How Women's Fitness Differs From Men's Fitness

Women's Fitness

Women and men differ in terms of anatomy and physiology. This has impact on certain organ systems in the human body relative to athletic performance. Women can obvious increase fitness levels and train at high intensities. However, when both a man and woman use the same training regimen, normally men's physical fitness capacity is higher. Fitness Advisory.org gives a basic description of how sex differences impact training and athletic performance. It is more than just hormones and genetics. Sexual dimorphism a product of millions of years of  biological evolution explain the physical differences between men and women. True, an exercise regimen should be tailored to women's specific biological and physiological attributes. The question about how women should train is still debated, yet it is clear women can do weightlifting in a similar fashion and still see impressive results. Compared to initial physical fitness levels women can make significant strength gains. Potential is not always related to sex. While at elite competition their are few women who could compete with men in terms of strength and speed, the athletically trained female would have more physical fitness capacity than an average male.There are also a multitude of factors that determines how much muscular hypertrophy can be attained and how strong a person can get. The problem with the Fitness Advisory. Org article is that it confuses physical fitness with physical fitness capacity. These are two different concepts. Physical fitness describes the ability of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular system to function under work or activity.Physical fitness capacity is a measurement of how fast, strong, or flexible a person is. This text from the website only gives some basic information. Before a woman or anybody embarks on an exercise regimen, they should have a plan and know what exactly are their fitness goals are. Women's fitness does not really differ from men's at all. It is just a difference in total physical fitness capacity and athletic performance.
         Endocrine function is an explanation for the difference in total muscle mass gain. The two major sex hormones produced in males and females includes estrogen and testosterone.Hormones are chemical messengers that give the body directions. Endocrine glands release hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones are produced by glands in the body.  Testosterone enables higher levels of protein synthesis and stimulates the production of red blood cells. The amount of free testosterone are critical for muscular hypertrophy. Simply put, it is not the total amount of testosterone that equates to more strength and muscle mass. The majority of it is bound to either non-specific proteins or sex hormone binding globulin. Estrogen creates more body fat in women. The thinnest woman compared to the thinnest man would still have a higher body fat percentage. Physical fitness capacity is equal between boys and girls up to a certain age. From infancy to about the age of 13 boys are not any stronger than girls. Sex hormones begin to produced in larger amounts when puberty starts. Secondary sex characteristics develop making sexual dimorphism more pronounced. Girls mature faster and for a while they may actually be physically bigger than boys. While slower to grow dramatic changes happen between two growth spurts.

There is a difference in training for aesthetics.  Bodybuilding is focused more on sculpting a physique rather than gaining as much strength as possible. 

There is little difference in physical fitness capacity in children of different sexes. Their bodies are still growing and developing. 

When  a man reaches his full growth he will have more muscle mass compared to the average woman. The difference in strength is more pronounced in the upper body compared to the lower body. 

A female weightlifter can easily be stronger than average men. 

During this period between growth spurts boys will have a strength spurt. Muscle and bone mass increases. The shoulders broaden. Men on average have more upper body strength compared to women. Ligaments and tendons also become more robust in males bodies. Girls do not get a strength spurt during puberty. Around age 15 women can stop growing having attained their full adult height. Males can still be growing until 18 years of age. Height can be influenced by genetics and nutrition. Children who do not get enough food will not grow as much as ones that reach their proper nutritional allotment. It is possible for some women to be physically bigger than some men. Men have more natural strength. As boys age their bone density increases along with their height. This also has implications on health later in life. Women if they do not get active in terms of  weight training exercise may be more vulnerable to osteoporosis. As people age they lose musculoskeletal mass in their bodies. The body also goes through sacropenia. Stress fractures or broken bones can become more of a health complication in old age. The only way to prevent chronic illness is not only to eat right, but to be physically active. Women who will live longer than men o average should take note of this to ensure high quality of life. The chart below shows a sample of boys and girls in the progression of their growth. The line that shows boys is solid, while the other for girls is segmented. From birth to age 12 there is no dramatic divergence. From ages 13 to 18 even the tallest girls are shorter than the tallest men. The physiological and biological changes have an impact on natural strength. The average 15 year teenage boy could weigh as much as 123 lbs compared to a teenage girl at 155 lbs according to the CDC. The size difference between men and women is based around human evolution. Over millions of years these differences in primary and secondary sex characteristics emerged from natural selection as well as mate choice from our hominid ancestors. The theory was that males needed to have more physical fitness for hunting, while women needed to focus on producing offspring. Another theory was that size difference was present as both a means of sex selection and competition for mates. There cannot be absolute certainty with such theories seeing as it is impossible to do direct observation of  hominid species that have been extinct for millions of years. What is known is the sexual dimorphism has decreased compared to other animals in the homo genus branch. Over the course of human evolution and history sizes have change among populations indicating that natural strength can be altered under certain conditions.

 Natural strength is the power the body has prior to a fitness regimen. Estrogen is required for women's bodies to generate enough fat for ovulation. Fat does not add to physical force rather acts a extra weight. Endocrine function also has an impact on weight loss. Women have a harder time losing weight. Seeing as body composition works in men's favor they can see faster loss when training or on a diet. Muscle burns more calories and building it can help with keeping weight off. Too often people have lost weight have found themselves regaining it.  Adjusting diet to exclude sugars and excessive fat can help along with a consistent exercise regimen.  Results of this vary depending on method rather than sex. Fitness Advisory stated " the same intensive workout will yield better results in men than in women." This is very much dependent on the somatotype of the man or woman in question. Ectomorphic people would have trouble building muscle compared to more mesomorphic individuals. Endomorphic body types struggle to lose weight. Training method can negate this to an extent. Lifting weights seems more effective than using a treadmill. Hormones are only a part of the complex aspects of fitness.
         Muscle contributes to strength. skeletal size, ligaments, and tendons also are part of the equation to ho much force the body can withstand under physical exertion.When examining the histology of male and female cells of muscle there is little difference. The process of muscular contraction and muscular hypertrophy is the same. Women have the ability to build muscle mass. The idea that muscles are toned does not have a basis in exercise physiology. Muscle on a female body is the same as muscle on a male body. The difference is in total amount. There are three types of muscles present in the human body. Voluntary muscle, which is another name for skeletal muscle responses by conscious control by nerves. This is the type of muscle attached to bones by tendons. When a weightlifter is moving a dumbbell the brain is controlling it getting chemical messages to the tissue. Cardiac muscles are part of the circulatory system. These muscles enable the heart to beat, which is critical in delivering blood to the tissue of the body. Involuntary muscles are also known as visceral. They appear in the stomach, intestines, the walls of both arteries and veins. There is some partial conscious control in some of these muscles, but it does not require a person to think intensely to induce movement. When it comes to pure brute strength the untrained man compared to an untrained woman has a huge advantage.

The women that are called bulky are not really that big at all. Most female bodybuilding competitors weigh less than 150 lbs. The biggest women can reach up to 170 lbs. That is not much compared to men in the sport who reach the 200 range in weight.

Women have the same structures such as sarcomeres and myofibrils 

Muscle quality is not the same as quantity. 

Men on average have at least an estimated 72.6 lbs of muscle compared to women's 46.2 lbs. This difference in muscle weight is only 26.4 lbs. The assumption would be that it would be much larger. When examining cross sectional area, the muscle quality and strength generation has the same potential. So to gain physical strength women would have to  use progressive overload. Training to a certain threshold will challenge the muscle inducing microtrauma. The muscle will respond to training by making the muscle stronger from the exercise stimuli. The unfortunate reality is that there is limited exercise physiology studies on women's athletic performance. There are also still myths and dated 19th century Victorian Age medical beliefs that dictate women's bodies are inferior. Certainly now, it realized that the female body is quite remarkable. The challenge is that the general public has a limited understanding of anatomy and health science.Women have often been presented as the weaker sex or incapable of physical prowess. It is true that on average men are estimated to be 30% stronger, while women can generate two thirds the strength. That calculates to 66.6% of male body strength. That is more then half, which indicates women may not be at such a disadvantage. Strength levels should be best described in a power scale. Just being male does not make one automatically stronger than all women. Women who strength train can either be equal to or surpass an average man.There clearly remains a difference in power scaling. The strongest woman would not be able to reach the level of  a man on the same athletic level. However, this is dependent on size. A much larger woman could generate enough force to physically subdue a smaller man. The female body is capable of great strength, but it means it will be harder to acquire.

The process may take longer for women to build muscle. Relative to weight loss, men have an easier time doing so due to hormones and body composition. While it may seem that men have all the physical advantages, compared to initial fitness level women can make an immense amount of progress. The text explains this by saying  "it does not mean women cannot have a toned body." The term toned does not have any scientific basis to it. Nor does the term bulky, which appears in various fitness literature. Women and men can both build muscle. The reason bulky and toned are used just demonstrates a gender bias in exercise and fitness. Women being "too muscular" or "too strong" show there is a level of sexism and body image conformity in the sports world. It should be remembered that even the most muscular women weigh less than the most muscular men. Iris Kyle ten time Ms. Olympia champion was 75 kg. Compared to Phil Heath  at 109 kg the Mr. Olympia champion from 2011 to 2017 that is minimal. The "bulky" female bodybuilders are really not that large compared to the weight of even an average man. When examining flexibility, women have a significant advantage. This does come with the risk of possible ACL tears. Women are prone to musculoskeletal injuries, but this can be avoided through strength training. Tendons are entirely strengthened to the same degree in women through training. The only solution to such problems is to have studies examine women's physical differences and produce a program that is suited to their needs. The muscular system can function the same way in women just like men. Recently, it was discovered that female weightlifters had either the same amount or more muscle fibers than their male counterparts ( female weightlifters crush stereotypes ). What this means is that much of the differences in strength may come down to body size. 

      Respiratory function should be mentioned in the discussion of fitness. The lungs and the transport of oxygen to body tissue is critical to athletic performance. Women run slower than men based on certain anatomical and physiological differences. The structure of the pelvis is wider in the female body, which reduces running speed. The Vo2max refers to the process in which oxygen is utilized during aerobic activity. Oxygen gets transported to the muscles during physical activity. Hemoglobin must carry oxygen through out the body to preserve the health and energies of the body tissue. 

It should be noted that there is a large collaboration between the muscular,skeletal,  nervous, and respiratory system in physical activity. Women have less hemoglobin levels, which means lower aerobic capacity. Smaller lings and hearts mean that women also have a harder time reaching male levels of running speed. Women may actually have an edge in terms of endurance and oxygen uptake ( women's oxygen uptake). This may explain why women would have an easier time with longer distances rather than sprints that require more muscular power. So, in that measure of physical fitness women may have an indicator higher than men. The reason red blood cells are bioconcave in shape is to enhance their ability to carry oxygen to much needed areas of the body. The basic physiology of the respiratory system is to supply oxygen to body cells and carry off carbon dioxide waste. The air that is inhaled through the trachea goes through the bronchi. The air will reach the lungs. The lungs contain what are known as bronchioles. The respiratory system also contains alveoli. Gases come through the alveolar walls. The intercostal rib muscles and the diaphragm have to draw in air and force it out in certain intervals. The lungs operate on two methods of respiration. The process of expiration involves the lung contracting. The diaphragm then must move up. The intercostal muscles relax and then air will be forced out the lungs. Inspiration requires the lungs to expand and the intercostal muscles contract. The diaphragm has to contract and flatten. The final result will be air coming into the lungs. The difference in the male and female respiratory system appears to be minimal. How it effects performance comes down to size of the organs and the structure of the body. 

        Reading exercise physiology text or sports statistics, one may reach several conclusions. Some are erroneous, because they do not take into account various factors. The first is that many assume that men are the better athletes. The problem with this is that there is more to being an athlete than just being at a peak physical fitness level. Skills are required to master a sport successfully. Weight classes are part of sports to ensure fairness and open competition no matter what a person's size. Women just happen to be smaller, but that does not make them low quality athletes. It is rare that a smaller man is called a poor athlete, rather people admire his skill. There is no reason that the same cannot be done for women. One myth that is persistent is that women are biologically and physically inferior. Sex differences do not constitute indications of inferiority. There is no scientific way to even prove such a concept, no matter how many still claim there is one. These positions are incorrect conclusions that are made by people with a sex and gender bias in the sports world. The more relevant and rational  position have more credibility. Can women benefit from exercise and fitness regimens? The data show that it can improve women's health in terms of bone mass and the maintenance of the musculoskeletal system. Women are at higher risk for osteoporosis and sacropenia due to the differences in body composition. If women live longer than men, it is important that they take preventative measures to avoid chronic illness. Female athletes still require more detailed studies to design training programs to improve their performance. Women in professional sports in large numbers has only been a recent phenomenon and exercise physiology has to catch up. Men's and women's fitness is not that different. The only difference is in total physical fitness capacity. Methods that work for men may not work for women. Beyond the sexes, a single exercise regimen or method may not work for each individual.  A precision based method of fitness could be developed to meets a person's needs. So far, this is only theoretical as more is being learned about the human body and sports performance. Women's full physical potential may not have been reached yet.