Sex Differences in Resistance Training Participation and Beliefs Among Adolescent Athletes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Study Design
2.3. Questionnaire Development
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Demographics and Sports Participation
3.2. Sex Differences in Resistance Training Participation and Beliefs
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| RT | Resistance training |
| IOC | International Olympic Committee (IOC) |
| NSCA | National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) |
References
- Faigenbaum, A.D.; Kraemer, W.J.; Blimkie, C.J.; Jeffreys, I.; Micheli, L.J.; Nitka, M.; Rowland, T.W. Youth Resistance Training: Updated Position Statement Paper from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2009, 23, S60–S79. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Faigenbaum, A.D.; Myer, G.D. Resistance Training among Young Athletes: Safety, Efficacy and Injury Prevention Effects. Br. J. Sports Med. 2010, 44, 56–63. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lloyd, R.S.; Cronin, J.B.; Faigenbaum, A.D.; Haff, G.G.; Howard, R.; Kraemer, W.J.; Micheli, L.J.; Myer, G.D.; Oliver, J.L. National Strength and Conditioning Association Position Statement on Long-Term Athletic Development. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2016, 30, 1491–1509. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lloyd, R.S.; Faigenbaum, A.D.; Stone, M.H.; Oliver, J.L.; Jeffreys, I.; Moody, J.A.; Brewer, C.; Pierce, K.C.; McCambridge, T.M.; Howard, R. Position Statement on Youth Resistance Training: The 2014 International Consensus. Br. J. Sports Med. 2014, 48, 498–505. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lehance, C.; Binet, J.; Bury, T.; Croisier, J.-L. Muscular Strength, Functional Performances and Injury Risk in Professional and Junior Elite Soccer Players. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 2009, 19, 243–251. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Behm, D.G.; Young, J.D.; Whitten, J.H.; Reid, J.C.; Quigley, P.J.; Low, J.; Li, Y.; Lima, C.D.; Hodgson, D.D.; Chaouachi, A. Effectiveness of Traditional Strength vs. Power Training on Muscle Strength, Power and Speed with Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front. Physiol. 2017, 8, 423. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Activity, M.P.; WHO Team. WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2020. [Google Scholar]
- Kraemer, W.J.; Ratamess, N.A. Fundamentals of Resistance Training: Progression and Exercise Prescription. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2004, 36, 674–688. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stricker, P.R.; Faigenbaum, A.D.; McCambridge, T.M.; LaBella, C.R.; Brooks, M.A.; Canty, G.; Diamond, A.B.; Hennrikus, W.; Logan, K.; Moffatt, K. Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics 2020, 145, e20201011. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ratamess, N.A.; Alvar, B.A.; Evetoch, T.K.; Housh, T.J.; Kibler, W.B.; Kraemer, W.J.; Triplett, N.T.; American College of Sports Medicine. Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. Off. J. Am. Coll. Sports Med. 2009, 41, 687–708. [Google Scholar]
- García-Hermoso, A.; Ramírez-Campillo, R.; Izquierdo, M. Is Muscular Fitness Associated with Future Health Benefits in Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies. Sports Med. 2019, 49, 1079–1094. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lesinski, M.; Herz, M.; Schmelcher, A.; Granacher, U. Effects of Resistance Training on Physical Fitness in Healthy Children and Adolescents: An Umbrella Review. Sports Med. 2020, 50, 1901–1928. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zwolski, C.; Quatman-Yates, C.; Paterno, M.V. Resistance Training in Youth: Laying the Foundation for Injury Prevention and Physical Literacy. Sports Health 2017, 9, 436–443. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hulteen, R.M.; Smith, J.J.; Morgan, P.J.; Barnett, L.M.; Hallal, P.C.; Colyvas, K.; Lubans, D.R. Global Participation in Sport and Leisure-Time Physical Activities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Prev. Med. 2017, 95, 14–25. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rhodes, R.E.; Lubans, D.R.; Karunamuni, N.; Kennedy, S.; Plotnikoff, R. Factors Associated with Participation in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review. Br. J. Sports Med. 2017, 51, 1466–1472. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Strain, T.; Fitzsimons, C.; Kelly, P.; Mutrie, N. The Forgotten Guidelines: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Participation in Muscle Strengthening and Balance & Co-Ordination Activities by Adults and Older Adults in Scotland. BMC Public Health 2016, 16, 1108. [Google Scholar]
- Kruger, J.; Carlson, S. Trends in Strength Training--United States, 1998–2004. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2006, 55, 769–772. [Google Scholar]
- Chevan, J. Demographic Determinants of Participation in Strength Training Activities among US Adults. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2008, 22, 553–558. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Vasudevan, A.; Ford, E. Motivational Factors and Barriers towards Initiating and Maintaining Strength Training in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis. Prev. Sci. 2022, 23, 674–695. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bussey, K.; Bandura, A. Social Cognitive Theory of Gender Development and Differentiation. Psychol. Rev. 1999, 106, 676. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lewis, B.A.; Williams, D.M.; Frayeh, A.; Marcus, B.H. Self-Efficacy versus Perceived Enjoyment as Predictors of Physical Activity Behaviour. Psychol. Health 2016, 31, 456–469. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Harris, P.A.; Taylor, R.; Thielke, R.; Payne, J.; Gonzalez, N.; Conde, J.G. Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap)—A Metadata-Driven Methodology and Workflow Process for Providing Translational Research Informatics Support. J. Biomed. Inform. 2009, 42, 377–381. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Torsheim, T.; Cavallo, F.; Levin, K.A.; Schnohr, C.; Mazur, J.; Niclasen, B.; Currie, C. FAS Development Study Group. Psychometric Validation of the Revised Family Affluence Scale: A Latent Variable Approach. Child Indic. Res. 2016, 9, 771–784. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jayanthi, N.A.; LaBella, C.R.; Fischer, D.; Pasulka, J.; Dugas, L.R. Sports-Specialized Intensive Training and the Risk of Injury in Young Athletes: A Clinical Case-Control Study. Am. J. Sports Med. 2015, 43, 794–801. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cochran, W.G. The Χ2 Test of Goodness of Fit. Ann. Math. Stat. 1952, 23, 315–345. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fisher, R.A. On the Interpretation of χ2 from Contingency Tables, and the Calculation of P. J. R. Stat. Soc. 1922, 85, 87–94. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cohen, J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences; Routledge: Oxfordshire, UK, 2013; ISBN 0-203-77158-3. [Google Scholar]
- Cramér, H. Mathematical Methods of Statistics; Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, USA, 1999; Volume 9, ISBN 0-691-00547-8. [Google Scholar]
- Chen, H.; Cohen, P.; Chen, S. How Big Is a Big Odds Ratio? Interpreting the Magnitudes of Odds Ratios in Epidemiological Studies. Commun. Stat. Simul. Comput. 2010, 39, 860–864. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- García-Hermoso, A.; Izquierdo, M.; López-Gil, J.F. Combined Aerobic and Muscle-strengthening Activity Guidelines and Their Association with Obesity in US Adolescents. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 2024, 34, e14504. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, GA, USA, 2011.
- US Department of Health and Human Services. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report; Chapter 5: Active Older Adults; US Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DC, USA, 2018.
- Dishman, R.K.; McIver, K.L.; Dowda, M.; Saunders, R.P.; Pate, R.R. Self-Efficacy, Beliefs, and Goals: Moderation of Declining Physical Activity during Adolescence. Health Psychol. 2019, 38, 483. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Marashi, M.; Lucibello, K.M.; Sabiston, C.M. The Female Athletic Ideal—Friend or Foe? Fit, Thin, and Athletic Body Ideals and Their Associations with Women’s Body Image. Body Image 2024, 48, 101672. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Guess, N. A Qualitative Investigation of Attitudes towards Aerobic and Resistance Exercise amongst Overweight and Obese Individuals. BMC Res. Notes 2012, 5, 191. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Coen, S.E.; Rosenberg, M.W.; Davidson, J. “It’s Gym, like Gym Not Jim”: Exploring the Role of Place in the Gendering of Physical Activity. Soc. Sci. Med. 2018, 196, 29–36. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bopp, M.; Wilcox, S.; Oberrecht, L.; Kammermann, S.; McElmurray, C.T. Correlates of Strength Training in Older Rural African American and Caucasian Women. Women Health 2004, 40, 1–20. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Roberts, B.M.; Nuckols, G.; Krieger, J.W. Sex Differences in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J. Strength. Cond. Res. 2020, 34, 1448–1460. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Norcross, M.F.; Johnson, S.T.; Bovbjerg, V.E.; Koester, M.C.; Hoffman, M.A. Factors Influencing High School Coaches’ Adoption of Injury Prevention Programs. J. Sci. Med. Sport 2016, 19, 299–304. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Collins, H.; Booth, J.N.; Duncan, A.; Fawkner, S.; Niven, A. The Effect of Resistance Training Interventions on ‘the Self’in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. Open 2019, 5, 29. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Faro, J.; Wright, J.A.; Hayman, L.L.; Hastie, M.; Gona, P.N.; Whiteley, J.A. Functional Resistance Training and Affective Response in Female College-Age Students. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2019, 51, 1186. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Weiss, M.R.; Amorose, A.J.; Wilko, A.M. Coaching Behaviors, Motivational Climate, and Psychosocial Outcomes among Female Adolescent Athletes. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 2009, 21, 475–492. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhou, J.; Liu, C. A Narrative Review of Barriers to and Promotion Strategies for Female College Students’ Sports Participation in a Cross-Cultural Context. Front. Public Health 2025, 13, 1658796. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wetton, A.R.; Radley, R.; Jones, A.R.; Pearce, M.S. What Are the Barriers Which Discourage 15–16 Year-Old Girls from Participating in Team Sports and How Can We Overcome Them? BioMed Res. Int. 2013, 2013, 738705. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Nuzzo, J.L. Narrative Review of Sex Differences in Muscle Strength, Endurance, Activation, Size, Fiber Type, and Strength Training Participation Rates, Preferences, Motivations, Injuries, and Neuromuscular Adaptations. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2023, 37, 494–536. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
| Variable | Female (n = 62) | Male (n = 46) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 15.0 (1.2) | 14.9 (2.6) | 0.71 | |
| Race (n, %) | American Indian or Alaska Native | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 0.77 |
| Asian | 2 (3) | 1 (2) | ||
| Black Or African American | 2 (3) | 0 (0) | ||
| White | 47 (76) | 40 (87) | ||
| More Than One Race | 7 (11) | 3 (7) | ||
| Unknown Or Not Reported | 3 (5) | 2 (4) | ||
| Ethnicity, n (%) | Hispanic Or Latino | 10 (16) | 8 (17) | 0.59 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 44 (71) | 35 (76) | ||
| Unknown | 8 (13) | 3 (7) | ||
| School Grade, n (%) | 8 | 9 (15) | 4 (9) | 0.21 |
| 9 | 17 (27) | 12 (26) | ||
| 10 | 23 (37) | 12 (26) | ||
| 11 | 7 (11) | 13 (28) | ||
| 12 | 6 (10) | 5 (11) | ||
| Sport Specialization Level, n (%) | Low | 13 (21) | 10 (22) | |
| Moderate | 25 (40) | 12 (26) | 0.27 | |
| High | 24 (39) | 24 (52) | ||
| Number of different sports played, mean (SD) | - | 1.5 (0.8) | 1.6 (0.8) | 0.25 |
| Currently Injured at Time of Assessment, n (%) | - | 33 (54) | 30 (65) | 0.25 |
| Variable | Female (n = 62) | Male (n = 46) | p Value | Cohen’s d or φ Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform resistance training exercises (yes), n (%) | 40 (65) | 37 (80) | 0.07 | Φ = 0.17 | |
| Age began resistance training (years), mean (SD) | 12.1 (2.2) | 13.4 (1.7) | <0.01 | d = 0.68 | |
| Resistance training frequency (times per week), mean (SD) | 3.1 (1.6) | 3.5 (1.3) | 0.33 | d = 0.23 | |
| Resistance training duration (mins per session), mean (SD) | 56.3 (44.8) | 68.8 (30.0) | 0.17 | d = 0.32 | |
| Seasonality of typical resistance training, n (%) | During season | 2 (5) | 2 (6) | >0.99 | |
| During off-season | 5 (13) | 5 (14) | Φ = 0.02 | ||
| Both | 32 (82) | 28 (80) | |||
| Believes resistance training will make me better at sport (yes), n (%) | 54 (87) | 42 (91) | 0.49 | Φ = 0.07 | |
| Believes resistance training will help me prevent injuries (yes), n (%) | 48 (77) | 33 (72) | 0.50 | Φ = 0.06 | |
| Believes resistance training will result in looking bulky or with muscles that are too big (yes), n (%) | 4 (6) | 4 (9) | 0.66 | Φ = 0.04 | |
| Believes resistance training will make me look good (yes), n (%) | 22 (35) | 23 (50) | 0.13 | Φ = 0.15 | |
| Believes resistance training will cause injuries (yes), n (%) | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | >0.99 | Φ = 0.02 | |
| Enjoys resistance training (yes), n (%) | 30 (48) | 32 (70) | 0.02 | Φ = 0.21 | |
| Feels comfortable lifting weights (yes), n (%) | 37 (60) | 33 (72) | 0.19 | Φ = 0.12 | |
| Equipment Reported Using n, (%) | Female (n = 40) | Male (n = 37) | p Value | φ Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight | 35 (88) | 31 (84) | 0.89 | 0.11 |
| Resistance bands or cords | 35 (88) | 27 (73) | 0.20 | 0.02 |
| Barbell | 17 (43) | 26 (70) | 0.02 | 0.29 |
| Weight machines | 23 (57.5) | 32 (87) | <0.01 | 0.32 |
| Free weights (dumbbells, kettlebells) | 34 (85) | 34 (92) | 0.56 | 0.20 |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Share and Cite
Rovzar, C.M.; Howell, D.; Armento, A. Sex Differences in Resistance Training Participation and Beliefs Among Adolescent Athletes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study. Sports 2026, 14, 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14010004
Rovzar CM, Howell D, Armento A. Sex Differences in Resistance Training Participation and Beliefs Among Adolescent Athletes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study. Sports. 2026; 14(1):4. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14010004
Chicago/Turabian StyleRovzar, Corey Marie, David Howell, and Aubrey Armento. 2026. "Sex Differences in Resistance Training Participation and Beliefs Among Adolescent Athletes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study" Sports 14, no. 1: 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14010004
APA StyleRovzar, C. M., Howell, D., & Armento, A. (2026). Sex Differences in Resistance Training Participation and Beliefs Among Adolescent Athletes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study. Sports, 14(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14010004

