Weight training for young women

R

RLDWV2003

0
This is probably a dumb question that's been asked and answered a hundred times here, but I'll ask again anyway.

I'm helping my daughter's HS volleyball coach with the teams off-season strength and conditioning training. I've personally been lifting fairly regularly since I was 13, so I'm pretty comfortable with all the standard free weight exercises. To the point - bench press. When I bench I usually tap the bar to my chest, delay a second, then lift the weight. I never "bounce" the bar off my chest, but those "taps" can carry some force nonetheless. What's the best way to approach this when working with female athletes? Can a similar "tap" (or bounce) cause breast damage? I feel stupid asking, but I just don't know. Is there a better "aim point" for women to use when bringing the bar to their chest? Thanks in advance.

Bob
 
You can always have them use dumbells. In the beginning they may not be able to even bench 45lb bars. There really isn't a great concern for it if they just tap their chests but also the do not have to go all the way down. Have them get the feel of the bar an inch above their chest. Once they become accustomed to the feel they're motor memory will have them change direction at that point.

What other conditioning movements will you be having them do during the off season?
 
The coach has found a "jump attack" program that combines several stations that incorporate a lift, a jump, and a stretch. These include squats, leg curls and extensions, power cleans, calf raises, and lunges. We've been adding some upper body lifts to round it out afterwards, including bench, tricep pull-downs, flat bench dumbbell pull-overs (not sure what they're called), lat pull-downs, dumbbell shoulder raises, chest pull, and upright rows. It's pretty ambitious given the limited time we have available to us in the gym.

Bob
 
Remove the pullovers AND upright rows from the routine. They are not good on the rotator cuffs and cause an inpingement. You need their shoulders as healthy as possible. Those two movements whould be removed form EVERYONES routine. The upright rows more than the pullovers though.

I would also look into doing sissy squats insetd of leg extensions. Extensions CAN be used but used sparingly. The stress they cause on the knee is not ideal for any person especially growing girls.

Since they will be using their shoulders and rotators I would suggest rotator specific movements. Lying cross chest raises, Side raises, lying L raises, Cuban Presses are the main ones I would include. ALL of those movements should be with light weight. Keep the reps to under 10 for all of the movements.
 
Thanks for the advice! - I can see that I have some more research to do - I've never heard of some of those lifts you mentioned. As for reps, we're typically doing three sets of 10 reps for each exercise.

Bob
 
Thats a fine rep range. After 2 weeks boost the sets up to 4. Women have a different muscular make-up then men and tend to require more stress to see strength gains.

Lying cross chest raise is: Like this except your on a bench and your arm goes directky across your chest

Lying L raise: Is exercise 2 BUT rotator the cuff more than 1/2 way like the picture

Cuban press:
 
Great resources, thanks! I hadn't thought much about it, but I do seem to recall now that going heavy on the upright rows has played hell with my elbows (tendons) in the past. It won't break my heart to drop them from the routine.

I'd be interested in hearing from any women weight lifters/trainers on this topic. I'm somewhat of a mesomorph, so a bar smacking me across the chest hardly gets my attention and, until now, was something I never considered. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? (no pun intended)
 
yeah a mountain out of a molehill.

You could substitute high pulls for upright rows
 
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