Practices, Perceived Benefits, and Barriers to Strength Training Among Women Enrolled in College

Abstract

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has recommended that resistance training be performed at least twice per week, with 8-12 repetitions of 8-10 exercises targeting all major muscle groups (1). However, Kruger, Carlson, and Kohl (18) reported that women were participating less than the U.S. population on the whole, as only 20% of women were engaging in resistance training two or more times per week. In order to better understand why only 1 in 5 women participate regularly in this form of physical activity, this study investigated current resistance training practices, perceived benefits, and barriers to resistance training among college women. One-hundred and sixteen women college students from a large, public, Midwestern university participated in this study. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to identify the strongest predictors of resistance training behaviors. The predictors in the regression model included demographic characteristics in block one, perceived barriers to resistance training in block two, and perceived benefits of resistance training in block three. Results indicated that the level of perceived "time/effort" barriers significantly predicted resistance training behavior. Findings in this area may help researchers, university recreation programmers, personal trainers, and other health and fitness professionals better understand the attitudes and actions of college women regarding resistance training, toward the goal of promoting fitness center environments that college women find more inviting.