Applying strength and conditioning practices to female athletes

in the past, some women may have avoided or less readily engaged in activities such as resistance training. However, a cumulative body of evidence is now available to indicate that a range of performance and health benefits can be derived from well-designed athletic development programmes, with concomitant reductions in the risk of sport-related and physical activity–related injuries. This chapter will focus initially on the known adaptations to strength and power training in female athletes, considering natural development versus trainability. Following this, considerations for female athlete health and well-being will be discussed, including: bone mineral accrual, menstrual cycle irregularities and dysfunction and iron status. Finally, common injuries and sex-specific biomechanical factors which should be considered for practitioners working with female athletes of all ages will be addressed, and this is accompanied by systematic strategies to target injury risk reduction.