Understanding The Differences Between Men And Women In Long Distance Running

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“Women, you may be physiologically weaker, but you are still champions” ALISSA LAURENT, a Canadian runner won the Canadian Death Race in 2015 and ended 90 minutes before the second winner, a man.

Differences In Body Weight And Body Composition

Research has shown that the percentage of body fat and skinfold thickness in specific areas of the body such as below the scapula on the back, above the hip bone, and the abdomen, also influence training speed and race performance in female runners.

Muscular differences

Muscle mass is on average of 35% of the total mass of a man against 28% in women. Moreover, women have more “fat” than men. The fat of a woman averaged 20% against 13% in a man.

  • Women have a smaller muscle than men
  • Women can’t produce much muscle as much as men
  • Men are able to sprint faster than women

Knowing that muscle activity is the cause of energy expenditure during exercise, and the woman has less ability to produce energy and therefore less strength and endurance.

Cardio muscular distinctions

The Heart

The heart is a cardio muscular muscle that enables oxygen through blood stream to be pumped to your muscles. The female heart is smaller. While it weighs 118 grams on average in women, men’s hearts weigh in at about 178 grams on average. Training improves the heart skills in both women and men. This enhancement is however limited in women. Maximum Heart Rate is the maximum number of beats the heart can achieve in the space of a minute. This value is unique to each individual and it also changes with age and gender.

The Maximum Heart Rate is thus higher in women than in men. On average, a woman will reach 174 beats per minute against 169 beats per minute for man. Women’s hearts beat faster because the volume of blood ejected by the heart is lower than men’s.

However, a smaller heart doesn’t mean men are better at running marathon. Even though your first impressions turn into men’s advantages, women are still in the run!

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