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Sports Medicine A Crucial Period Good Pain, Bad Pain On Your Knees Secondary Injuries Imaging Technology What's Sciatica? The Female Athlete Putting Your Feet First Itis Schmitis Too Much, Too Soon Under the Influence Twisted What's Goin' On? Think Inches, Not Pounds Preventing Vaginitis That Painful Pull Athlete's Heart Exercise & Arthritis Chilled to the Bone Measuring Body Fat Exercise and Your Breasts Choosing a Sports Doctor Lean on Me (Shoulder) Exercise & Anemia Exercise Abuse Pelvis Sighting Hand Aid It's All in the Wrist Back in Action Altitude Adjustment Tennis Elbow, Anyone? Exercising in the Heat Agony of the Feet Restless Legs Night Time Cramps Birth Control Concerns No Periods, No Babies? Post Partum Prescription Weight Loss Mystery Undesirable Cooldown To Brew Or Not To Brew Fitness After Baby Biking and Back Pain Swimmer's Shoulder A Hidden Athlete Avoiding Osteoporosis Drug Testing Maximum Heart Rate Headway Against Headaches Torn Rotator Cuff Fat Figures SOS About PMS Bloody Urine Sag Story Lackluster Leg Bothersome Bulge Gaining in Years Taking It On the Shin Aching Ankles Hoop Help Tender Toes Meals For Muscle Growing Pains Hot Tips High Altitude PMS Personal Bests Air Pollution Ankle Blues Heartbreak Heel Yeast Relief |
The Female AthleteContinued...The denser the bones during this time, the more bone mass a woman has for the rest of her life. Healthy bone mass decreases her chances of developing osteoporosis. Two key ingredients for healthy bones are normal menstruation and adequate nutrition, including a calcium intake of 1,000 milligrams (mg) each day. Including appropriate weight-bearing exercise allows women to achieve their maximum bone density. Gender Differences and Training. Techniques for training women need to be founded on a basic understanding of the differences between men and women. The major differences result from the influence of hormones at puberty. (See the sidebar "Gender Differences") A higher body fat percentage in women is normal and helps them meet reproductive needs. Body fat decreases and muscle mass increases with training, but trying to achieve an unrealistically low body fat percentage can lead to inadequate nutrition and eating disorders. Although women have less muscle mass than men, both sexes have the same type of muscle fibers. Differences in the amounts of fast-twitch or slow-twitch fibers are genetically determined. So, too, is the amount of muscle hypertrophy a woman will develop with training. Since women lack significant levels of the male hormone testosterone, their muscles will not become as enlarged as men's. Depending on their genetic endowment, women do develop some degree of muscle enlargement. You have all had the experience of seeing some women get larger, more defined muscles than other women doing the same type of workout. This is due to the muscle development potential they inherited. If a woman does not want increased muscle mass, just well-toned muscle, she should train with lower weights and more repetitions. A woman who wants more muscle strength and power should train with more weight and fewer reps. Skeletal differences are important. Some women have a broad pelvis and relatively knock-kneed appearance with pronated feet. This body alignment has advantages for childbirth but may predispose a woman to patello-femoral problems, ilio-tibial band syndrome and anterior tibia pain, as well as foot and ankle problems. How can you recognize women who may develop this type of problem? |
Order Now! Table of Contents Foreword: Billie Jean King Comments by Barb Harris Editor in Chief, Shape Magazine
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