Mixed
Females have a higher Critical Power (CP) relative to single-limb isometric exercise intensity compared to males, but CP is similar between sexes during whole-body exercise when normalized to maximum capacity.
For whole-body exercises like cycling or running, men and women have similar Critical Power relative to their maximum capacity. However, for single-limb tasks, women may have a higher threshold for fatigue. Use metabolic thresholds (like CP) to prescribe intensity rather than fixed percentages of maximums to ensure accurate comparison and training loads.
Thus, the beneficial metabolic properties of female skeletal muscle (diffusive capacity) may counteract a reduced ability of females to deliver oxygen (convective capacity) relative to males during fatiguing whole body exercise. Consequently, CP is shown to be similar between the sexes, even when expressed relative to a maximum.
Why this rating
Supported by specific studies cited (Ansdell et al., 2019a, 2020) and physiological principles.
Source
Physiological sex differences affect the integrative response to exercise: acute and chronic implications
Paul Ansdell et al. · Experimental Physiology · 2020
DOI 10.1113/ep088548
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