Isabella E
Pretty much.
I'm 6' and 169lb with the build of a swimmer. I'm lucky and I put on muscle fairly easily and shed fat fast too. There is a hell of a difference though between when Malcolm first started working with me and I could barely move my shield around or take more than a few swings before my arm got really tired and now, a year and a half later of regular exercise and weight lifting.
I cannot recommend improving fitness for my fellow women fighters enough. Being stronger and fitter has made everything easier, even outside of SCA fighting. The benefits are just too numerous to ignore.
I'm 5'6", weigh 170lbs and just turned 60. Ten years ago, at 51, I weighed 265 and been that for years prior. Despite that, I was still quite strong from years living a rural lifestyle. However, age related inflexibility and injuries were finally catching up. I wasn't as active anymore so my arthritis in the lower back and shoulders were hurting more. Began walking like so many older snowbirds I'd see around town now. I hated the way I was feeling.... So, took a local college's Women's Strength Class to change that.
The instructor did start us out with lower weights to learn proper technique at first. A lot of very good reasons for this, especially if you never lifted free weights before. Most of the women in that class were older than I was, had worse arthritis and other health problems or therapies. Anyway, I found I loved the "feeling" as I gained strength and ran with the class's premise. After a year of classes, I dropped a lot of fat weight, built muscle mass and grew stronger. Also relearned to eat properly...which was also needed.
To illustrate "Outside the SCA fighting" point though. Shortly after beginning the class, a tire blew out on my '79 Cordoba while driving home at the time. No one was around but I knew how to change the tire using an old fashioned jack and all. A lot of physical work though as these ain't dinky tires......even for a lot of guys and I was 50 then and out of shape. Got it done properly but was very tired afterwards.
After 6 months working out, another tire blew on the same car and being all alone on the highway....I found myself changing another tire. But This Time, all that physical work hefting and lifting heavy tires around, using the jack, breaking/tightening the nuts et al... was much, much easier. Nor was I exhausted afterwards....on the contrary, I felt "GOOD".
For women, injuries can be helped if you stay in shape. For older women, building muscle also means building bone mass which keeps brittle bone and Osteo at bay.
My lower back was strengthened and no longer had arthritic pain. My shoulders felt better. There is an impingement problem in my left shoulder and my lifting was being affected. Had an MRI which discovered a bad tear in my Supraspinatis Anterior tendon and had a collar bone anomally. The latter actually caused the impingement aches. The tear didn't come from lifting but from an old fall years ago. However, the increased muscle mass had kept the tear from becoming worse. Overall, the exercises were actually helping my shoulder become better while increasing my flexibility. I made the mistake of over doing some exercises with increased weights which brought out the problems. At least, I know what to look for now.
The orthopedic doc asked if I had any exercise routine and I told the orthopedic doc I was taking a women's strength class and lifting heavy free weights. That seemed pretty extreme to him at first (most patients he saw were far older and in worse shape) He asked me Why at my age (51 then), I wanted to look like I did in my 20s? He changed his attitude when I told him my past history until beginning this regimen. I could have had surgery to fix the tear but after therapy would be long and the shoulder would never be quite the same. Taking the strength lifting exercises may mean I wouldn't need the surgery. Just change my lifting regimen. My choice.
I didn't pick surgery.
bits. I like to describe it as equal parts soccer, american football, a wrestling match, and hot potato. 
I don't have time to do a bunch of research and pick an offstandard/newly developing test. I might next season, but i have got to get these boys moving, like now.