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Health benefits generally associated with strength training include
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Everyday there are females who do not experience the full benefits of an exercise program because they fail to include a strength training workout as part of their regimen. One reason why females tend to stray away from strength training is the lack of knowledge concerning the benefits they can experience with this type of workout, while others fail to include it because of myths that surround it.
Throughout the years research has shown that strength training, combined with aerobic exercise and a proper diet, can provide numerous health benefits. Once believed to be dangerous for young children, as well as for older adults, it is now proven to be beneficial for both young and old alike.
There are numerous health benefits associated with strength
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There are a couple of myths that are pertinent to me as a female, as well as a coach of female athletes.
The first such myth surrounds the concerns involving physical appearance. Although strength training is excellent at providing definition to muscles, as well as toning them up, the fear of “bulking up” still tend to scare off women. As a coach of female athletes I have to explain that the chemical and muscle fiber make up of a female differs from that of a male and lifting weights will only add muscle strength not muscle size.
Other myths surround the type of exercise needed and the rate at which the exercise must be performed in order to be productive. Myth has it that you can chose to do cardio or strength training in order to lose weight where in reality you need to do both. Along the same line is the myth that you must maintain a certain heart rate in order to burn off calories, however the fact that matters most in weight loss is the difference between the number of calories you consume and the number of calories you expend- not the rate at which it
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The first thing that needs to take place when starting a new strength training program is some type of strength assessment. By assessing and recording baseline fitness levels, scores can be used to determine the current fitness level, as well as, measure progress that is being made throughout the training program. There are five main areas of fitness that should be evaluated: 1) Cardiorespiratory function, 2) muscle strength, 3) muscle endurance, 4) body composition, and 5) muscle and joint flexibility. Everyone has a unique entry point into a training program and by using an assessment program prior to beginning their workout, information that can help plan the best and most productive workout can be gathered. In order to gather this information you may use specific test for each area being measured, seek the help of a medical professional, or pay a fitness professional. Such test may include the Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test for cardiorespiratory fitness which helps find your submaximal working heart rate allowing you to know your best training zone. By understanding which zone you should be training in you can achieve optimal training results based on the goals you set. Muscle strength and muscle endurance can be measured by performing a basic sit up and push up test. Body composition can be determined by BMI
Marcia K. Anderson. ”Women in Athletic Training.” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 63.3 (1992): pp. 42. Journal Article.
“The Politics of Muscle” by Gloria Steinem is an essay arguing the difference in strength between men and women. Steinem starts her essay by stating how she grew up in a generation where women didn’t participate in a lot, if any, sport activities. She goes on to say that she believes this is the reason why women of her generation believe that it’s not what the female body does, but how it looks. Steinem feels that women always seemed to be owned in some degree as the means of reproduction. She believes that women are made to feel ashamed of their strength and that “only when women rebel against patriarchal standards does female muscle become more accepted.” (pg 372)
O’Brien, Vincent. “Athletic Training.” Career information. Wellness consumer Health Information, 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
According to the Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review’s article on the female athlete triad, in the past forty years, American women have become increasingly involved in athletics as a result of laws allowing them to participate in sports. (Lebrun and Rumball) For instance, Cathy Rigby won eight Olympic gold medals in gymnastics during the ‘60’s and 70’s when these laws were just coming into effect. (Brunet) Nevertheless, there is an ugly hidden underbelly to the many benefits of women’s increased participation in sports. Many sports have very high standards for body image, which has led to the increasing prevalence of three “separate… but interrelated conditions” collectively known as the female athlete triad. (Lebrun and Rumball) Despite Cathy Rigby’s aforementioned success, an article by Dr. Michael Brunet reveals that she was severely affected by the most well-known of the female athlete triad: the eating disorder. This eventually caused her to suffer cardiac arrest twice. (Brunet) These effects are not limited to elite athletes, however; high school athletes are also affected by the triad, particularly those participating in sports “in which leanness is perceived to optimize performance” or which use “specific weight categories.” (Lebrun) The three components of the triad, osteoporosis, amenorrhea, and disordered eating, are increasingly becoming an unfortunate effect of distorted body image on sports.
The value placed on the importance of winning in professional sports has hit an all-time high. The astronomical amount of money being spent in the entertainment field of athletics has dictated a win-at-all-costs mentality that has trickled all the way down to negatively affect our youngest athletes - the prepubescent. The athletic world has forever been exploiting our youth as a source of athletic potential, sacrificing the health, safety and welfare of these child-athletes to satiate the intense nationalistic pride of the country and more dishearteningly in the name of the Almighty Dollar. This has caused coaches and athletes to take drastic measures which are sometimes illegal and usually unethical in order to improve performance levels. One of the most controversial training practices center around the impact of strength training in prepubescent children.
Weight lifting is a broad term used to represent a vast number of actual exercises and styles. Weightlifting can be broken down into weight training, bodybuilding, fitness lifting, isometric training, resistance training, and athletic training. Although they posses similarities, often their objective separates them. Weight training generally means the pursuit of getting as strong as possible, and uses dead weight such as dumbbells and barbells. Bodybuilders have the goal to get the largest muscle mass and often times have a very small percent body fat. Fitness training or endurance training is often performed with low weight and high repetitions to build muscular endurance and general, non-athletic fitness. In isomeric training, the muscles and joints don't...
Females can be strong but they have to work at it much harder than males because males are just naturally stronger. This is because, “Men are 50 percent stronger than women in brute strength” (drjamesdobson.org). Men are stronger than women because the sex hormone testosterone, is found in high levels in men which gives them a head start in building muscle, “The sex hormone has anabolic effects, meaning it promotes muscle development. Secreted by the pituitary gland, testosterone binds to skeletal fiber cells and stimulates the growth of proteins, the building blocks of meaty muscles” [source: Roundy](science.how...
Bodybuilding is a practice where through dieting and strengthening individuals enlarge the muscles of their body. Consequently, there are many health risks associated with bodybuilding. It takes a very big toll on a person’s health, not just physically, but mentally as well. For many years the sport of bodybuilding has been male dominated but in the last few decades, female bodybuilding has been making an appearance within the industry. Many believe that female bodybuilding is an act of feminism because it represents the transgression of the social constructs of gender roles such as what it means to be a woman and how a woman should look. For female bodybuilders, it allows them to take charge of their mental well-being and feel empowered.
Some are body-weight exercises where you should add weight as soon as you can, Squat Deadlift ,Bench Press ,Overhead Press ,Barbell Row Pullups ,Dips and so on. Some training program include all of the above and more.They are the simplest and most effective way to gain strength and muscle while burning fat. Want to reduce body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently? Strength training to the rescue! Strength training is a key component of overall health and fitness for
Women in Sports Challenges appear to be part of the human experience. In the course of history, very little has come easily. The progress that women have made in sport in the United States over the course of the last 100 years seems remarkable for the amount achieved in so little time. In relation to the other advances made in this century, including men's sport, that achievement dims. While women have made great advances, they haven't, in comparison, come that far.
Chorney, David W, and Cameron Weitz. “Gender Issues in Physical Education: Female Students’ Perspectives and Experiences”. Health & Physical Education Council. Mediashaker, 2012. Web. 27 April 2014
Some people will argue that the physical differences between men and women are substantial enough to dismiss women from infantry. In the Army, women do not have to score as high as the men on the physical fitness test, further backing the argument about physical strength. Women, on average, have less upper-body strength, less muscle mass, and a lighter skeleton, which could lead to an increased risk of structural injury (Owens). If women were assigned to the front lines, they may not be capable of doing the physically demanding jobs such as handling Howitzer munitions (Owens). There is a feeling of a double standard because men are held to higher physical fitness requirements than women.
Physical training is 90% mental and 10% physical. The most important factor is developing a proper mindset. Your frame of mind guides everything that you do. The right mindset will get you through any challenge. Get your mind right and your body will follow. From this point forward, view physical training as an all or nothing situation. You are either in or out. There is no grey area. The words “I can’t” can no longer be part of your vocabulary. Do not give yourself permission to miss a meal or a training session. Do not make or accept excuses for not following through. There are no excuses. Trust this system. Trust yourself. Follow the programs. Failure is not an option.
The benefit of physical fitness is to prevent obesity and encourage a healthy lifestyle thru training and focusing on the body’s compositions. Physical fitness is the measure of the body’s ability to go full capacity. If one doesn’t exercise ones body doesn’t work at its full potential all the time. Exercise can lower the risk of having major problems with ones body and relieve stress.
Ann, 2007, pg. 57), however this is not true. This mentality causes males to resent the female athletes, thus rendering it even more difficult for them to succeed. Without a shift in gender ideology, females will continue to face adversity, regardless of the amount of change that has occurred over the last 30 years. There does not need to be equality between the genders within sports, however equity must be seen, with the perception of the abilities that female athletes possess not being compared to that of males. This would aid males to not feel as threatened by females participating in sports and physical