Should Females Train Differently Than Males?

First, I would like to thank everyone for the outpour of love and support after my last blog. It truly meant a lot and I’m grateful that it has already helped many people. Thank you all so much and please, let me know if I can do anything for anyone to help battle their own inner demons.

Now, if you paid any attention to the news or social media in the past week, you would have seen how the NCAA completely embarrassed themselves by setting up a “weight room” for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. This “weight room,” which looked to be in a hotel closet, consisted of a single weight tree going up to 25 pounds and a few yoga mats. Meanwhile, the players in the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament were provided a top of the line training facility which seemed to be five times the size of the women’s “weight room” and it was outfitted with every possible piece of equipment. The outrage was warranted. In the past, there was the notion that men lifted heavy weights and women stuck to the low impact exercises such as yoga or jogging. Fast forward to present times—and apparently some individuals still believe that to be reality. This is a topic I’ve been wanting to cover for quite some time, and the NCAA incident made the need for discussion around, “should females train differently than males?” that much more of a priority.

So, should females and males train differently? The short answer is, no. They should not train differently, however it's not always that simple and there are a few subtle differences that should be mentioned. For both genders, you must first identify the person’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their goals. So a dad with a bad shoulder who just wants to be able to pick up his son is going to train differently than a highschool girl that has no injuries and is working towards an athletic scholarship. Considering these details, obviously the two people would not be working the same program. However, if a male and female have similar goals and fitness experiences‚ they can have a much similar program. Gender does not define the type of workout or program that is built for each person.  Each program is developed to speak to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual—like addressing tight hip flexors or a weak upper back. 

Furthermore, let's not forget about the myth that if women start strength training, they are going to get big and bulky. This could not be further from the truth. Testosterone and human growth hormone are two major hormones involved in building muscle. Everyone has them. 

However, on average, women have 15-20% less testosterone than men. This means women literally cannot build muscle like men. They can get strong, explosive, and powerful, but their muscles do not naturally have the potential to grow like a man’s muscles do. That is not to say they can’t or that all women are weaker than all men. I know some very strong women who work very hard and have the build for bigger muscles. These women are much stronger than men who do not work out or even if they do, some men don’t have the build for large muscles. If a woman just wants to get toned or look like they work out, they are going to have to lift heavy weight. They need to build the muscle in order to display it, and in lifting heavy weight, you will actually burn more calories! Cardio is great for burning calories, but they only burn while you’re doing cardio. Muscle, however, is a different beast -- it requires your body to burn calories all day long just to maintain itself. If you enjoy cardio or light weight circuits, by all means continue to do it. Just know that because you lift heavy weight and build muscle, does not mean you are going to look like the Rock! 

One subtle difference between a male and female program will also come from the gender’s makeup. Since females have less muscle mass on average than males do, they are more susceptible to deconditioning or losing what they built in the weight room. This means females should continue to train during their competitive season because the drop-off in strength is more dramatic for females when strength training is stopped. 

Bottom line, everybody is different. However, the same basic principles should always be applied. Don’t be afraid to lift heavy and listen to your body so you don’t over do it.

- Coach Tom