SHOULD WOMEN DIET AND TRAIN DIFFERENTLY FROM MEN?


 "I don't want to lift weights, if so, I'll train with lighter weights for it won't make me look as masculine as a man....." I bet most fitness trainers have come across this statement from female clients. What would be your response in such a situation with a client?


This concept stems from a few videos and photos of women that are into bodybuilding, who are seen lifting substantial amount of weights and have a masculine structure way above an average guy. This begs the question, is it even possible for ladies to build such muscle mass from regular training? 
A 2020 group photo of top five women's physique competitors.

Despite strength training being highly advocated by experts for the general population, a few of the ladies still feel skeptical about going all out in this. If so, should they train differently from men?

To put it  into perspective, there are a few facts we have to get right. It's difficult for any woman despite genetic-advantage, to pack as much muscle as the ladies in professional bodybuilding do. Relying on broccoli, chicken and rice to refuel the muscles with a goal in mind to be the next Mrs.Olympia (the biggest bodybuilding show in the world) is highly improbable. 

It's impossible without PEDs.

How different is the effects of resistance training in men compared to that of women?

Here is an image of the human anatomy.

The primary role of  muscles in the human body serves the same purpose despite the gender. Essentially, muscles aid in movement, stability, protection, heat production and metabolic functions.
 However, physiological differences, largely driven by hormones, influence muscle composition, strength, and functional tendencies across genders. 
This highlights the difference in the outcome and at times the approach of resistance training between males and females. 

Here are a few physiological components that can shed some light into this:
a) Hormones.
-Men have 10-15 times more testosterone than women. This highly contributes to their increase in  muscle protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy capabilities. Women's testosterone response to resistance training is smaller, but they still experience muscle growth just less absolute mass gain compared to men.
Testosterone and estrogen levels in both males and females in accordance to age. 

-High estrogen production in women provides a protective effect on muscles, reducing exercise-induced damage and enhancing recovery. This helps them experience less muscle breakdown and recover faster from resistance training sessions compared to men.
  It gives insights as to why at times when training with women, they end up doing more volume (sets and reps) than men. Some can argue that this is because during the session, these women are cruising on lighter loads as compared to men. 
-Women tend to have a higher cortisol response to resistance training, which can influence recovery and muscle breakdown in a negative way when it surpasses the threshold.
b) Muscle growth and strength.
-Studies show that relative hypertrophy (percentage muscle gain compared to starting point) can be similar between men and women, but absolute gains favor men. This is obviously as a byproduct of higher testosterone levels in men compared to women.

-Men’s upper body strength is significantly higher due to larger muscle cross-sectional area and greater neuromuscular activation. Lower body strength differences are somehow less, with women achieving closer relative strength to men, partly due to greater neuromuscular efficiency in lower body muscles. 
-Women often show better muscular endurance—meaning they can sustain effort for longer durations, particularly in lower body exercises.
c) Fatigue and recovery.
-Women tend to be more fatigue-resistant than men due to higher mitochondrial density and greater reliance on aerobic metabolism.  Some studies suggests that women's muscle type composition leans more towards type I, which are known to help in endurance. 

-Women recover quicker between sets, allowing them to maintain higher training volume.
-Estrogen’s protective effects reduce muscle damage in women, leading to faster recovery and less soreness post-training. Men experience more muscle breakdown due to higher testosterone and neuromuscular activation, which can prolong recovery.
-Women can often tolerate higher frequencies of resistance training without excessive fatigue buildup.
d) Body composition.
-Men generally have a higher percentage of lean muscle mass compared to women, which contributes to greater absolute strength gains from resistance training.

-Women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat, which can influence power output and performance in strength-based exercises.

How does diet differentiates the outcome of resistance training in men versus women?

a)  Protein intake.

-Higher testosterone levels in men enhances muscle protein synthesis and allows for greater muscle hypertrophy with adequate protein intake.
-Women rely more on estrogen, which supports muscle recovery and endurance but doesn’t drive muscle growth as aggressively as testosterone. 
-A high-protein diet (anywhere above a gram per body weight) combined with resistance training improves body composition in both men and women, but men may experience greater lean mass gains, while women may see better fat loss and muscle definition.
b) Carbohydrates and fat intake.
-Carbs are the primary fuel for high-intense resistance training. Men and women both rely on glycogen stores, but women tend to oxidize more fat during exercise, preserving glycogen longer. Adequate quality fats for women will definitely help in this.
Here are some of the foods with healthy fats.

-Dietary fat supports testosterone production, which is essential for muscle growth. Since men have higher baseline testosterone, they may experience greater muscle-building effects from adequate healthy fat intake.
c) Micronutrient intake.
- Speaking of this, women are more prone to iron deficiencies, which can impact energy levels and performance. Supplementing or constantly consuming foods rich in these micronutrients will be beneficial in the long run.
If a deficiency of some of these micronutrients is detected from 
the foods one consumes, then it will be wise to supplement it.

-Vitamin D, zinc and magnesium are some of the most important micronutrients for men. They help in testosterone production, protein metabolism and ATP production which are all important in the ensuring adequate results from resistance training.

Key points to note:
a) Preference.
Women often times train differently from men as a result of their wants and needs.

As men tend to be  focused on overall muscle hypertrophy, most women's approach to training will focus more on building lower body and losing fat mass. The movement pattern of the workout will be similar by the fact that in both genders, the body's biomechanics is the same.
b) Strength capacity.
Males are widely known to possess substantial amount of muscular power unlike women. This translates to their proper utilization of heavier loads. 
As said before, the movement pattern for conducting exercises is the same but execution might differ. In such a situation, women would opt to train differently for safety, neuromuscular capabilities and sustainability purposes for adequate results.
c) Menstruation cycles.
This can be a very critical phase for most women in regards to training and dieting. It's normally split into four phases where each phase has different output. 


-The first one is the common Menstrual phase which takes place between 1-5 days. As a result of low estrogen and progesterone levels, fatigue tends to be quite high as a result of iron loss in the body. This  contributes to minimal output from working out.
-Follicular phase which takes place between 6-14 days after the first phase.  Restoration of iron keeps estrogen levels quite high, resulting in quick muscle recovery and energy boost. This tends to be a great time to capitalize on quality training. Great time to utilize progressive overload in their workouts.
-Ovulation phase which takes place between 14-16 days. It is a short window for maximum performance. Estrogen is normally at its peak, which can be a great time to push the body just a little bit extra. Most men can a testify that this are the moments when most women are quite overhyped. 
-Luteal phase which occurs between 17-28 days. Increased fatigue and recovery needs are quite high. This is as a result of dominance in progesterone in the body which result in  increasing body temperature, reducing insulin sensitivity, and potentially causing fatigue. Reduction in the intensity of training would be quite ideal. A deload in the volume will help keep them consistent and prepare for the next phase.


All these have an impact on the training approach between men and women. 

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