The Bottom Line:
- The article discusses the differences between men and women in terms of muscle gain and strength improvements from resistance training, based on recent meta-analyses.
- The findings suggest that while men may see slightly larger absolute increases in muscle size, the relative increases (as a percentage of their baseline) are similar between men and women.
- Women may experience more fast-twitch muscle fiber hypertrophy, while men may see more slow-twitch muscle fiber hypertrophy, but more research is needed to confirm this.
- Interestingly, the article suggests that women may actually gain more strength, especially in the upper body, compared to men when expressed as a percentage of their baseline strength.
- The author also discusses the implications for training, suggesting that women may benefit from slightly higher training volumes and frequencies compared to men, but more research is needed to confirm these recommendations.
Comparing Hypertrophy and Strength Gains in Men vs. Women
Differences in Muscle Fiber Composition and Recovery
On average, women tend to have a greater proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers compared to men. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are better suited for longer-duration efforts and tend to recover more quickly. Additionally, women generally have higher levels of estrogen, a sex hormone that may have a protective effect on muscle damage. Due to these differences in muscle fiber types and recovery capabilities, women may benefit from slightly higher training volumes, expressed as sets per muscle group per week, as well as slightly higher training frequencies compared to men.
Strength Gains: Potential Catch-up Effect
While men typically exhibit greater absolute strength gains compared to women, the research suggests that women may experience relatively larger strength increases, particularly in the upper body. This “catch-up” effect may be due to the fact that men often focus more on upper body training, whereas women tend to dedicate more attention to the lower body. As women become more trained, the gap in upper body strength between men and women appears to diminish.
Menstrual Cycle and Training Considerations
The impact of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance and adaptations is an area of ongoing research. Currently, there is no strong evidence to suggest that women need to periodize their training to align with different phases of the menstrual cycle. While there may be some short-term fluctuations in factors like fatigue, the existing research does not support the need for a specific training approach based on the menstrual cycle.
Physiological Differences Between Men and Women
Differences in Muscle Fiber Composition
On average, women tend to have a greater proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers compared to faster-twitch muscle fibers. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are better suited for longer efforts and tend to recover more quickly. This physiological difference may suggest that women can benefit from slightly higher training volumes, expressed as sets per muscle per week, and slightly higher training frequencies compared to men.
Differences in Recovery Capacity
Women tend to recover a little bit faster from a given exercise or workout, potentially due to higher levels of estrogen, a sex hormone that may be protective for muscle damage. This greater recoverability for women versus men could also imply that women may be able to tolerate slightly higher training volumes and frequencies than their male counterparts.
Menstrual Cycle Considerations
Women have to deal with the fluctuations of the menstrual cycle and potentially menopause. While there are differences in fatigability between the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle, current research suggests that it is premature to conclude that short-term fluctuations in reproductive hormones significantly influence acute exercise performance or longer-term strength and hypertrophic adaptations to resistance exercise. More research is needed in this area to provide definitive recommendations.
Implications for Training: Volume, Frequency, and Recovery
Implications for Training: Adjusting Volume, Frequency, and Recovery
Based on the physiological differences between men and women, there are some potential implications for how they should approach their training programs. On average, women may benefit from slightly higher training volumes and higher frequencies compared to men.
The research suggests that women tend to have a greater proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers compared to men. Slow-twitch fibers are better suited for endurance efforts and tend to recover more quickly. Additionally, women generally have higher levels of estrogen, which may contribute to faster recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.
These factors indicate that women may be able to tolerate and benefit from slightly higher training volumes, expressed as sets per muscle group per week, as well as higher training frequencies, where they train each muscle group more often throughout the week. The meta-analysis by Raastad and colleagues did not find significant differences in volume or intensity responses between men and women, but the physiological differences still suggest these adjustments may be advantageous for women.
Menstrual Cycle Considerations
Another important factor to consider is the impact of the menstrual cycle on training for women. While there have been claims that women should periodize their training to align with different phases of the menstrual cycle, the current research does not provide strong evidence to support this approach. According to experts like Lauren Buscemi, the short-term fluctuations in reproductive hormones during the menstrual cycle do not appear to significantly influence acute exercise performance or long-term strength and hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training.
Individualized Approach
It’s important to note that these are general guidelines, and individual responses may vary. The optimal training program for a woman should be tailored to her specific goals, training experience, and individual physiological characteristics. Monitoring progress, adjusting variables as needed, and being open to individual differences are crucial for maximizing results for both men and women.
Strength Gains: Potential Catch-Up Effect for Women
Potential for Catch-Up in Strength Gains for Women
One of the interesting findings from the meta-analysis was the potential for a “catch-up effect” when it comes to strength gains between men and women. While men typically start out with greater upper body strength, the research suggests that women may actually experience greater relative strength gains in the upper body compared to men when exposed to the same training program.
Upper Body Strength Gains
The meta-analysis by Roberts and colleagues found that the effect sizes actually leaned in favor of women gaining more strength, expressed as a percentage increase, compared to men. For example, if a man started with a 200 lb max and gained 20 lbs, that would be a 10% increase. Whereas a woman starting with a 100 lb max who gained 15 lbs would be a 15% increase.
This effect was more pronounced for upper body strength in the untrained state. The authors suggest this may be because most men tend to train their upper body more readily, whereas women may focus more on the lower body. So when women are exposed to an upper body focused training program, they may experience faster “catch-up” gains in that area compared to their male counterparts.
Lower Body Strength Gains
A similar effect was also observed for lower body strength, with the meta-analysis finding that the effect sizes leaned in favor of women gaining more strength than men when exposed to the same training program. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but the authors speculate it may relate to differences in muscle fiber type adaptations between men and women.
Overall, these findings suggest that while men may start out stronger, particularly in the upper body, women may be able to experience comparable or even greater relative strength gains when training is equated. This highlights the importance of not making assumptions about the training capacities of women based solely on their starting strength levels.
Menstrual Cycle and Training Periodization
Menstrual Cycle and Training Periodization
The menstrual cycle is a unique physiological factor that women must consider when it comes to training and exercise. While there have been claims that women should periodize their training to match different phases of the menstrual cycle, the current research evidence does not strongly support this approach.
Hormonal Fluctuations and Exercise Performance
Research has shown that there are differences in factors like fatigue levels between the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. However, according to sports scientist Lauren Benson, “it is premature to conclude that short-term fluctuations in reproductive hormones appreciably influence acute exercise performance or longer-term strength or hypertrophic adaptations to resistance exercise.”
Individualized Approach
While the research is still limited, it may be the case that some women respond better to higher rep ranges on average compared to men. However, the evidence is currently insufficient to make definitive recommendations about training periodization based on the menstrual cycle. The most prudent approach is to adopt an individualized training program that takes into account each woman’s unique needs, preferences, and responses to different training variables.
