Is It Bad For Females To Do Press Ups?

This blog is in response to a question I was asked recently by a girl at Bloxham School; ‘‘I have heard press ups can affect a women’s ability to have baby’s’’.

This is a hardly surprising question due to the way gyms market fitness for females; the majority are encouraged to stay away from the dumbbells and instead are pushed into pilates, spin classes or ‘’core stability’’ workshops! However, this will not prepare the young female athlete for an enjoyable and perhaps successful journey in sport. Strength & Conditioning/athletic development coaches should be encouraging basic bodyweight strength exercises from a young age, especially for female athletes. 

Why should female athletes invest more time in Resistance Training?

There are certain characteristics within the female physiological make up which make them more prone to injury while playing competitive sport:

Hormones: During puberty the production of estrogen in girls increases fat deposition and breast development, whereas testosterone production in boys increases bone formation and protein synthesis. Though estrogen also stimulates bone growth, boys have a longer growth period, and therefore adult men tend to achieve greater stature than adult women. Resistance training can stimulate the synthesis of growth hormone in female athletes, which aids protein synthesis.

Joint laxity: Some females have too much movement in their joints. Resistance training looks to develop key stabilising muscles around the joints.

Lower limb alignment: 

This image shows the Q angle; this is the angle formed by a line drawn from the ASIS to central patella and a second line drawn from central patella to tibial tubercle. An increased Q angle is a risk factor for patellar subluxation, while the average Q angle is 14 deg for males and 17 deg for females. Strengthening the lower limb muscles, especially the vastus medialis obliquus, can help increase the stability of the knee joint in women.

Muscle strength: When expressing strength relative to body weight, the lower body strength of women is similar to that of men, while the upper body strength of women is still somewhat less.

Ligament size: A growing amount of research has shown that females on average have smaller ligament widths when compared to male athletes. It has been speculated that smaller Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACL) may predispose females to ACL ruptures. Resistance training has been shown to increase the size and strength of tendons and ligaments, especially in the lower limbs. This takes on even more importance when you consider female athletes are known to be 6 times more likely of injuring their ACL while participating in competitive sports.

But how does this impact on sport?

Apart from the above physiological improvements, the number one factor that strength training achieves is the ability to get the athlete onto the field of play. Staying fit and injury free has to be the main aim for any Strength & Conditioning/Athletic development coach. Strength training, if done correctly can enhance an athlete’s durability. As well as this, many sports which involve contact with the floor and falling over require sufficient levels of strength just in order to prevent upper body limb injuries from occurring.

‘‘I have heard press ups can affect a women’s ability to have baby’s’’

In conclusion, and in response to the above question, even during pregnancy resistance training is recommend to help keep mum and baby fit; as long as the load is light to moderate and the emphasis is on muscular endurance (12-15 reps). Luckily, these types of questions are few and far between at Bloxham and slowly we are starting to change the culture surrounding resistance training and its role with female athletes.