Why don’t Men and Women Benefit Equally from Doing the Same Exercises?

Ever trained identically with a partner or friend of the opposite sex and wondered why their results are different from yours? Why do men seem to lose fat faster, or gain muscle quicker? Why can women run longer and not fatigue as quickly?

I train a mixture of genders, and witness first-hand the difference that genes, hormones and mental-attitude can have on results.

There was some research in 2024 by Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai academic healthcare
organisation in Los Angeles which revealed that women will achieve greater cardiovascular benefit
than men even if they exercise less frequently. Studies also found that, when it comes to longer term
health and wellbeing benefits e.g. greater longevity, women probably don’t have to work out as
much as men to achieve similar value from the exercise.

My own experience as a PT has shown me that, while women are (potentially) capable of doing the
same exercises as men, it is a physiological fact that the female body is different to the male
physique and therefore everyone’s expectations of their capabilities and outcomes have to be
managed with this in mind. For example, simply put, men have a natural advantage with anaerobic exercise (HIIT, weightlifting…any short, high-intensity bursts of exercise)while women are more disposed towards those types of exercise which are more focused on endurance (long distance running/cycling/swimming).

This does not mean, however, that you should only train in that one area.

With Personal Training, exercises are designed to extract the greatest benefit for the exerciser, so, for males, the workout will be more likely to include elements which utilise their greater muscle mass due to their higher levels of testosterone which increases the rate of muscle growth and also speeds recovery.

Women simply don’t have the same hormonal make-up which means they do not possess the equivalent
muscle mass nor do they experience the same rate of muscle growth.

Body fat plays a part in differentiating the impact that certain exercises have on women and men.
Men’s body fat is generally lower than women’s (hormones again!) and is stored mainly around the
internal organs, whereas women’s body fat is deposited largely nearer the surface, under the skin.
This variance in distribution of body fat can affect levels of energy during exercise.

Why women should still weight-lift
One major difference in level of benefit for women over men is in the area of strength training which
can deliver a long-term payoff in the form of healthier joints and bones and can help offset the
impact of lower bone density (common issue in Women over 50).

What I have discovered over the years as a PT is that women come to PT having done a range of cardio-based exercise before (dance, walking, running), but never tried strength-training. But I introduce anaerobic exercises, such as power-focused sessions, to ensure that they are challenged to move outside their comfort zone.

Another win for the ladies:
Studies have found that women cope with endurance-based exercises better than men and can recover more quickly than men after exercise. Women also have better staying power than men which means they can keep going for longer!

Why men should still do cardio:
On the other hand, my male clients can gain more from cardio because it’s a challenge for them. It
burns fat and promotes endurance which are the outcomes that deliver the benefits they seek over
and above the training paybacks they are more familiar with (being more accustomed to strength training and anaerobic workouts).

What is the “Takeaway”?
Men’s and women’s bodies (and minds) react differently to the same exercise. Different levels of
strength, hormones, muscle fibre differences and Cardiovascular variations all play their part. Basically, whether you’re a man or a woman, you need to be provided with a fitness and wellbeing programme to suit you – which plays to your strengths, but also challenges your ‘weaknesses’.

Research and Acknowledgements
https://www.cedars-sinai.org
https://www.nih.gov
https://drlauryn.com
https://obefitness.com