Anaerobic exercise programs improve neuromuscular control and cardiovascular function, increases bone density, muscle mass, and power (11,12). This type of training is essential for females, given their greater risk of developing osteoporosis, stress fractures, and sports injuries (ACL injury) (11,12). For those who question if a female should carry heavy loads repeatedly, several studies and streamed competitions have shown that females can tolerate and adapt to heavy load exercises (11,12).
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