FCI Staff Writer Sacramento 
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August 15, 2022,
Often seen underneath Hoodies with dark sun glasses, when you are the main female attraction at an event, the media can’t stop taking pictures of you.
At Female Competition International’s (FCI) recent October 10, 2021 event at the majestic San Francisco Airport Hyatt Regency Hotel, Samba Dancers beautifully strutted their feathers, Competitive Cheerleaders sailed sky high, an Opera Singer amazed and a traditional Japanese Dancer mesmerized.
All appreciated.
Still, it was the Female Wrestlers that were the star attraction at the event and they grappled with passion and intensity.
We have lots of pictures that tell the tale.
What amazed us most was how they were all in great shape. This speaks to the outlook of many female grapplers across the United States.
At the informative source an.athletenetwork.com they educate, “Trying to stereotype a female wrestler’s body as only short and stocky will only give you a narrow view of our sport. Wrestling is one of the few sports where you use your body type as a way to get the advantage over your opponent. Tall wrestle short, skinny wrestle stocky. As long as they are the same weight, you must learn how to wrestle whatever your opponent looks like.”
We experienced that at FCI’s San Francisco event.
This thinking of being extremely fit has carried over into the fitness routines of the Lady Pros. The reason their bodies look so ripped and fit is due to their workout routines.
The leadership at work.chron.com shares, “Strength training isn’t an option for female wrestlers – it’s a requirement. Strength is the foundation of the sport, and if you want to excel, you have to stay ahead of your competition. Because wrestling involves total-body strength, you’ll have to train your upper and lower body as well as your core.”
What is strength training and how does it differ from regular hard exercise?
Strength training or resistance training involves the performance of physical exercises which are designed to improve strength and endurance. It is often associated with the use of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training techniques such as calisthenics, isometrics, and plyometrics.
When properly performed, strength training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being, including increased bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament strength and toughness, improved joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased bone density, increased metabolism, increased fitness and improved cardiac function.
Training commonly uses the technique of progressively increasing the force output of the muscle through incremental weight increases and uses a variety of exercises and types of equipment to target specific muscle groups. Strength training is primarily an anaerobic activity, although some proponents have adapted it to provide the benefits of aerobic exercise through circuit training.
In terms of what they witnessed and covered at FCI’s event, the team at Femcompetitor Magazine (femcompetitor.com) adds, “We are encouraged to see the improvement in the strength training of today’s female grapplers. We’ve been covering fully competitive female grappling for years and the skillsets of these warriors continue to rise.”
Strength training has many benefits.
We have a visiting writer with some additional insights.
As always, please consult your physician or professional trainer before participating.
Strength Training – It’s More Than Pumping Iron
If you’ve been reading my articles over the years you already know that I am a big proponent of strength training. Strength training though is more than lifting weights. When most people hear strength training they have images of body builders pumping iron. I’ve tried to make it clear that strength training is much more than that and the training that I am a proponent of is probably better labeled as strength and conditioning. Simply stated strength and conditioning addresses more than the muscle building aspects of fitness training. It includes flexibility/mobility training (more than stretching), prehab exercises to prevent injury, core strengthening (not sit-ups), strength training, and aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.
For the purposes of this brief article I am going to focus on the strength training aspect of strength and conditioning. I define strength training as the movement of a mass by exerting force against the resistance of that mass over a determined distance at a determined speed. The amount of mass, the form of that mass, the selected distance, and speed of that movement are all variables of a training program.
So you are probably wondering should the mass be heavy, should you move it quickly or slowly, should you move it a large distance or a small distance? The answer is yes to all of the above. Heavier masses will be moved more slowly while lighter masses will be more conducive to power training and can be moved more quickly. You should train for both strength and power so you should move heavy weights (mass) more slowly and perform movements with lighter resistances (mass) more quickly.
In regards to distance, I find that when you perform movements that challenge you from your toes to your fingertips you get the most bang for your buck. These exercises, like picking up a weight from the ground and then lifting it above your head are very challenging to say the least. You are using multiple muscle groups in a synchronized way to perform the movement. These movements are more functional then let’s say a machine biceps curl performed sitting down, because they resemble real life everyday movements like picking up a box or a laundry basket and placing it on a shelf or a bed.
The more muscle groups you use in performing a movement the greater the energy demand, thus the greater caloric expenditure. And when you put a series of these total body exercises together back to back with minimal rest you are not only getting a strength benefit but also a conditioning benefit similar to cardiovascular training. Your heart rate will get up higher than using the elliptical while performing the circuit and will take longer to recover when you’re finished resulting in an after-burn; an important aspect of metabolism that I have addressed in earlier articles.
Strength training also referred to as resistance training is not reserved to just lifting dumbbells. While dumbbells and barbells are excellent tools that I use regularly, there are other tools that provide challenging and unique stimuli to our bodies that deserve consideration. Training with sandbags can provide a very challenging workout. Because the sand moves while you lift or carry the bags there is the added demand on your body, especially the core, to maintain stability.
Performing exercises where you lift the sandbag, place it on one shoulder and then carry it a determined distance, before lifting the bag and switching shoulders for the return trip are very challenging. Kettlebells, because of their shape and design, are great for swinging. The kettlebell swing is excellent for hamstrings and glutes, and the motion and speed of the exercise can really get the heart rate going.
The TRX suspension trainer is a great tool for training the entire body using your bodyweight and gravity as resistance. It takes bodyweight training to a whole new level. These are only a few of the tools out there that can take your strength and conditioning to a whole new level. Not only are these tools effective, but they are also a great deal of fun. After training with these tools myself, I can’t see why anyone would want to simply go to a gym to sit down on a machine perform an exercise and then move on to the next machine, or plop themselves on an elliptical trainer for 60 minutes. Many of us work at jobs where we sit all day, do you really think the exercise we need is at a gym that encourages us to move while sitting down or move without going anywhere?
In conclusion, strength training is more than pumping iron. It is functionally challenging yourself to move against resistance to get stronger and to improve your performance of daily activities and recreational sport. While cardiovascular training has been attributed to adding to the length of your life, strength training will help improve the quality of your life. And when total body movements are performed in sequences or complexes the heart healthy benefits of this type of training can also be realized. If your workout looks like play then you are probably on the right track. On the other hand if it resembles that of a hamster on a hamster wheel it’s time for a change.
Jason Mittelman (http://www.trainwithj.com ) has over 15 years of teaching, coaching, and training experience. He is dedicated to helping people get to the next level. In addition to private fitness training, Jason serves as a sports performance coach, helping athletes of all ages and levels in New York and New Jersey develop speed, quickness, agility, strength and overall conditioning.
Jason has honed his exercise philosophy and methods in the gym and in the classroom. He holds a master’s degree in exercise science from Montclair State University and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University. His philosophy focuses on achieving exercise adherence along with performance based and task mastery goals. Jason’s approach to fitness is straightforward: move consistently, move efficiently, and move effectively. His exercise programs include flexibility, strength, and aerobic training. On the basketball court Jason has worked with some of the nation’s top athletes, who moved on to college and professional basketball careers. He is a former NYC, PSAL boy’s high school basketball coach. Currently, Jason is the head boy’s varsity basketball coach in Glen Rock, NJ. He also serves as a coach and clinician for the Glen Rock Youth Basketball League (GRYBL).
Jason maintains certifications by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise, and by the National Strength and Conditioning Association both as a personal trainer and as a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). Jason frequently attends national conferences, workshops, and conventions, staying on top of the industry’s latest findings in research, trends, and technology. Over the years Jason has had the opportunity to consult with, write for, and appear in the following publications: Vogue, Self, Allure, Elle, Men’s Fitness, and People.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jason_Mittelman/353557
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4598681
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OPENING PHOTO fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com femcompetitor.com grapplingstars.com Evgeniia-Shikhaleeva-Shutterstock-photo-credit-Editorial-use-
https://an.athletenetwork.com/blog/what-you-dont-know-about-being-a-female-wrestler
https://work.chron.com/strength-training-female-wrestlers-16994.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_training
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
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