February 28, 2024 – We know we now have to exercise. It strengthens our cardiovascular health, strengthens muscles and ultimately contributes to our longevity and quality of life. But in line with latest research, women may profit more from physical activity than men. Does this mean there ought to be gender-specific guidelines for exercise?
It seems that there isn’t a expert consensus on the subject of recommending different exercises based on sex and gender.
Strength trainingFor example, it ought to be a vital a part of everyone's training program. But it's especially essential for girls to include strength training into their routine, says Phillip Williams, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine, largely due to their higher risk of osteoporosis as they approach menopause.
“Strength training improves bone density more than any other type of exercise,” says Williams. “As an orthopedic surgeon, I definitely encourage any woman who may be at risk of osteoporosis to have a good strength training program that challenges their muscles on a regular basis.”
The current guidelines published The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that strength training – also called resistance training – be incorporated into everyone's routine a minimum of twice every week.
There is not any specific time period for muscle strengthening exercises, but it’s endorsed to perform one or two sets of 8-12 repetitions of the identical movement. These sets can include bicep curls, deadlifts, bench presses, push-ups, etc.
The latest studypublished within the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that early death rates consistently decreased by as much as 24% amongst women who exercised; For men who exercised the identical amount, the speed of early death only fell by 15%.
Although the earlier you begin strength training the higher, it's never too late to begin, Williams said. The advantages of strength training, especially for girls, can still be felt even when you're just starting out in your 60s.
Although men don't see as high rates of improvement in bone density from strength training as women, Williams said, men do Patients with osteoporosis see significant improvements.
Where men may fall short, in Williams' experience, is in flexibility.
“Men typically suffer from tendon tears because they do not have enough flexibility and do not stretch their tendons and muscles during exercise,” Williams said. “Men are more likely to have tears in their Achilles tendons, biceps tendons, etc. because they play sports.”
That's why men of all ages should experiment with exercises which can be typically dominated by women yoga And Pilates. Male-dominated sports and types of exercise typically involve “explosive movements,” but neglecting the stretching exercises that yoga and Pilates can provide could be harmful and result in more muscle strains and tendon tears.
However, many experts imagine that every one people, no matter gender and gender identity, should follow the identical basic exercise routines.
“Everyone should want to achieve all pillars of fitness, including strength training, endurance, aerobics, flexibility and balance,” said David Janke, an American College of Sports Medicine-certified exercise physiologist on the University of California, San Francisco Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. “This applies to men and women.”
The only difference Janke sees within the gender differences in training is that men and ladies tend to take care of their weight and muscle mass. Studies have shown that, on average, women are inclined to have the next percentage of body fat than men; They also are inclined to store extra weight of their glutes, while men normally store extra fat of their abdominal region.
But even with this information, there isn't much data to support the effectiveness of what many call “spot training,” or performing specific exercises to focus on “problem areas” on the body.
Janke saw the identical thing when he worked with people recovering from heart attacks.
“In my experience, selective training doesn't seem to benefit people – men or women – as much as just focusing on training all muscle groups,” Janke said. He prescribes the identical routines to everyone, no matter gender and gender.
Strength training Tips for girls:
- Use your personal body weight: push-ups, squats and lunges are a part of strength training.
- If you’ve got free weights like dumbbells or barbells, you may add bicep curls, bench presses, deadlifts, and more. You may also add dumbbells to your body weight exercises so as to add an additional challenge.
- Weight machines could appear intimidating on the gym, but they're not as scary as they appear – so long as you take heed to your body and search for the fitting form. You will help goal much more targeted muscle groups with exercises like hamstring curls, chest presses, side pulldowns, and more.
Flexibility suggestions for men:
- Stretching Exercises: Making an easy stretching exercise an everyday a part of your pre- or post-workout routine can go a good distance toward stopping injuries.
- Yoga has all of it on the subject of stretching, and also you don't should pay for expensive classes either. With online classes and YouTube tutorials, weekly doses of yoga can assist you get the essential amount of stretching you could be missing out of your fitness routine.
- Pilates: Similar to weight machines within the gym, Pilates reformers can seem intimidating at first. But you don't have to begin with the reformer; You can construct on this by doing floor exercises on a mat. However, when you are capable of get right into a reformer, courses are your only option to totally understand what the machine can do in your flexibility potential.