STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMIZING STRENGTH, POWER AND MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY IN WOMEN

目前，许多妇女不能满足繁重和非常繁重的任务的军事要求。该提案的总体目标是发现哪种类型的女性力量训练最有效地达到陆军想要的结果。我们打算确定上肢力量训练对实现这一目标的贡献。我们的策略是将我们的初步发现转化为野外部队使用的力量训练计划。为了比较和确定项目的有效性，一组100名未经训练的人将作为“标准”。虽然这项研究将持续三年，但正式培训将持续六个月，每隔三个月进行一次测试。训练计划采用了阻力训练中最先进的程序。测试包括神经肌肉力量和力量测试、肌电图和肌肉大小的磁共振成像。将执行与军事唯一相关的绩效任务。我们将监测女性在训练期间和训练后血液中发生的生理变化。因为我们知道许多妇女可能无法忍受高强度训练（即“过度训练综合症”），我们建议监测免疫状态，作为健康指标。我们还将测量测试对象血液中的某些代谢激素水平，因为它们是肌肉大小和神经肌肉功能的关键调节因子。我们相信，血液中合成代谢激素的水平会根据使用六种训练方案中的哪一种而改变：如果是这样，我们应该能够将成绩与激素浓度联系起来。这一努力的成果将是“可训练性的血液标记物”的发展。这种产品对于实现获得和维持能够满足这些军事要求的妇女的目标将极为有用。总而言之，我们的训练计划将确立：1)未受过训练的女性在体能表现方面可能获得的最大收益；2)与普通男性相比，最大表现如何；3)健康和可训练性的标志，可以在未来的大型现场训练工作中常规使用。

Currently many women cannot meet military requirements for heavy and very heavy lifting tasks. The overall goal of this proposal is designed to discover which type of women's strength training is most effective for achieving the result the Army wants. We intend to determine the contribution of upper body strength training to meet this goal. Our strategy will be to then transfer our initial findings to a strength training program for field unit use. For comparison and determination of program effectiveness, a group of 100 untrained men will serve as "standards'. Although the study will take three years, the formal training will take six months with testing at three month intervals. The training program utilizes the most advanced programs in resistance training. Tests include neuromuscular strength and power tests, electromyography and magnetic resonance imaging for muscle size. Performance tasks which are uniquely relevant to the military will be performed. We will monitor selected physiological changes which are taking place in the blood of women during and after training. Because we know that many women may not tolerate high intensity training (i.e. the 'overtraining syndrome'), we propose to monitor immune status as an indicator of health. We will also measure certain anbolic hormone levels in the blood of the test subjects because they are known to be key regulators of muscle size and neuromuscular function. We believe that the blood levels of anabolic hormones will change depending upon which of the six training programs is used: if so, we should be able to correlate performance achievement with hormone concentration. The product of this effort would be the development of "blood markers of trainability". Such a product would be extremely useful to achieving the goal of attaining and maintaining women who are able to meet these military requirements. In summary, our training programs will establish: 1) the maximal gains in physical performance that are possible in untrained women; 2) how that maximal performance compares to that of the average male; and 3) markers of health and trainability that could be routinely used in large field training efforts in the future.