Female vs. male? Have you ever heard the phrase: “Don't compare yourself to someone else, rather let yourself be inspired by them”? Personally, I think it's a great way to avoid constantly comparing yourself to unattainable standards. However, sometimes a good comparison does make sense.
Women's and men's bodies are different. I think we all know that. However, so far this has been widely ignored by sience and the male body has been taken as the standard - for almost everything.
For example, the recommended (and tested!) dose of a medication which is found on the package leaflet is actually often a recommendation for men. The dose has many times not been tested on women. The suggested dose for women: slightly less than for men. Can you believe that?!
The same applies to sport. Almost all training recommendations are oriented towards the male body. The same training is used for women; same days, same training, just somewhat more moderate. Anyone who still trains women in exactly the same way as men has not understood women's anatomy nor taken it into consideration in their training plan.
Here are a few comparisons between women's and men's bodies to help you understand why women and men should be trained or given medicine differently:
men have a 24hr cycle, whereas women have a 3-4 week cycle
women menstruate. men don't
the predominant male hormone is testosterone, which peaks in the morning. the predominant female hormones are estrogen and progesterone, which have different peaks during those 3-4 weeks and different effects on the body
men have on average 6% more blood cells than women (testosterone increases red blood cell production)
women have a smaller heart, a smaller heart volume and smaller lungs
a healthy body fat percentage is between 12-30% for women and 5-25% for men. it is therefore not necessarily healthy for women to aim for a body fat percentage in the single digets
during regeneration, women tend to burn more carbohydrates and men tend to burn more fat
progesterone (one of the predominant female hormones in the second half of the menstrual cycle) can increase muscle reduction, which is why it is essential for women to consume a sufficient amount of protein after training
men sweat more and more quickly than women because thermoregulation works differently due to the different hormones
female joints tend to be more flexible than male joints. this is why women should focus on strenthening the joints more
Despite all of these differences, women in no way “lose” to men in sports (a correct-trained woman can definitely keep up with men). One is not better than the other. We are just different. It was important for me to explain why it can make sense to train differently as a woman than as a man. And why health studies finally need to get their asses up and study female bodies. It's 2024! Let's get equal - in medicine, too, please. Thank you.
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