Motivation plays a crucial role in bringing out the best in women athletes, with the right environment able to help them achieve peak performance in any sport, regardless of the format.
Although much water has flown under the bridge over the years with regard to this, getting women athletes into the weight room for work on strength protocol remains a challenge due to a variety of factors, such as self-doubt and misconceptions.
Fostering a supportive environment thus becomes extremely important, as seen in the noticeable shift in the mindset of women athletes in recent years, indicating a growing willingness to embrace strength training.
Having worked with women athletes for two decades, I have identified two key factors in making them comfortable with weight training — demonstrating how it augments performance and then showing them how it affects their body composition and helps them prevent injuries. Motivation has never been an issue for them; it simply needs to be channelled aptly; else we will miss out on their potential.
To demonstrate how strength training makes better athletes, I often take the examples of professional women athletes who work hard in the weight room. There are a lot of them nowadays. Many women and girls realise that to compete at a high level, they must use every available resource accessible to them, including strength training.
The stigma around body composition has also changed drastically over the years. Most women and girls now realise that they do not have adequate testosterone levels to bulk up the way guys do. Their focus instead is on developing an athletic and a strong build with strength training.
Here are a few points to consider when embarking on a specialised training regimen:
Influencers: Older athletes can have a positive and motivational influence on younger athletes in the weight room. Their presence as influencers can make the young ones more comfortable, leading to effective communication, fewer self-doubts and a smoother learning curve.
Proper Form and Method: Weight room sessions do not focus on how much weight you lift, but the way you lift, plus the appropriate exercises done for each sport and skill. Clear notes and definitions on weightlifting, strength training or power lifting processes need to be provided specific to each sport.
Teaching good form is more important than adding weight, the latter to be done after ensuring that the athletes are comfortable with their form and technique. Starting with basic movement patterns and gradually incorporating multi-angled approaches ensure a strong foundation for peak performance, long-term benefits, and injury prevention.
Establishing a Welcome Culture: Creating a conducive atmosphere for women athletes who are new to strength training is a must, especially if done in the presence of men. While over time, both men and women may work in tandem in the weight room, the latter must be made to feel comfortable all the way, until they start deriving motivation from the male athletes.
Results Matter: At the end of the day, what matters are the results on the field. Making them strong for strength’s sake, without enhancing their skills or game, is of zilch value. Once women see the results coming through strength training, they will set their goals and embark on it themselves.
Reinforcement of hard work and dedication must be quantified and shouldn’t lead to blunders in attempts to impress fellow athletes or peers. Embarking on fancy exercise patterns can be more harmful than beneficial, especially if the foundation is not strong enough. Ultimately, what one does in the weight room should translate into success on the field, otherwise there is something seriously erroneous in the protocols followed by the coach.
Tailored Training: I am a firm believer that women can do the same workouts as men. But certain principles need to be followed in accordance with the monthly cycles and hormonal changes of these athletes. This way, creating the right training culture can bring the best out of them.
In my personal experience over two decades, I have found that girls and women are as dedicated, competitive and committed to excellence as men. With the right training principles and protocols tailored to their sports and skills, they would excel in any field, not only being as competitive as men but also overshadowing them too.
It is crucial for coaches and support staff to develop a tailored template that enables women athletes to set individual goals and find the motivation to reach their targets. What may drive male athletes and teams might not necessarily apply to their female counterparts. ‘Different strokes for different folks’ — that should be the mantra here!
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