This blog post will discuss how scientific studies can promote female participation in
resistance training (RT) to aid attainment of one of the seventeen Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG). Goal 5, gender equality, is defined as “Achieving gender equality and
empowering all women and girls”(United Nations, 2015). However, reduced inequalities
(Goal 10) could also be associated with the topics discussed.
A barrier for women starting RT could be the notion that ‘women can’t build as much muscle
as men, so why RT?’. Women may not realise their potential due to overwhelming gender
bias in research focused on men (Holdcroft, 2007). However, some studies have shown that
women’s VS men’s muscle building potential is equal. Roth et al (2001) reported in a 6
month full body training programme, including men and women aged 20-30 and 65-75, ‘no
significant difference was found between groups in their quadricep’s volume increase’.
However, Walts et al (2008) demonstrated that this ‘muscle growing potential’ is relative to
size, as men biologically start off with more muscle mass and strength.
Conversely, aesthetics could hinder female RT participation. For most, weights connote
‘bulky’ men leading women to assume they will look the same. Multiple studies have
indicated this is not possible due to natural differences in body composition (Haizlip et al,
2015) and hormone levels between sexes. Testosterone (“Male 8.7 – 29 nmol/L, Female 0.2 –
1.7 nmol/L”) (North Bristol NHS Trust, 2021)) “increases muscle protein synthesis” (Griggs
et al, 1989) implying that unless supplemented in women, their natural levels won’t allow for
this. However, PCOS could increase testosterone levels (NHS, 2019), counteracting these
studies.
Furthermore, RT has been shown to increase metabolism, in particular resting metabolic rate
(RMR))(Aristizabal et al, 2015). A raised RMR means you burn more calories doing nothing
everyday due to the increased fat free mass (FFM). This finding could have large mental
health implications as it may reduce eating disorder (ED) rates in women. Research implies
that ‘75% of those with an ED are women’ (Beat Eating Disorders, no date). In my opinion,
this is due the lack of female representation in RT environments and education (about caloric
intake, metabolism and benefits of RT). RT has potential to reduce the nutrition gap between
sexes, especially how restrictive women often are with their diet (Kiefer et al, 2005) because
as FFM increases, more calories are needed to maintain weight and to provide muscles with
nutrients to repair.
Finally, RT increases physical health massively and is said to act as “medicine” due to its
extensive list of health benefits. Some benefits include: “improved physical performance,
cognitive abilities, prevention of type 2 diabetes, lowered blood pressure, promoting bone
development etc” (Westcott, 2012). Health benefits that can be encountered from RT should
be promoted more, as both genders deserve to reap the benefits, not just men.
To conclude, RT is beneficial to both men and women, in terms of increased health benefits,
higher metabolic rates and potentially a decreased risk for eating disorders (Szabo et al,
2002).
Katie Banks
References
Aristizabal, J. C., Freidenreich, D. J., Volk, B. M., Kupchak, B. R., Saenz, C., Maresh, C. M.,
Kraemer, W. J., & Volek, J. S. (2015) ‘Effect of resistance training on resting metabolic rate
and its estimation by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry metabolic map.’ European journal
of clinical nutrition, 69(7), 831–836.
Beat Eating Disorders (no date) Statistics for Journalists. Available at:
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/media-centre/eating-disorder-statistics (Accessed: 10
May 2021)
Griggs, R. C., Kingston, W., Jozefowicz, R. F., Herr, B. E., Forbes, G., & Halliday, D. (1989)
‘Effect of testosterone on muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis.’ Journal of applied
physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 66(1), 498–503.
Haizlip, K. M., Harrison, B. C., & Leinwand, L. A. (2015) ‘Sex-based differences in skeletal
muscle kinetics and fiber-type composition.’ Physiology (Bethesda, Md.), 30(1), 30–39.
Holdcroft A. (2007) ‘Gender bias in research: how does it affect evidence based medicine?.’
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 100(1), 2–3.
Kiefer, I., Rathmanner, T. and Kunze, M. (2005) ‘Eating and dieting differences in men and
women.’ The Journal of Men’s Health and Gender, 2(2), 194–201.
NHS (no date) Polycystic ovary syndrome causes. Available at: Polycystic ovary syndrome –
Causes – NHS (www.nhs.uk) (Accessed: 10 May 2021)
North Bristol NHS Trust (2021) Testosterone. Available at: https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/severn-
pathology/requesting/testinformation/testosterone#:~:text=Reference%20range%3A%20Adul
ts%3A%20Male%208.7,ranges%20please%20contact%20the%20laboratory. (Accessed: 10
May 2021)
Roth, S. M., Ivey, F. M., Martel, G. F., Lemmer, J. T., Hurlbut, D. E., Siegel, E. L., Metter,
E. J., Fleg, J. L., Fozard, J. L., Kostek, M. C., Wernick, D. M., & Hurley, B. F. (2001)
‘Muscle size responses to strength training in young and older men and women.’ Journal of
the American Geriatrics Society, 49(11), 1428–1433.
Szabo, C. P., & Green, K. (2002) ‘Hospitalized anorexics and resistance training: Impact on
body composition and psychological well-being. A preliminary study.’ Eating and Weight
Disorders, 7(4), 293-297.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2015) Sustainable
Development. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals (Accessed 10 May 2021)
Walts, C.T., Hanson, E.D., Delmonico, M.J., Yao, L., Wang, M.Q., Hurley, B,F. (2008) ‘Do
sex or race differences influence strength training effects on muscle or fat?.’ Medicine and
Science in Sports and Exercise, 40(4), 669-676.
Westcott W. L. (2012) ‘Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on
health.’ Current sports medicine reports, 11(4), 209–216.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2015) Sustainable
Development. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals (Accessed 10 May 2021)