Research
Hormonal
Male sex is associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) compared to female sex.
On average, men have higher cardiorespiratory fitness than women. This is a biological difference, not a measure of worth. Regardless of sex, improving your fitness through activity is crucial for health. Focus on your own progress rather than comparing yourself to the opposite sex.
GoodSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Male sex... [was] independently and consistently associated with CRF.
Why this rating
Consistent findings across 6 studies, though fewer studies than for age or BMI.
Source
Correlates and Determinants of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adults: a Systematic Review
Johannes Zeiher et al. · Sports Medicine - Open · 2019
DOI 10.1186/s40798-019-0211-2
systematic_reviewCited 170×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Higher levels of leisure-time physical activity are consistently and positively associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adults.Strong
- Higher body mass index (BMI), body weight, and waist circumference are inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).Strong
- Increasing age is inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).Strong
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