The menstrual cycle is just the tip of the iceberg of the physiological differences between males and females. Female physiology also changes over time with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause.
Capacity for Cardio & Endurance
As you train longer and harder, you get fitter. Your body can deliver and use more oxygen (that’s your VO2 max); you can push the pace to a higher point before your muscles scream at you (that’s your lactate threshold talking); you become stronger and leaner (building muscle, burning fat); and your performance improves.
Rather annoyingly, on average, men are still stronger and faster than women.
The reason being, women start with a smaller engine. As a woman you have a smaller heart, smaller heart volume, smaller lungs (25-30% less capacity than men), and lower diastolic pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting between beats and the ventricles fill with blood), which predisposes us to have lower maximum heart rates and greater problems with dehydration in the heat. This also means we pump out less oxygenated blood with every beat – about 30% less cardiac output than men.
As we have less oxygen being pumped out we have to breath more often to get the oxygen that our body needs (so our respiratory rate increases). Men also have an advantage thanks to testosterone. On average, men have 6% more red blood cells and 10-15% more haemoglobin (the molecule that carries oxygen).
Our combined smaller heart and lungs and lower oxygen-carrying capacity means we have a lower VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use to make fuel) than men, about 15-25% lower on average. So, if 2 athletes (a man and a woman) are doing the same amount of work, the woman will have a higher heart rate and need more oxygen to get the job done.
How Women Recover - Train Hard, Recover Harder
To reap the benefits of your hard work in training, the quality of your training must be matched by the quality of your recovery if you hope to see measurable improvement.
Frustratingly, it is in fact, somewhat harder for women to recover.
Women have less ability to access and use stored carbs, especially when our estrogen levels are high. This slows our recovery time because we need carbs available during exercise so that we don’t start burning through our muscles, but also to help us recover quickly when we’re done.
If you delay post exercise food the body goes into a catabolic (breaking down) state that stalls recovery, lowers your metabolism and increases fat storage. Progesterone as a significant role in this process, which is why fuelling correctly after exercise is so important for women.
To recover faster, aim for:
25-30g or protein within 30mins of a hard workout e.g. chicken, eggs, 25g whey/casein protein (e.g. protein shake), almonds.
Note – if you are vegan and have soy or rice protein, you need 50g to get the same amount of leucine as you get in 25g or whey protein. Leucine is a branched chain amino acid that is superhero in terms of repairing and building muscle.
In my next blog post I will continue this 'Battle of The Sexes' Series.
If you would like to learn more about female specific training, join my brand new FREE live Online Event 'The 3 Secrets to Marathon Success for Women Age 40+' on Saturday 29th May at 5pm.
Save your seat => https://www.nickyedwards.com/secretstomarathonsuccessmasterclass
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