Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
makedah
New member
This is a snippet from an article. The whole article can be found here: http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/tc/tc1207/sugarspice.htm
When people ask me about designing a strength-training program for females, I tell them to check out a similar program for males. I get a lot of quizzical stares in return, but the fact is that strength training for women is almost identical to that of men, given the same sport, age group, and conditioning goals.
The guiding principles of a strength-training program for the female athlete should be the same as those for the male athlete: Train core strength before extremity strength, train movements instead of individual muscles, train bodyweight before external resistance, and train strength before strength endurance.
Based on these general principles, a sound strength-training program will also include four essential elements: First, core strength and stability is the foundation of any good strength-training program. Second, the program must incorporate balance and proprioception. Third, all drills and exercises must incorporate multiple joints while preparing the athlete to optimize ground reaction forces. Fourth, the program must also include pulling movements, pressing and pushing movements, and squat movements.
Despite the similarities of male and female strength training, there are a couple subtle differences to consider. To begin with, females mature earlier than males. Therefore, it is important to begin female strength training earlier. Preferably, strength training should start before the athletes reach puberty, which means that girls can begin strength training with external resistance as early as 11 years, while boys should wait until they are 13.
....
ONE TEAM’S SUCCESS STORY
Another misconception to get past is that women are severely limited in how much they can lift. The truth is, women can lift heavy weights. The key is preparing them to lift heavy weights. I have proven this many times while working with various female sport teams.
For example, during the 2001-02 academic year, I worked with the Sarasota (Fla.) High School girls’ basketball team. We set out a program that was very systematic and progressive in nature. The program was designed to improve the players’ abilities to be better basketball athletes, not to make them bigger, and this goal was constantly emphasized throughout the program. Did they lift some heavy weights? Absolutely, but it was approached in a very progressive manner.
The girls started their strength-training program in April, but they did not have a bar on their back for squats until the end of July. Yet by October, every girl in the program was able to squat a minimum of four sets of two with 215 pounds, with the strongest athletes squatting four sets of two at 265.
I watched their confidence soar, particularly in their ability to do things they were unable to do when they started the program. They made it to the state semi-finals injury free. They even lifted weights for one workout during the week of the final four. And when it was all over, they liked the way they looked. They felt strong and confident, but didn’t see bulky muscles in the mirror.
The experiences with the girls’ basketball team in Sarasota illustrate my feeling that the single biggest difference between strength training for men and women is not physiological; it is socio-cultural. Specifically, there is an unwarranted fear of putting on too much muscle mass, or looking too masculine. But women can get strong without looking masculine for the physiological reason that, on average, females have smaller muscle fibers than their male counterparts, which does not allow them to add as much muscle mass as men.
When people ask me about designing a strength-training program for females, I tell them to check out a similar program for males. I get a lot of quizzical stares in return, but the fact is that strength training for women is almost identical to that of men, given the same sport, age group, and conditioning goals.
The guiding principles of a strength-training program for the female athlete should be the same as those for the male athlete: Train core strength before extremity strength, train movements instead of individual muscles, train bodyweight before external resistance, and train strength before strength endurance.
Based on these general principles, a sound strength-training program will also include four essential elements: First, core strength and stability is the foundation of any good strength-training program. Second, the program must incorporate balance and proprioception. Third, all drills and exercises must incorporate multiple joints while preparing the athlete to optimize ground reaction forces. Fourth, the program must also include pulling movements, pressing and pushing movements, and squat movements.
Despite the similarities of male and female strength training, there are a couple subtle differences to consider. To begin with, females mature earlier than males. Therefore, it is important to begin female strength training earlier. Preferably, strength training should start before the athletes reach puberty, which means that girls can begin strength training with external resistance as early as 11 years, while boys should wait until they are 13.
....
ONE TEAM’S SUCCESS STORY
Another misconception to get past is that women are severely limited in how much they can lift. The truth is, women can lift heavy weights. The key is preparing them to lift heavy weights. I have proven this many times while working with various female sport teams.
For example, during the 2001-02 academic year, I worked with the Sarasota (Fla.) High School girls’ basketball team. We set out a program that was very systematic and progressive in nature. The program was designed to improve the players’ abilities to be better basketball athletes, not to make them bigger, and this goal was constantly emphasized throughout the program. Did they lift some heavy weights? Absolutely, but it was approached in a very progressive manner.
The girls started their strength-training program in April, but they did not have a bar on their back for squats until the end of July. Yet by October, every girl in the program was able to squat a minimum of four sets of two with 215 pounds, with the strongest athletes squatting four sets of two at 265.
I watched their confidence soar, particularly in their ability to do things they were unable to do when they started the program. They made it to the state semi-finals injury free. They even lifted weights for one workout during the week of the final four. And when it was all over, they liked the way they looked. They felt strong and confident, but didn’t see bulky muscles in the mirror.
The experiences with the girls’ basketball team in Sarasota illustrate my feeling that the single biggest difference between strength training for men and women is not physiological; it is socio-cultural. Specifically, there is an unwarranted fear of putting on too much muscle mass, or looking too masculine. But women can get strong without looking masculine for the physiological reason that, on average, females have smaller muscle fibers than their male counterparts, which does not allow them to add as much muscle mass as men.
