Why is it so har for Women in sports, and how can women get results in the gym as easily as men do?

In order to answer that, we need to look at the problem – posture.

Posture is rarely considered when training in the gym, or doing a particular sport. It is also not often considered to help women get results in the gym. It is assumed that we already have it, and when it’s not addressed we become injured more easily, and we don’t get the results we are looking for. 

The whole point of exercise is to increase health, strength, confidence, stamina and self-esteem. Without sounding like I am targeting you and your femininity, know that I learned this the hard way, and after training hundreds of women. If this isn’t corrected, the results just don’t come. 

The difference between men and women, is that men don’t have the same waist-to-hip ratio as we do (when referring to the typical female form), and so their risk of injury is lower, and they tend to have higher satisfaction when it comes to weight training and sports.

So in this post, I’ll share why you should care about posture and the female form, and how women can get results in the gym, without the constant struggle.  

Most commonly, active women experience; 

• Injury
• Lack of power/strength progression
• Poor technique
• Low results leading to dropout
• Lack of changes in body composition

When posture isn’t taken seriously. I deal with this all the time in my coaching business, and in fact, it’s the foundation that helps me help women get results in the gym!

Let’s first look at the consequences of poor posture

Problem 1: Increased incidence of injury

Weakness in supporting muscles means little support is available for the joints. As women, we have wider hips which increase what we call the ‘Q angle’ on our legs, and hip weakness/tension can often lead to the leg bones being pulled inwards. When this happens, the knee, ankle and hamstring muscles are much more vulnerable to injury. 

You may know someone who needs arch support, or who had a knee tear. You may have seen the netball players’ ankles taped up to prevent injury whilst they play. You yourself may get sore knees when you run, or a sore neck at work. Your shoulders might feel tight and your lower back hurts when you hang out in the garden too long. These are all symptoms of muscle weakness or imbalance, and when you go all out and exercise on top of this dysfunction, injury eventually comes. 

When you’re injured, it can be very depressing and unmotivating, especially if it’s a lower back or knee injury, or if that injury blocks you from doing what you love. SO to lower the chance of injury, you need to increase the strength in the muscles that are weakened by the female form. 

I hope you’re starting to see the full picture coming together here!

Problem 2: Not enough strength/power

Fast and strong women have strong backs, glutes, abdominals and hamstrings. These muscles make up what we call the posterior chain, and these are exactly the muscles that are totally ineffective in a woman’s natural, untrained, physical state. To increase speed and power, you need to increase the strength in the muscles that are weakened by the natural female form. Addressing this helps women get results in the gym

To learn more about this, read my article, Why You Need a Strong Posterior Chain if You Want to Get Strong (and how to strengthen It).

Why You Need a Strong Posterior Chain if You Want to Get Strong

Problem 3: Poor technique

When the body is out of balance and you begin to learn new exercises or participate in a new activity, your body will do what feels natural to your body. It won’t do what is ideal or what you try to make it do based on an exercise video you saw on Instagram. 

If your knees come in, your hip flexors (front of hips) or lower back ever feel tight, this is a sign of lower body/hip dysfunction. If your neck or traps (top of your shoulders) feel stiff then this is a sign of upper body/back dysfunction. When these movement patterns are hindered or restricted, it is almost impossible to participate in physical activity with good technique. 

Without good technique, results don’t come and if they do, they don’t stick as you hit a ceiling or worse yet, get an injury that totally impedes your exercise routine. See how they are all connected?

Problem 4: Low satisfaction leading to high dropout 

If you manage to avoid injury, pain, or discomfort and stay on track with your activity (key word here being IF), then without a strong foundation you won’t perform as well or achieve as good results, especially if the results you’re seeking are gym-related and you’re wanting to build that beautiful strong female X-shape. 

We are all results orientated. If results don’t come, soon enough we fall off the wagon until we get that niggle to jump back on the wagon again. Until structure and form is corrected, the motivation to continue on with your exercise routine is more fragile. 

Imagine if you can continue to increase progress in the gym, rarely taking backward steps. The journey is much easier and this is why you see women who have been consistently active for years on end and who’s physiques change or they keep getting stronger. This is because they have addressed structural issues, learned technique, and built the rest on top of strong foundations. 

Problem 5: Lack of changes in body composition

If your motivation is fat loss, then fixing structural issues are also key. The higher quality movement your body produces, the more like an athlete it behaves, the leaner you will become, or at least, the more reward you will get from your nutritional/training efforts. 

Bodies that function well have a high energy output, can consume more food, lift more weight, run more kilometres, and generally just want to maintain a healthy body composition.

Do you want to explore in detail, how women get results in the gym as easily as men do?

Trying to build strong legs and nice glutes? This won’t happen if your hips are too tight, or the glutes aren’t engaging when you squat, lunge, or deadlift. Check out this video:

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN – The Complete Guide

I hope you can now recognise why it’s super important to improve your posture whilst embarking on a training journey! If you want to learn more about this, and correct your own posture whilst assuring you maximise your success in the gym, check out my Female Training self-coaching program.

Hope that helps!

Jen x