Differences in physiology, hormones and endurance make the average male athlete stronger than the average female athlete. While cardiovascular and muscular adaptations are similar, the ability for a man's body to change outperforms his female counterpart.
Anatomical Differences
Several anatomical differences contribute to the athleticism differences between sexes. Most women have a higher percentage of body fat than men, which is caused by the essential fat that women carry in their breasts and thighs. Another important factor to is the difference in size of organs. In general, men have larger hearts and lungs, increasing their ability to deliver oxygen and blood to working muscles. Author Nadya Sweden, in the book "Women's Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation," says women, on average, are 3 to 4 inches shorter, 25 to 30 lbs. lighter, have 8 percent to 10 percent more body fat, 40 to 45 fewer pounds of fat-free mass, shorter extremities and less muscle.
Muscle Fiber Differences
A difference in sport performance can also have to do with the anatomy of a muscle. The physiological characteristics of muscle fiber between a male and female athlete's body do not differ significantly. However, the difference comes in the response to training. Most muscular hypertrophy is stimulated by the release of testosterone and androgen. Women have less of these hormones and more estrogen, which can actually inhibit muscular growth.
Endurance
Male endurance athletes are generally about 10 percent faster in most endurance athletic events such as track and swimming. Better male endurance times might stem from physiological differences that cause an increase in oxygen transport and blood flow. In general, men have the ability to pump more blood and deliver more oxygen to working muscles because of an increase in heart size and hemoglobin content of the blood. However, as athletic ability in a sport increases, the differences between male and female athletes decreases.
High-Intenstity Sport Performance
For higher intensity exercises such as maximal exercise capacity tests, men can outperform women. This might stem from the increased output of epinephrine and blood lactate. According to the book "Exercise Physiology," this might be due to the male's ability to better respond to intense exercise. The male body may be better equipped to respond both hormonally and metabolically to high intense exercise.
References
- "Women's Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation"; Nadya Swedan; 2001
- "Exercise Physiology"; George A. Brooks, Thomas D. Fahey, Kenneth M. Baldwin; 2005
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