Should Men and Women Work Out Differently?

Men’s and women’s bodies are different, so shouldn’t that mean they need to work out differently?

It’s logical, but not factual. Here’s why…

A recent study looked at the gender differences in response to working out in people that hadn’t worked out before. They took measurements before starting an 8 week endurance training program, measurements immediately after a single workout, and measurements at the end of the 8 week program.

At baseline amongst these untrained people, there were definitely differences between men and women…

• Men tended to start with more muscle strength, and women tended more towards muscle endurance.

• Men tended to rely more on carbs during working out, while women tended to rely more on fat.

Many in the fitness industry would take that information and say “SEE?! THIS IS WHY MEN AND WOMEN NEED TO TRAIN DIFFERENTLY!!”

However, what they fail to look at is the differences after the 8 week training program.

Men and women responded essentially the same to the exact same endurance training program, and their original differences didn’t persist…meaning…

The type of workouts you do dictate the outcome, not your gender.

Regardless of how you start…

If you run a lot, you’ll get better endurance.

If you lift weights, you’ll get stronger.

It doesn’t matter your gender, your body will transform based on the specific training you do.

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What should Christians do with this information?

Don’t focus so much on things that matter very little, if at all.

The talking heads on the internet will try to make you think that tiny details will make or break your progress in the gym.

Focusing heavily on things that hardly matter make you very inefficient with the time spent taking care of your health, which wastes the time, money, and mental effort that you could have poured into serving God and the people around you.

If you want to be stronger - lift weights.

If you want more endurance - walk and run plenty.

If you have a lot of stiffness - move your body in different positions.

Longterm adaptations to working out are a reflection of what exercises you do, not your gender.