Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research / PubMed. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005544.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association has a new PubMed-indexed position statement focused on strength and conditioning for female athletes, with Part I centered on lifespan, injury, and health considerations.
The paper appears in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and is credited to authors including Nicole C. Dabbs, Heather Binkley, Christine Bott, Maren S. Fragala, Ashley Herda, Samantha Moeskops, Erin W. G. Moore, Abbie Smith-Ryan, and N. Travis Triplett. The public PubMed record does not include an abstract, so the most important immediate signal is the scope: female athletes, strength and conditioning, lifespan context, injury considerations, and health.
For coaches and lifters, that scope matters because female-athlete training conversations often get flattened into either generic programs or viral sex-specific rules. A formal position statement gives strength professionals a place to look for more structured guidance, especially when programming decisions intersect with puberty, menstrual health, pregnancy and postpartum considerations, bone health, injury history, and long-term participation.
Why it matters for lifters
Female lifters are not a niche group inside strength training. They include teenage athletes learning technique, collegiate competitors managing sport load, recreational lifters building muscle and bone strength, pregnant or postpartum athletes returning to training, and masters lifters trying to preserve performance and independence.
The practical takeaway is not that every woman needs a completely different program. It is that good programming should account for the athlete in front of the coach: training age, injury history, symptoms, recovery, energy availability, goals, and life stage. That is especially relevant in bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, field sports, and hybrid training, where load progression and health monitoring have to work together.
What to watch next
Watch for how coaches, schools, clinics, and strength organizations translate the position statement into screening habits, return-to-training decisions, exercise selection, and athlete education. Also watch for follow-up parts or related summaries that clarify specific recommendations for performance programming, injury risk reduction, and health support across different life stages.
The bigger story is whether female-athlete guidance becomes more precise without becoming overprescriptive. Lifters need evidence-informed coaching that respects individual response, not a new set of one-size-fits-all rules.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Lifters should consult a qualified health professional, registered dietitian, or credentialed coach before making major training or nutrition changes, especially when dealing with injury, menstrual irregularities, pregnancy, postpartum return to training, low energy availability, bone-health concerns, or medical restrictions.