Key Facts:
- Female athletes are two to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than men, yet research shows targeted strength training can reduce injury risk by up to 50 per cent.
- Former AFLW player Abbey Holmes argues that women in sport have historically been underprepared rather than inherently weaker, with strength training long deprioritised in favour of cardio and aesthetics.
- Holmes credits structured strength training with supporting her through pregnancy and aiding her recovery afterwards, highlighting its importance beyond elite sport and across all stages of life.
- Women face significantly higher risks of osteoporosis and muscle loss as they age, yet only around one in four Australian adults meet recommended guidelines for strength-based exercise.
- Holmes advocates for strength training to be repositioned as a clinically guided, evidence-based health essential for women of all ages, rather than something associated with appearance or fitness culture.
The injury crisis women's sport and women in general can't ignore
By Abbey Holmes
I wish I'd started strength training earlier. Not halfway through my AFLW career. Not once injuries started creeping in. Before all of it because it would have changed everything.
When I look back now, I realise how much time I spent focusing on performance without fully understanding how important strength was to protecting my body long term. And I know I'm not alone in that.
Women's sport has grown enormously over the past decade. The professionalism, visibility and expectations are higher than they've ever been, and that's something worth celebrating.
But there's also a reality we need to talk about more honestly. More women are getting injured, and too many of those injuries are preventable.
Female athletes are two to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than men. In sports like football, ACL injuries account for up to one in four serious injuries.
At the same time, research shows targeted strength training can reduce injury risk by up to 50 per cent. Those numbers don't make sense together.
This isn't about women being weaker. It's about women being under-prepared. For a long time, strength training wasn't prioritised for women in the same way it was for men. Even culturally, there was this idea that strength work was either intimidating, unnecessary or only relevant if you wanted to look a certain way.
A lot of women were taught to focus on cardio, fitness or aesthetics before actual physical resilience. But the demands on female athletes today are enormous.
The game is faster. More explosive. More physical. Expectations have evolved rapidly, but the way we prepare women physically hasn't always kept pace.
In my own AFLW career, I trained hard and gave everything I had. But what I didn't have early enough was a properly structured strength program designed to prepare my body for the intensity and impact of elite sport.
I genuinely believe it would have changed parts of my career. Not just from a performance perspective, but from a durability perspective.
Because strength isn't just about lifting heavier weights or looking athletic. It's about protecting your body. It's about reducing injury risk, recovering better, moving well and building confidence in what your body can handle.
And it becomes even more important as life changes. That became incredibly clear to me during pregnancy. I continued training throughout my pregnancy with the right support around me, and it completely shifted my understanding of strength and health.
Being strong wasn't about sport anymore. It was about feeling capable, supported and resilient through a huge physical change. It also helped me return to work feeling strong and healthy relatively quickly afterwards.
That won't be everyone's experience, and it absolutely shouldn't be treated as a one-size-fits-all approach, but it reinforced for me how important strength is at every stage of life, not just for elite athletes.
The reality is this conversation extends far beyond women's sport. Women face higher risks of osteoporosis, muscle loss and mobility issues as they age, yet strength training is still significantly underutilised. Around one in two women over 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime.
At the same time, only around one in four Australian adults meet the recommended guidelines for strength-based exercise and that's a massive gap.
And I think part of the problem is that strength training has often been marketed in ways that don't resonate with everyday women. Too often it's tied to appearance, fitness culture or unrealistic expectations, instead of being positioned for what it really is, one of the most important investments you can make in your long-term health.
That's why I think organisations like Kieser Australia are helping shift the conversation in a really important way.
They approach strength differently. It's clinically guided, evidence-based, focused on preventing injury, reducing pain and improving long-term function, not chasing quick fixes or aesthetics. Across Kieser clinics, thousands of Australians complete strength programs each week with those goals in mind.
And honestly, I think that's where the future of this conversation needs to go. Because strength shouldn't feel intimidating or exclusive, it should feel normal, accessible and essential, particularly for women.
I think about the next generation of girls coming through sport now, and I want them to grow up understanding strength differently than many of us did. Not as something optional once injuries happen. Not as something you do later. But as a core part of protecting your body, improving your health and giving yourself the best chance to stay active and well for longer. Because if there's one thing I know now that I wish I understood earlier, it's this: Strength changes everything.
About us:
About Kieser Australia
Kieser is a national network of physiotherapy-led clinics delivering exercise-based therapy as healthcare. Kieser's model is defined by three core truths:
Clinical: Programs are designed and delivered by qualified physiotherapists, exercise physiologists and exercise scientists, using medically certified, specialised equipment and evidence-based protocols.
Personal: Every program is tailored to the individual, combining clinical reasoning with personalised strength and rehabilitation pathways to restore function and support long-term independence.
Proven: Outcomes are tracked, measured and reviewed. Kieser delivers measurable improvements in pain, function and quality of life, while helping reduce reliance on surgery, hospital care and long-term medication.
This model supports Australians across all ages and stages, from injury recovery to chronic disease management and healthy ageing.
