Mixed
Females and males experience similar relative increases in muscle hypertrophy and lower-body strength when following the same resistance training protocol, but females exhibit a significantly larger relative increase in upper-body strength.
If you are a female starting resistance training, do not expect your absolute strength numbers to match males, but expect your relative improvements in upper-body strength to be greater than males. For muscle size and lower-body strength, your relative progress will be on par with males. Stick to the same training protocols used by males; you do not need a different program to see excellent results.
We found that males and females adapted to resistance training with similar effect sizes for hypertrophy and lower-body strength, but females had a larger effect for relative upper-body strength.
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 studies with robust variance modeling, though heterogeneity was high for strength outcomes.
Source
Sex Differences in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Brandon M. Roberts et al. · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · 2020
DOI 10.1519/jsc.0000000000003521
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →