Strong Women: Benefits of Strength Training You may know exercise is good for you, but do you know how strength training can benefit you specifically as a woman? It’s recommended to strength train at least two days per week. Additionally, Warfighters are at higher risk for musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) and chronic pain. Your risk also increases as you progress through life, especially since women are more prone to bone conditions, such as osteoporosis, than men. Staying physically fit during service and beyond can help reduce your risk for injury and chronic illness. Maintaining physical fitness keeps you healthier longer so you can remain operationally fit. Benefits of Strength Training Lifting has immediate and long-term effects. When you start resistance training, you will notice an increase in strength, mobility and physical appearance. You may also notice an increase in energy, appetite and libido, or sex drive. When you feel good, you look good and when you look good, you feel good. These immediate effects can improve your mood, confidence and body image. Incorporating this type of training into your routine can also improve your physical fitness and health for a lifetime. Increased muscle mass Weight Maintenance Increased metabolism Stronger Bones Joint Flexibility Balance Increased muscle mass Muscle mass naturally decreases with age. Muscle mass typically begins declining around age 30 and decreases by 3-5% each decade. Strength training can slow the rate of decrease or halt it altogether. Individuals with higher-than-average muscle mass as they age tend to live longer than those with lower-than-average muscle mass. The sooner you begin strength training, the longer you can reap the rewards! Weight maintenance Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the more energy (calories) you burn at rest. Strength training can help with your weight goals. By including strength training into your routine when you are young, you set up lifelong health behaviors to support healthy weight maintenance as you age. It can also enhance your appearance. Your clothes may fit better, and you’ll likely feel more confident. Plus, the boost in endorphins, or happiness hormones, post-workout can improve body image. Increased metabolism Your metabolism naturally decreases by about 9% each decade if you do not exercise. Staying active helps reduce this natural decline. Though you can’t stop the aging process, you can reduce the rate of which your metabolism slows each decade almost by half through exercise – specifically by maintaining or improving your body’s muscle mass. If weight loss is your goal, it is important to keep your muscle and not lose it. Stronger bones Stronger muscles also mean stronger bones, which is essential as bone density decreases with age. As a Warfighter, you are more prone to physical injury, like tendon tears and bone fractures. Strength training protects your bones. Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis, a condition where your bones become weak and are likely to break, than men. By starting now, you protect your body later. Joint flexibility Proper mobility and flexibility of your joints is needed to reduce risk of injury and reduce symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. Joint flexibility allows you to have full range of motion and is a key part of healthy aging. This also makes daily tasks easier to perform. Imagine Balance Strengthening exercises improve your flexibility and balance. These two movement factors are important for reducing falls and injuries. The physical demands of your job can put you at risk for overuse and injury. Strength training requires balance and stability, which in turn, improves your ability to perform operational tasks. Hip, wrist, humerus (upper arm bone) and pelvis fractures are the most common breaks for older women. These injuries are often due to falls or osteoporosis. Strength training improves balance and protects against injury. Strength Training for Mission Readiness MSKIs are a leading cause of disability among service members. These injuries impact your ability to do your job and mission readiness overall. As a Warfighter, staying physically fit and ready is a key aspect of your service. With a consistent strength training routine, you can improve your physical test scores and optimize job performance. You’ll also be able to more effectively perform daily activities such as carrying groceries, going up and down stairs or lifting a child. Impact on Your Role Maximizing Your Results Preventing Injury Whether you have an active job or a more sedentary role, strength training can benefit you. Strength training increases lean muscle mass, reduces fat mass and decreases risk of injury. Many strength training exercises relate to functional movements, which are essential for physical job duties and everyday living. Your job duties may require you to perform physically demanding tasks like carrying equipment, climbing and tactical maneuvers. Many job duties and daily movements include lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying. Consistent strength training using these movement patterns can help with the muscular strength and endurance needed for these tasks, whether they are for physical testing or operational duties. Lifting also increases the calories you burn at rest, which can aid in weight maintenance if you have more sedentary job duties. If your job duties require you to sit most of the day, or perform little physical activity, a resistance training routine can help reduce the negative effects of inactivity. Routinely lifting improves blood flow and mental health, which positively impact you in your daily life. No matter your job duties, resistance training can boost your quality of life through improved sleep, strength, mobility, bone health, mood, brain health, blood glucose levels, injury prevention and appearance. At work you may experience increased concentration and motivation, as well as find it easier to complete physical tasks and meet operational demands. If you experience a menstrual cycle, you likely notice it impacts how you feel throughout the month. In your follicular phase, or day one of your period through about two weeks of your cycle when estrogen levels peak, you may feel stronger and more alert. In your luteal phase, or the last week or two of your cycle when progesterone levels peak, you may feel tired and more sluggish. With this in mind, you may consider cycle syncing. This is where you create an exercise routine that matches your strength and energy capabilities throughout the month. Due to your changing hormones, studies show muscle growth is maximized in the follicular phase compared to the luteal phase. If you are on hormonal birth control, you may not experience this shift in strength. Understanding your cycle and how it relates to your exercise routine can help you achieve your exercise goals more effectively. Knowing your cycle is also important when preparing for job duties, especially physically demanding tasks. Preventing injury is incredibly important. When performing any physical activity, make sure to warm up and cool down. Before strength training, perform a warm-up that prepares the muscle groups you intend to work that day. Additionally, warm up your hips, torso and shoulders while engaging your core. This helps prepare parts of the body that connect to everything else. You can think of your hips, torso and shoulders as a pillar that is the foundation for strength for the rest of the body. A strong core – and pillar – helps prevent injury. Strength training exercises relate to real-life movements that keep you mission ready and prevent injury. By incorporating strength training into your exercise routine, you not only reduce your risk of injury, but also lessen the severity if you do experience an injury. Remember proper pillar prep and cool down exercises when performing physically demanding tasks at work, too. Avoid injury with a colorful, balanced eating plan, consistent exercise routine, getting enough sleep and managing stress. Prioritizing all aspects of your health will not only benefit your physical wellbeing, but your mental wellbeing too. Strength Training Exercises for Longevity Functional exercises relate to the coordination and muscle systems used in everyday life. The great thing about workouts is many exercises can be performed in a variety of ways including using body weight, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, bands, weighted balls and machines. Consider movement variations for improving overall performance and reducing risk of injury on the job. It may be helpful to create a routine based on movement patterns such as upper and lower body push and pull days, as well as rotational movements. Here are some examples of functional exercises and movements they relate to: Squats Incorporating squats into your routine relates to bending your knees to pick something up, sitting down and getting out of a seat, including the car. Service-related movements: Sprint-drag-carry (SDC), picking up and putting down ammo (ammo carry), loading and unloading equipment Lunges: A variety of lunges (e.g., forward, reverse, side, incline) relate to functional movements like walking and climbing stairs. Service-related movements: rucking, running, advancing under fire, stabilizing while moving or on uneven surfaces, bracing for tight spaces Hip hinge: Hinging at the hip relates to bending over to pick something up, tie your shoe and cleaning. Service-related movements: picking up and putting down heavy objects like weaponry, buddy drag and carry, handling ropes and cables, getting supplies from low or tight spaces Push-ups: A variety of pushups (e.g., wide hands, triangle/diamond, pike) relate to pushing yourself up from a seated or laying position, like the floor, a chair or bed. Service-related movements: push-ups and hand-release push-ups, upper body strength for climbing, crawling, pushing away from surfaces Pull movements: Exercises that involve pulling upward, downward or toward you (e.g., lat pulldown and rows) relate to lifting groceries, grabbing plates from the cabinet and pulling open a door. Service-related movements: pull-ups, drag and carry, ropes and obstacle course work, scaling walls, hauling ropes and nets, securing equipment Band rotations: Using resistance bands and rotating your body relates to reaching for a remote, putting things into/taking things out of boxes and carts and walking. Service-related movements: standing power throw (SPT), builds core strength for throwing, stabilizing movements, and tasks in narrow spaces Measuring Muscle Mass There are a few ways to measure muscle mass, though some are easier than others. Unfortunately, exact muscle mass percentage can only be determined using expensive technology, such as an MRI. Cheaper, yet less accurate, technology like calculators and scales are also available, such as body fat percentage and the military formula (branch-specific). These options are general estimates of lean body mass and do not specifically measure muscle mass. If there is an Armed Forces Wellness Center (AFWC) near you, they can provide support on measuring muscle mass in addition to other wellness services that can help you on your strength training journey. You can reach out to your local Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) fitness locations to assist you as well. Additional ResourcesNational Academy of Sports Medicine - “Functional Training: Compound Workouts for Fitness”Navy Operation Fitness and Fueling System - “Navy Operation Fitness and Fueling System”Nindl, B. C., et al - “Functional physical training improves women's military occupational performance”Nindl, B. C., et al - “Operational Physical Performance and Fitness in Military Women: Physiological, Musculoskeletal Injury, and Optimized Physical Training Considerations for Successfully Integrating Women Into Combat-Centric Military Occupations”Morale, Welfare & Recreation - “MWR & Libraries”ReferencesAir Force’s Personnel Center - “Fitness”Air Force’s Personnel Center - “Fitness”American Cancer Society - “5 Benefits of Strength Training”Army - “Fitness Requirements”Cleveland Clinic - “Here’s Why Women Are More Likely to Have Chronic Pain”Cleveland Clinic - “Nutrition and Exercise Throughout Your Cycle”Janessen, I. et al - “Skeletal muscle mass and distribution in 468 men and women aged 18-88 yr”Kissow, J. - “Effects of Follicular and Luteal Phase-Based Menstrual Cycle Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Mass”Marines - “Physical Requirements”National Academy of Sports Medicine - “Weight-Lifting for Women”Navy Physical Readiness Program - “Guide 5. Physical Readiness Test”
