Fitness Facts : The Differences Between Men and Women

1. Whilst men may have higher relative amounts of testosterone than women, women may have higher relative amounts of growth hormone than men.
2. Women burn more body fat than men during exercise but a man’s metabolism will keep burning fat for longer than women after exercise.
3. Progesterone levels in men and women are identical during the first 14 days of a woman's cycle.
4. Men need to control testosterone converting into oestrogen via the hormone aromatase which can result in fat storage around the chest in men.  Factors known to increase aromatase activity include age, obesity, insulin, gonadotropins, and alcohol.
5. Oestrogen is like female testosterone, it helps build muscle and burn fat.
6. Some commentators are reporting that progesterone causes muscle loss.  A recent study of over 2,400 people, conducted by the US FDA, found that as few as 4 respondents reported muscle loss when taking progesterone supplements.  All of those respondents that reported muscle loss were aged 55 – 59 years and the survey report suggests that age was the major contributing factor not the progesterone.
7. Both men and women have higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, after exercising.  Cortisol enhances the body’s ability to store fat and provides the metabolic triggers for utilising muscle protein as an energy source.  Consuming carbohydrates with your post-workout shake will minimise the effects of the elevated cortisol levels and preserve your muscle mass.
8. Women may do better with low intensity exercise like walking, for fat loss, when it follows more intense activity.  High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a perfect workout to achieve this.
9. Andropause is the male version of menopause and involves declines in testosterone.  Supplementing with a quality testosterone booster may alleviate the symptoms of decreased testosterone levels.  A great herbal supplement is the combination of Bulgarian Tribulus, ZMA and Fenugreek.  Any good Naturopath will be able to supply this combination.
10. Men and women with high amounts of testosterone and low amounts of cortisol will be the leanest and most muscular through the midsection and arms.
11. When men bulk it is due to muscle, when female bulk it is due to slight gains in muscle without burning fat (like putting on a jacket over two sweaters.
12. Women may benefit more from light weight, high repetition exercises when lifting weights while men may benefit from lifting heavier weights.
13. Women have larger thyroids compared to men and suffer from more thyroid issues.  Thyroid function can be easily checked with a blood test and an under-active thyroid can often be helped with iodine supplementation.
14. A good way for men to subjectively track fat loss is to measure their waist.  For women, both the waist and the bust can help distinguish fat loss from weight loss.  For a definitive and very accurate measure of your body fat changes, ask your Trainer to take regular skinfold measurements.
15. Women have more alpha receptors in the hips and thighs compared to men making fat loss from this area happen a lot more slowly.
16. Men are bigger, faster and stronger but women have greater pain thresholds, faster recovery and more endurance than men.
17. Women are more likely to cross train compared to men and more likely to exercise in groups.
18. Men have mainly Type II muscle fibres that can become thicker and provide bulk.  Women tend to have more of the type I muscle fibres that are not able to grow as big but can become much stronger.
19. Both men and women show lowered hormonal effect to exercise as they age, but older populations still get a hormonal burst from exercise.
20. Men respond to lifestyle changes faster and tend to lose weight more quickly than women. Women are far more likely to "diet" compared to men.

Copyright © 2014 by Drew Dale

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