Should Men and Women Train & Eat The Same?

As we know, comparing men and women is like comparing pears to oranges. No two are the same. So then we pose the question, should men and women train and eat the same?

It is no secret that the females physiology is a lot more complicated and unique than males, although universally the training and nutrition principles to hold their ground until we meet unique differences that should be taken into account.

1. The Menstrual Cycle

As we are well aware of, males do not go through the process of forming eggs in hope of being ready for pregnancy. Males have it all too easy when it does come to the hormonal topic, but we wont dive into it just yet.

The menstrual cycle is an average of 28 days. We say average, but most of the time it rarely sits flush on 28 days.

• Usually the female has a 3-5 day menses period. Following this, the female will trend into her Follicular Phase. Most of the time this phase lasts up to 2 weeks on average and this is where the female feels her best.

• Following this phase is a 3-5 days of Ovulation. The most prominent period for a female to fall pregnant is during ovulation due to the (LH) Luteinising Hormone & (FSH) Follicle Stimulating Hormone elevating to their highest peak.

• Once ovulation transitions out, the female moves into a demon, eating machine, moody and probably really disliking herself kind of person. Very common to see females performance decrease and weight increase slightly. This phase is called the Luteal Phase. Again this phase lasts around 2 weeks also.

So, due to the menstrual playing a major role in a females physical and psychological demands, we need to factor this in when programming for training and nutrition.

2. Testosterone VS Estrogen and Progesterone

We have all heard that males produce more testosterone than females. This is true, and also contributes to why females wont become as "bulky" as they think they may when they lift some weights. Although, females do produce Testosterone at a higher rate during ovulation.

The females main reproductive hormones are:

Estrogen & Progesterone.

These two hormones fluctuate a lot throughout the menstrual cycle. The downfall to the fluctuation is the impact it has on other hormones throughout the body such as:

• Hunger

• Weight fluctuations

• Moodiness

• Insulin resistance/sensitivity

• Stress

As males only really need to worry about testosterone, it is quite easy. A males testosterone is fairly even throughout the month and very rarely, if ever, fluctuate.

Now, taking into consideration the fluctuations of the females reproductive hormones we need to ensure we are prioritising our heavier/more intense days in the first portion of the menstrual cycle and aiming for lighter days/deloads post ovulation.

3. Size of a Female VS Male

Literally. The size of a Female VS Male needs to be considered when looking at nutrition. A Female usually has less Lean Body Mass and is shorter in height than a Male. With this being said, the male will have a higher RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) which will lead to more calories being burnt at rest and also more calories being burnt over the total day. Unfortunately this means females can not eat the same amount as males, but this needs context. So, if we were comparing:

• A male and female both weighing 75kg and standing at 170cm

• Both work in construction (We live in 2021 now. So yes females can do anything)

• Both train 4x per week using a strength based program

• Both walk 10,000 steps per day

With the above being used as context, they would both burn very different amounts of calories.

WRAP UP

So to wrap this up, we need to understand the female's physiology and respect its complexity when it comes to training and nutrition.

Females and coaches who coach females may need to track the menstrual cycle to understand the fluctuations of the female hormones.

Lastly, men are bigger in size, so this will lead to a greater amount of calories being burnt over the total day.