The Female Athlete

Lucozade Sport Education

Programme
 Irish Female Sports Successes
Sonia OSullivan:
Olympic Silver medallist 2000 (Athletics)
Katie Taylor:
World Champion 2007, 2008 (Boxing)
Sinead Jennings:
World champion 2001 (LW Rowing)
Maria Coleman:
No. 2 world ranking (Sailing)
Angela Farrell:
1st all-womens crew to sail around world
 Presentation Outline

Physical considerations:
Cardiovascular and strength
Flexibility
Body composition
Hormonal factors
The female athlete triad
Nutrition
The Ageing Athlete
Physical Differences

Different doesnt
mean better or
worse.
It just means
different.
 Female Athletes: All Shapes & Sizes

What do
these women
have in
common?

They all participate

in SPORT!
 Cardiovascular Differences
Generally, women have smaller heart,
lungs, blood volume and haemoglobin
concentration (10% lower) than men this
limits aerobic metabolism.
Females have the same proportional
capacity as males to improve their
cardiovascular fitness.
Women have lower VO2max values than
male in general (3l/min vs. 2l/min)
Female athletes burn more fat when
exercising.
Cardio training study (Spina 1993) males
and females 60y old (9mts training)
Strength Differences
Women tend to have less
muscle mass due to lower
levels of testosterone
(1/10th of men) this limits
strength and power.
Upper body 40/50%
weaker than men.
Lower body 30% weaker.
Females have the same
proportional capacity as
males to improve their
strength levels through
training.
 Strength
American Males: - 18 -22kg more muscle
- 3 6kg less fat
- males taller, wider frame
Relatively - strength differences between males are
females are not too dissimilar when accounting for Lean
body mass relative to strength.
Male muscle greater capacity for anaerobic metabolism
and producing power
Female muscle - more resistance to fatigue and
recovers faster (Fulco 1999, Hakkinen 1993, Linnamo
1998)
Importance of Strength Training for
Females
Enhances bone remodelling (prevent
osteoporosis)
Increases joint stability and prevent injury
Increases functional strength for sports
Increases lean body mass
Increases metabolic rate
Increases self esteem and confidence
 Body Composition
In general, female athletes
(even lean ones!) have a
higher proportion of body fat
than male athletes.

Females 20-25% body fat

Males 15 20% body fat

Extra fat stores - good for

swimming (buoyancy) and
long endurance events
 Flexibility

Females are more flexible than males

Greater range of motion in hip and elbow joint
(Alter 1996)
Due to different bone structure, females smaller
tendons, ligaments and muscles allowing greater
potential for flexibility.
Good for sports like gymnastics, dance, rock
climbing.
Prevents over reach injuries but can be problems
with joint laxity especially people who are hyper
mobile.
 Injury Risk
Higher incidence (3-5times greater) of ACL injuries in
females playing soccer & basketball.
Due to smaller ACLs, different Q angle of the knee
(angle greater in women), they over rely on quad
strength, tendency to land more flat footed and with
straighter knees.
Also maybe due to failure in developing basic co-
ordination skills at an early age.
Careful 2-3d before menstrual cycle (sacroiliac joint
predisposed to injury in high impact elastic strength
exercises.
 Hormonal Factors
Male sex hormone testosterone: responsible for
muscularity and male shape
Female sex hormones: progesterone and
oestrogen: responsible for female attributes and
regulation of menstrual cycle (and fertility)
 Exercise and the Menstrual Cycle
Olympic medals have been won at all
stages of the cycle
Awareness of pre-menstrual symptoms
Personal diary, look for patterns
Flexibility of training programmes
Regulation of the menstrual cycle and
minimising symptoms
 Exploding the Myths
Women can train as hard as men
Women can have the same % training
improvement as men
The menstrual cycle does not limit a
womans ability to train hard or to compete
as hard as a man
Pain thresholds are not a male domain
 The Female Athlete Triad
Disordered Eating

Amenorrhoea Osteoporosis
 At Risk?
1. Sports in which performance is subjectively scored
2. Endurance sports emphasising a low body weight
3. Sports requiring contour-revealing clothing for
competition
4. Sports using weight categories for participants
5. Sports emphasising a pre-pubertal look
 Disordered Eating
Refers to a wide spectrum of disordered eating
(restricting food intake, bingeing, purging,
anorexia, bulimia)
The precipitating event for the Triad
Can be very difficult to recognise
May lead to poor nutritional status, reduced
immunity from infections and poor sports
performance
 Behavioural Signs Suggestive of Disordered Eating
(Thompson & Sherman, 1993)

Preoccupation with food and weight

Repeatedly expressed concerns about being fat
Increased criticism of ones body
Unnecessary use of laxatives/diuretics
Trips to the bathroom following meals
Compulsive, excessive exercise
Complaining of always being cold
 Physical signs of Anorexia

Amenhorrea
Dehydration, especially in the
absence of training and competition
Fatigue beyond that normally
expected in training or competition
Gastrointestinal problems bloating,
post prandial distress.
Hyperactivity
Physical Signs of anorexia (cont.)
Hypothermia (cold intolerance)
Lanugo (fine hair on face and arms)
Muscle weakness
Overuse injuries
Stress fractures
Weight significantly lower than necessary for
adequate sports performance
Significant weight loss beyond that necessary for
adequate sports performance
 Psychological signs of anorexia
Claims of feeling fat despite
being thin
Anxiety
Avoidance of eating and eating
situations
Compulsiveness and rigidity,
especially regarding eating and
exercise
Depression
Psychological signs of anorexia (2)

Exercising while injured

Insomnia
Obsessiveness and pre-occupation with
weight and eating
Resistance to weight gain or maintenance
Restlessness
Psychological signs of anorexia (3)

Restrictive dieting
Social withdrawal
Unusual weighing behaviour
Excessive or obligatory exercise beyond
that required for a particular sport or coach
 Where to get help
Untreated eating disorders CAN be life-
threatening
Refer athlete to their GP, or a sports medicine
professional, dietician, or (sports) psychologist
Eating Disorders clinics at major hospitals
Web sites
E.G. Help for Eating Disorders in Ireland
http://www.bodywhys.ie/index.htm
 The Female Athlete Triad

Disordered Eating

Amenorrhoea Osteoporosis
 Amenorrhoea
Primary: absence of menstruation by the age of 16
Secondary: absence of 3 or more consecutive cycles after menarche or
less than 6-9 periods annually
Associated with:
Energy drain failing to match energy expenditure with adequate
food intake
High training volumes
Possible eating disorders
May lead to osteoporosis and increased cardiac risk if untreated
 Osteoporosis Normal Bone
Bones become thin and fragile
Bone is laid down during childhood,
achieves maximum density by late 20s, and
then declines
Linked to female triad/amenorrhea in Osteoporotic
young women and hormonal changes at Bone
menopause
Exercise is important to prevent it but
excessive exercise can produce the
opposite effect
 Avoiding osteoporosis

Avoid the Female Athlete Triad

Refer females who have not reached
menarche by 16yrs to Dr
Ensure adequate Calcium in diet
Avoid excessive smoking, caffeine & alcohol
Get regular weight-bearing exercise
 Nutrition for the Female Athlete
Females generally require less daily calories
than males (smaller body size and less active
tissue).
Some athletes may have poor energy intake
and/or food selections with low levels of
macronutrients, especially calcium, iron, B
vitamins and zinc.
 Calcium
Recommended Intake
mg/day 300 mg calcium is found in:
Girls (12-15yrs) 1,000 200 ml milk
1 tub (200 g) yoghurt
Girls (16-18yrs) 800
40 g hard cheese
Women 800 80 g sardines/salmon
Post menopause 1000 1.5 cups beans
Pregnancy >1,200 250 g tofu
 Iron
Recommended Intake
mg/day
2 mg iron is found in:
Children 6-8 50 g lean beef
Adolescents 10-13 250 g chicken
Women 12-16 20 g liver
cup spinach
Pregnancy >22
cup dried beans
Athletes >16 30 g fortified cereal
 The Ageing Athlete

Certain fitness components are affected by

age (Speed, Elastic Power/Strength).
World record times 5% faster for men
aged 40y compared to 45y old age group,
equivalent of 7% in women.
50y olds declined most (another 3-6%)
Up to the age 80y best performances
declined at a rate of 1% each year.
The Effect of Ageing on Performance
Performances go down with age mainly because of a
decrease in muscle mass especially after the age of 45.
Muscle protein re-pairing and the repair processes
become slower and less effective noted by a decrease
in physical strength.
Injured athletes (45y) recover 15 18% slower than a
30y old. Skin thickness reduces by 30% by age 50 more
cuts, lacerations.
Bone density naturally decreases by 10% by the age of
50y.
 However

Its not all doom and gloom!!!!

Strength is one of the fitness components that
doesnt decline as fast if you work at it. You can
reach peak strength levels in your 30s and
maintain strength levels well into the 40s
Cognitive functioning and skill work never really
declines (its something you keep relatively well all
your life).
Marathon runners usually mature in 30s, 40s
then times decline 2% per year up to the age of
80.
 Pregnancy & Exercise
Consult your doctor before you undertake any
exercise regime.
Best exercise to do while pregnant is non weight
bearing cycling, swimming, water aerobics and
walking (mild to moderate intensity). Sit ups not
a good idea.
Avoid exercises that increases your risk of
falling, contact sports or injuries that you might
sustain to the stomach high impact sprinting
and jumping activities are not suitable.
 Exercise & Pregnancy

After 3mts avoid doing exercises on your back

weight of baby may interfere with blood
circulation.
Avoid long periods of standing.
If weather is hot exercise in the morning or
evening to prevent over-heating.
Drink plenty and eat a well balanced diet.
If at any stage you feel unwell, dizzy, abdominal
pain stop exercising immediately.
Returning to sport after Pregnancy

Slowly get back into training, give yourself

enough time to recover first.
Avoid undergoing maximal fitness tests
initially.
Walking is a good start.
Endurance exercise is best for losing
weight and follow this up with toning
exercises (tummy and pelvic floor
exercises).
 Summary
All women can participate and gain benefits
from sport, just like men
Female athletes, like male athletes, come in all
shapes and sizes, and it is possible to find a
sport to suit all types
Education about proper nutrition and safe
practices for women in sport is paramount

Thank you!