Because of the way our bodies are constructed, because of the hormones that predominate in a woman’s body and, let’s face it; because of the way we think, women’s fitness is different than that of men’s.
Women need to do different things or do the same things differently than men so that they are able to reach their fitness goals. Women’s fitness regimens need to be different from men’s for a number of reasons:
Testosterone: This is the hormone that makes it somewhat easier for men to lose the fat and build muscle. Things like height and weight being the same, a man will see better results for the same amount of effort than will the woman.
Testosterone makes it easier for men to bulk up when they do weights, however women will not put on the same amount or kind of muscle when they do weights or resistance exercises.
Instead women will find help in toning, firming and defining their muscles with resistance training. Their risk of osteoporosis also decreases due to this kind of workout.
Muscle versus fat: Nature designed us in a way that we women tend to carry more weight than men; whereas men naturally have higher proportions of muscle in their bodies.
Men’s metabolism is also different than women’s. Men tend to burn more calories more easily even when at rest. This is the reason that women have to work harder to get the same results.
Some experts also believe there are differences in lung functions and eating behavior which causes differences among men and women.
Flexibility: On the whole women tend to be more flexible than men; this can be used to our advantage. This is also why women tend to prefer certain kinds of workouts and find them to be more effective than others.
Not only do women find they are better able to perform routines such as Yoga and Pilates, they are better able to extract results from them.
Mental make-up: It may sound like stereotyping but by and large fitness is viewed differently by men and women. Most commonly, women equate fitness with being a certain body size or weight loss to put it in even simpler terms. Usually, men will work out in order to put on muscle and bulk up.
Also for women it is preferable when fitness related activity is group based or is holistic in nature. The social aspects of working out matter as much to women; taking a dance class or enrolling for yoga or Pilates with others may be more important than it is for men.
