It’s true that men and women seem to come from two different planets, but how different are we when we exercise?
The main difference between men and women is that women can give birth to children. Other than pelvic and carrying angles, men and women are structured very similarly.
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The biggest difference between the sexes is physiological: the ability to generate power in the muscles (muscle fibres). This power generation has no significance, however, for the average individual who wants to exercise to keep fit and healthy.
The principles of training are the same for men and women. The training principles are universal regardless of the training programme.
Men and women evaluated equally According to sport scientists from The American College of Sports Medicines, an exercise programme for a man or woman is determined by an evaluation of the individual’s response to exercise. This evaluation includes observations of heart rate, blood pressure, subjective response to exercise and functional capacity measured during a graded exercise test.
Myths about women lifting weights Many women believe lifting weights will transform themselves into Amazons with big, highly defined muscles. This is a myth and misconception, as very few women actually have the exceedingly rare gene that will allow them to develop large, defined muscles. Only several women out of 10 000 could ever develop the appearance of a top bodybuilder.
High intensity training best The second misconception is that “toning” in women is synonymous with a large amount of aerobic training, which is presumed to keep the individual “small”, control weight and maintain fitness. This regime has no scientific basis, however. The idea of toning seems to involve not putting in much effort (intensity), but rather doing a great deal of work (volume) – many sets, many repetitions.
This has been known to be an ineffective training method for 50 years.
Lower-intensity toning does not work the muscle fibres adequately, only working the slow-twitch fibres. It is ineffective and a total waste of time. One set of high intensity exercise is more effective. This is where a high degree of effort, although not necessarily a great deal of weight is required.
High intensity training is the surest way for men and women to effectively weight train and this is incompatible with high volume (doing lots of sets) and high frequency. Usually in training, more is not better, it’s worse.
Low aerobic training low in burning calories Lower to moderate-intensity aerobic training has been shown to be low in “burning” calories and does virtually nothing for your cardiovascular fitness. Therefore intensity seems to be the key factor again.
Safely and progressively training at 75-85 percent and occasionally 90 percent of your maximum heart rate (which is 220 minus your age) can do a great deal to increase a woman’s fitness and the rate of caloric expenditure is high.
An interesting theory proposes that if a woman and a man train for the same period and at the same intensity that will allow them to run a 20-hour marathon, they will finish in the same time. A great example of this was when Frith van der Merwe ran the comrades in under six hours thereby finishing in the top 20 of all the finishers.
Its plain and simple, men and women can exercise on the same planet. There is no difference in the principles of exercising programmes for men and women and both can exercise at the same intensity for the same duration. So women can train like men and be as fit as men without the bulging muscles to match.
Any exercise better than nothing But any exercise is better than nothing. According to a study published in the latest edition of Science, moderate-intensity activities such as walking or cycling will increase your metabolic rate. Someone who engages in moderate physical activity will be better off than a sedentary counterpart who does nothing, according to the American Heart Association. - (Avinesh Prusad, biokineticist at the Sport Science Institute)
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