Should men and women train differently?

When people discuss training regimens, there is always a heated debate over how to train. Some advocate that there is only one proper training style and that everyone should follow it. While others believe that if you do not personalize your training according to your body, diet, and daily schedule, you aren’t doing it right. In our minds, the truth is somewhere in between. And to help find that truth, we will answer the question – Should men and women train differently?

Differences between men and women

There is a reason why we separate sports into men’s and women’s leagues. Every sport that requires any amount of physical fitness makes a clear separation between men and women. On the rear occasions where they play together (like a tennis double or an exhibition match in basketball), you can clearly see the difference. If you simply go on Youtube, you can easily find video compilations where men beat women in physical sports with ease. Does this mean that men are better than women? Of course not. For instance, men have health problems that women don’t. It just means that when discussing physical fitness, you’d have a hard time proving there is no difference between men and women.

For the purpose of this article, we will discuss averages between men and women. As we all know, you can always cherry pick outliers that prove one point or another. But, if you are serious about finding out whether men and women are different, it is only reasonable to look at average results.

Physical

Let’s first tackle the apparent issue. Namely, is there a physical difference between a biological man and a biological woman? While gender has become a hot subject over the past year, we will try to give you a straightforward answer. Yes, there is. While it is difficult to put a clear line between man and woman, it only takes a bit of research to determine how different male and female physiques are. On average, men are faster, stronger, and more explosive. This is primarily due to them producing more testosterone and having less body fat.

Psychological

On average, men tend to be more disagreeable. The term “disagreeable” in this case refers to the Big 5 personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, Neuroticism). The difference is not that large. But, it is large enough to be noticed. This increase in disagreeableness is closely associated with increased aggression and competitiveness. These two traits play a significant role in how someone will perform in a sport, especially if they go at it competitively. So, while women can also be aggressive, men tend to be more aggressive, on average.

How men and women train differently – or do they

So, with all this in mind, it seems that men and women should train differently. After all, with all the psychological and physical differences, it only makes sense to separate them into groups (just like we do in sports). Well, not so much. All things considered, the same training regiment can apply to both men and women, according to the experts from DubaiPT. The only instance where different training for men and women makes sense is when there is competition involved.

Should men and women compete?

Here we can give a clear answer – no. When it comes to physical competition, men and women simply have no reason to compete together. If we play sports for fun or train solely to improve our physique, then yes. Men and women can efficiently train together. But, in a competitive environment, men will almost always pull ahead.

Due to both physical and psychological differences, men can train harder and longer. Their muscles recover quickly, and they lose body fat more rapidly. So, all things considered, if a woman is to compete with a man, she is likely setting herself up for disappointment. Again, this doesn’t mean that women cannot be faster, stronger, or more explosive than men. A trained professional will always beat a casual trainee, no matter the gender. But, it is essential to tailor the training regimen according to the trainee, which means that they will likely train differently than their opposite gender.

Training together

Fortunately for both men and women, plenty of training options do not entail competitiveness. Any aerobic exercise is an easy choice for both men and women. Training aerobic has numerous health benefits, and those know no gender. Cycling, swimming, walking, rowing – all of these are suitable for both men and women.

Lifting weights is often seen as a male-only activity. But, if you spend any amount of time in the gym, you will learn that it is far from so. The main thing to avoid is competing with someone or copying another person’s training. Doing so will either lead to injury or subpar results. The best workout regiment for you is the one that you can incorporate into your everyday life. That way, you can actually follow it and not give up after a couple of weeks.

Conclusion

As you can see, answering the question of “Should men and women train differently?” isn’t easy. If it is solely for fun and physical development, they don’t need to. Each person should be able to adjust the intercity of the training to fit their abilities and goals. Apart from gender, things like diet, daily habits, previous training experience, and age all play an important role. Therefore, unless you plan to separate people according to those factors, there is no need to separate them according to gender. On the other hand, if competition is involved, it only makes sense to separate them. If they train together, they should at least be aware of their differences and what to expect from themselves.