Nowhere times out of ten training studies are conducted by men on men’s bodies. According to research published in Sports Medicinethis practice could stress the wrong muscles in womenwith serious consequences for their physique, physiological functions and well-being, making the risk of injury more likely.
«Thanks to many new important works are emerging anatomical and physiological differences between women and men that impact training success» observes Silvia De Francia, professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Turin and author of The Medicine of Differences (Neos Editions).
Training for women
For example, the prevalence of the estrogenic component over that of testosteronewhich makes women more mobile and flexible, leads to greater joint laxity which increases the risk of injury at that level. «There is therefore a need for a woman-friendly sports practice, which takes into account hormonal variations, and allows you to focus on weight lifting exercises, for the benefit of bone density, which reduces with menopause» says De Francia.
Avilés, Asturias, Spain, athletes couple hitting five on the beach at sunset
Furthermore, for the same duration and intensity of the exercise, women show greater resistance and better recovery from effort. But they tend to lose muscle strength faster. This implies that they are both more capable of, and more in need of, more continuous and consistent strength training sessions. And that for optimal physical intervention, training programs for each sport must be personalized based on the athlete’s gender.
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