Here's One Way Women Are Fitter Than Men, According to Science

Women can exercise longer than men can before getting tired, a new review says. Ladies, you now have some science-backed bragging rights: Women can exercise for longer than men before getting tired, according to a new scientific review. It’s not because women are stronger; men are generally more powerful than comparably fit females. But here’s the catch: Women’s muscles tend to be more resistant to fatigue than men’s, which means they can perform at the same relative intensity for a longer duration. “I may not be able to bench-press the same amount of weight as a big muscle-bound guy, but if you ask us both to perform a contraction at 100% of our maximum strength and sustain it as long as we can, I should be able to outperform him," explains study author Sandra Hunter, PhD, associate professor of exercise science at Marquette University. The new paper, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, highlights a big problem in the scientific community: Many studies—including many studies on physical activity and performance—are only done on men. But exercise routines designed for best results in men may not be as well suited for women, suggests the small number of studies that have involved both genders. Hunter reviewed these studies in her paper and encouraged scientists to add to them with their future work. RELATED: The Best Quick Workouts You Can Do In Just 60 Seconds “The bottom line of training or rehab is that you have to fatigue a muscle in order to increase its strength,” Hunter told Health. “So if men and women fatigue differently, they should be treated differently.” This is especially important during physical therapy after injuries, surgery, or a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, she adds. Research has shown, for example, that women retain more strength in their legs after running a marathon or cycling for a long period of time. In other tests, women have been able to hold isometric contractions (think making a fist or flexing a bicep) for longer durations than men, when performed at the same percentage of their maximum strength. These measures aren’t just relevant in lab settings. “We perform these types of subtle, static contractions all day long,” Hunter says. “They’re important for holding us up, for example, while we’re standing or sitting upright. And we know women can essentially do them for longer than men.” Gender advantages vary by activity, as well. Women burn more fat and fewer carbohydrates then men during sustained exercise, "which sets them up to perform, potentially for longer periods of time, if they’re going at the same intensity as men," Hunter says. But they have smaller hearts, smaller muscles, and more body fat than men, so it can be hard for them to keep up with men in a sport like running. In an activity like swimming, those differences matter less. “Look at Diana Nyad,” Hunter says. “The first person to swim from Cuba to Florida [without a protective cage] was a woman.” So does that mean we can declare women the tougher sex? “It’s very tempting to say that, isn’t it?” says Hunter. But toughness can be measured in a lot of different ways, she adds, and ladies certainly don’t come out on top of all of them. There’s also plenty that science still doesn’t know, which is one of the main points of Hunter’s new research. Existing studies do show that women have the upper hand when it comes to fatigability. But they’ve only looked at very specific tasks or specific limbs, she says, and it’s hard to take those findings and make broader assumptions. The answer, says Hunter, is that more research is needed. Significant progress has been made in the last 20 years, and women are certainly better represented now than they used to be—both in scientific studies and in real-world athletic arenas. RELATED: Try This Calorie-Torching HIIT Workout From the Fhitting Room “To be clear, the best woman probably won’t ever be able to outrun the best man, simply because of physiological differences,” Hunter says. “But for many years those differences have been overestimated because we haven’t had the best genetic pool of women competing against the best genetic pool of men.” Hunter is confident these performance gaps will continue to narrow as women’s sports programs grow and improve. She also hopes her research encourages a future where each gender’s strengths and weaknesses are taken into account by scientists, coaches, and health professionals. “If we can give women care that’s tailored to them,” she says, “we can really help them reach their full potential.”

Do you have bad workout and diet habits?
© Christopher Futcher/E+/Getty Images

Some fitness habits are obviously terrible. (Pigging out on pizza every night? Never exercising? We know the verdict.) But others—such as cutting corners on your cooldown—are much trickier to judge. You may receive mixed messages about whether these suboptimal moves actually obstruct your progress. No worries: We consulted top experts for the complete story on what you can get away with—and what you should rethink, stat (spoiler alert: smoothies!).
You didn't stretch—not before or after your workout
© Provided by health.com

The verdict: It's OK.No need to fret if you have a get-in-get-out gym session once in a while. Just don't neglect stretching multiple times per week, advises Kevin Gary, a personal trainer and the owner of Body Space Fitness in New York City. Proper dynamic stretching before the workout activates your muscles so you can perform efficiently and reduce your risk of injury, he says. Stretching afterward helps relax your muscles and jump-start the recovery process, he adds.Only have time for one or the other? Prioritize the warm-up: Try jogging butt-kicks to loosen up your quadriceps and slow walking lunges to activate your glutes and hamstrings. Gary recommends doing 8 to 12 reps of each.
You don't drink water during your workouts
© Provided by health.com

The verdict: Bad move!You're likely not staying hydrated, especially if your workouts tend to be super sweaty (cycling, running, high-intensity interval training, even swimming). Drinking water helps you maintain your energy and stamina, says Leslie Bonci, RD, founder of the nutrition consulting company Active Eating Advice. "Fluid can help deliver fuel to your muscles, and the way water travels in and out of the cells of your body has an impact on muscles' contracting and relaxing," she explains. "Water also dictates the flow of electrolytes and helps keep your body temperature from dropping too low or going too high."Here's how to hydrate: Take in 20 ounces of fluid one hour before strenuous exercise and up to 20 ounces during routines in which you're working up a sweat, recommends Bonci. And take large swigs when you down water. "The bigger the gulp, the faster it gets out of the stomach and to your muscles," she says. "Sipping takes the water longer, so you might feel uncomfortable while it's sitting in your stomach."
You always reward yourself with a post-workout smoothie
© Provided by health.com

The verdict: That's a no-no.If you're regularly buying a blended treat after Pilates or yoga, you're probably overeating. Store-bought smoothies are often sugar and calorie bombs, says Torey Armul, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Most of these drinks can be 400 or 500 calories, and many people aren't burning that in a workout," she says.Limit smoothies to after particularly strenuous workouts that are an hour long or more, says Armul. It's best to whip them up at home, where you have total control over the ingredients. Aim for an equal ratio of veggies to fruit (one to two servings of each), and include a protein (like a tablespoon of nut butter or a scoop of whey powder).
You blew off the gym for a week
© Provided by health.com

The verdict: Don't sweat it.There's no reason to beat yourself up, says Rob Sulaver, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and the founder of Bandana Training. You won't suddenly be unable to lift a dumbbell because you skipped a few days. Just don't allow one week to turn into two, then three. "The two-week mark is a milestone in detraining or losing aerobic development," says Sulaver. "And at about four weeks off, you'll start to notice a decrease in strength and muscle mass."Even if you can't get to the gym consistently (carpools, office happy hours—we get it), try to carve out 10 or 15 minutes to breeze through a living room workout or online video, like this 10-minute HIIT workout you can do without a gym.
You grab fast food one night
© Provided by health.com

The verdict: No biggie!If your clean-eating streak just went out the drive-through window, you can relax: "One bad meal isn't going to undo 15 good meals you've had over the past days," says Jennifer McDaniel, a registered dietician in St. Louis. A perfect diet isn't the goal; some research shows that by deeming certain foods forbidden, you only end up craving, then eating, them more. Plus, a new study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology suggests that planning specific cheat days—in scientific terms, hedonic deviations—may make you more likely to stick to your diet.So go ahead, have that burger—and fries, too. Adds McDaniel, "Be present, eat slowly, and enjoy every bite so you can jump right back in the saddle after."