Differences in motor qualities between men and women

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2013-06-25

So, it is widely known that girls possess much fewer physical capabilities than boys. But this is complete nonsense! Nature has endowed both sexes equally. I say this to you as a coach and as someone who has studied physiology for several years. Let me explain why.

The qualities that manifest during various movements are referred to as motor qualities. Physiologists generally distinguish five motor qualities in humans:

• Strength
• Speed
• Endurance
• Flexibility
• Agility

These are the qualities that are exhibited by a person during physical exercises and everyday activities.

“Male” Qualities

So, men predominantly exhibit only two motor qualities: strength and speed. Strength and speed refer to the muscle strength and the speed of their contraction. In other words, the male body is more geared towards powerful short-duration work.

Men are less enduring than women. Any physiologist will tell you this. And there’s no need to argue about flexibility.

“Female” Qualities

Women excel in endurance and flexibility. Don’t be surprised; women are more enduring than men. Their bodies are adapted for prolonged work. I know this because I studied physiology. And I notice it both in training and in everyday life.

Agility is equally present in both men and women. Therefore, I do not consider girls to be the "weaker sex." I am convinced that nature has endowed both sexes equally in physical terms.

Now, let me elaborate a bit about strength. It is generally considered that women are several times weaker than men. I believe that the average man is about 1.5 times stronger than a woman. For example, world records for women and men in weightlifting differ by only 25% - 30% in the same weight categories. And weightlifting is a power-speed sport where speed and strength are the decisive motor qualities.

After a year of training, an average "housewife" can squat with 70 kg and deadlift 90 kg. Meanwhile, men of the same weight and fitness level perform a maximum of one and a half times more.

Conclusions

In general, I do not consider girls to be physically disadvantaged compared to men. Women are weaker, but not by much. And they are more enduring. I do not wish to prompt men to pity their women. I just want to show girls that in reality, they are not as weak and defenseless as they might think.