Main differences between female and male strength training

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2013-09-08

First, I want to clarify. In this article, when I refer to strength training, I mean not only workouts aimed purely at increasing strength but also any training in the gym in general. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether men's and women's training sessions in the gym differ so significantly. Or do they have more in common than differences? Let's start from the beginning.

1. Exercises

In men's training plans, there are almost always more exercises for the upper body, while women focus more on the lower body. This is not due to physiological necessity but rather aesthetic preference.

Indeed, the muscular structure is the same for both men and women. Theoretically, the exercises should be identical. However, perceptions of beauty in the human body demand that men have a more imposing upper body, while women are expected to have slender arms and rounded glutes. By the way, nature itself has ensured that men have a stronger upper body, whereas women tend to have a stronger lower body.

I also want to point out that there are no strictly "women's" exercises that men cannot perform, nor are there strictly "men's" exercises that women cannot do. From a physiological standpoint, any strength exercises can be effectively performed by both men and women. Therefore, it is incorrect to categorize exercises by gender.

2. Number of Exercises

Under the same conditions, men will typically have fewer exercises than women. This is due to one simple physiological reason: women are more enduring. They can train for longer and with greater intensity than men. Therefore, if a workout consisting of ten exercises terrifies a man, it is a fairly normal occurrence for a woman.

3. Number of Repetitions

Since women are more enduring but less strong, they are more comfortable working with lighter weights but more repetitions than men. Additionally, their bones and tendons are thinner and not designed for maximal loads. For gaining weight, men usually work in the range of 6 to 12 repetitions in basic exercises. In contrast, women will use 12 to 15 repetitions for the same goals.

4. Intensity

For both men and women, the intensity of workouts holds the same importance. However, because women are more enduring, they find it easier to perform more intense workouts. This can include supersets and circuit training. Such an approach will not yield significant muscle mass, but that is not what they need. Conversely, getting men to train in a circuit is very challenging, even if they understand they need to lose weight.

Conclusions

The differences in men's and women's workouts are dictated by just two factors:

1. Differences in physiology. Women are more enduring but less strong than men. Additionally, due to the dominance of female hormones, women are more predisposed to gaining subcutaneous fat.

2. Training goals. Rarely does a woman want to develop large muscles and become a strongman, even if she is slim and aims to gain weight. And no man would refuse larger, stronger "cans".

But in reality, all these differences are merely quantitative in nature, not qualitative. A few more repetitions, a bit less weight, slightly higher intensity... I see no radical differences. The same exercises, the same physiological laws.