Research

Hormonal

Resistance exercise combined with protein ingestion stimulates myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) to a similar extent in men and women, despite men having significantly higher post-exercise testosterone levels.

If you are a woman, do not worry about your lower testosterone levels preventing muscle growth. Research shows that when you combine resistance exercise with protein intake, your muscles synthesize protein at the same rate as men's, despite men having much higher post-workout testosterone spikes. Focus on lifting heavy and eating enough protein; your body is equipped to build muscle effectively.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
MPS was elevated similarly in men and women (2.3- and 2.7-fold, respectively) 1–5 h postexercise and after protein ingestion following 24 h recovery... These results demonstrate minor sex-based differences in signaling responses and no difference in the MPS response to resistance exercise in the fed state.
Daniel W. D. West et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2012

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with precise tracer measurements and muscle biopsies, though small sample size (n=8 per group).

Source

Sex-based comparisons of myofibrillar protein synthesis after resistance exercise in the fed state

Daniel W. D. West et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2012

DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00170.2012

crossover · n=16Cited 144×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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