IS THERE ANY REAL DIFFERENCE?
In my experience, heavy free weight training seemed to be the jurisdiction of males only. Nautilus or similar workouts were done by both wherever I went. Women seemed to favor high reps with lighter weight, which was no surprise to me. When I was 18-25, I only did low reps with as much weight as I could handle.
There was a misconception – many women seemed to believe that weight training of any kind would produce big and bulky muscles, which were anything but feminine. CNET tells us the following:
- Women don’t produce as much testerone as men
- Testerone is a huge factor in anyone’s capacity for muscle growth
- Women may not eat enough calories or protein to significantly support muscle growth
- Women generally don’t train heavy enough to become bulky
There are, however, many reasons that women (or men) can benefit from weight training:
- Bone density can be improved and osteoporosis avoided
- Weight loss can be accomplished if needed
- Lean mass can “replace” fat mass and body composition can be improved
- Risk of chronic disease can be lessened
- Flexibility and mobility may be improved
This is an excellent video on the differences in workout routines for men vs. women. The “male ego” is cited, as well as the menstrual cycle for women.
The balance of this post will continue with an emphasis on female workout routines – including the history, real examples and relevant products.
CHANGING FORMS OF FEMALE FITNESS CULTURE
In the 19th century, women participated in forms of recreational fitness that included horseback riding, dancing and tennis. Later, women played basketball at parks, YMCAs and schools. When I played high school basketball in 1960, our games were preceded by the girls’ games, but the rules were different. Each team had three forwards and three guards, both positions confined to one half of the court.
From 1920 to 1940, the ideal female body was considered to be slender and “boyish”, unlike the prior desired curvy body.
From 1940-1960, the battle against curves continued as high kicks, lunges and squats were promoted to remove inches of excess fat from the hip area.
From 1960 to 1980, flexiibility and overall well being were especially important to women. In health spas, aerobic classes became more trendy. Most fitness venues – Nautilus clubs and YMCAs for example – were open to men and women to train together.
From 1980 to 2000, videocassettes became popular, as many women wanted to train at home. Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons were leaders.
From 2000 to 2020, CDs, DVDs and internet programs replaced videocassettes as interactive fitness programs emerged. In co-ed fitness places, I noticed men flexing more when women walked by and women dressing more attractively than before. Some of it was quite humorous.
From 2020 to 2025, women’s fitness seems to have shifted to holistic and functional fitness, with emphasis on personal training. Fitness trackers and smart watches have become important, as they provide immediate data.
CELEBRITIES
I have published dozens of articles on the workout and nutrition habits of famous people. One fact became quite noticeable – these people may have had the advantage of being able to afford the “best” gyms, personal trainers or workout tools, but they still had to do the work to get the results. There were no shortcuts.
Many of these celebrities were women. Here are a few of them:
For those who don’t know Tia-Claire, she is known as the “fittest woman on earth” and has won the Crossfit Games competition seven times.
PROPLE I KNOW
It seems that the women I know the best are all fitness practitioners. For example:
- My older daughter is a mountain climber, a yoga teacher and a vegan. She appears to be about 20 years younger than her age.
- My younger daughter likes to paddleboat and take walks with her dog. She makes use of a room full of weight equipment. She travels widely and likes to explore new places by hiking.
- I have a neighbor who is 89 years old. She personifies fitness and walks around our neighborhood briskly. I can’t keep up with her. She seems nowhere near her real age.
I have a friend in California who is the essence of fitness. I asked her to give me a few details on her routines. This is what I learned:
- She does yoga twice a week, generally from 20-60 minutes. This is for balance and flexibility, as well as for body shaping.
- She runs about 5 times a week, 3-4 miles each time. This is for efficient fat burning, weight loss and enhanced cardiopulmonary function.
- Her general goals for fitness are fat loss and body shaping.
- Her equipment includes a yoga mat, yoga brick, yoga stretching belt and yoga wheel. She seems to otherwise rely on bodyweight exercise.
AFFILIATE MARKETING AND AMAZON
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy where businesses reward individuals or companies for creating sales for their products or services. Information on this business opportunity is shown in my upper menu. See “BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER” for details.
Amazon is an ideal company for affiliates. Their delivery, general service and product choices are unsurpassed. Today, we are in the middle of Prime Days. See my recent post for some of the discounts.
Here are a few links to items relevant to today’s topic:
YOGA: the top 100 poses, book by Susan Hollister
Fitness tracker/Smartwatch for women – Prime Day deal
FINAL THOUGHTS
It is encouraging to know that women are running, training with resistance, playing full court basketball and being paid well in professional sports. There is still a gender gap in pro basketball, but not in pro tennis, thanks to the efforts of Billie Jean King.
I really don’t even know any women who are not exercising for fitness in some manner. Walking, gardening, biking and dancing come to mind.
This trend (or revolution) began years ago and there will be no turning back.
Please leave me any comments or questions in the “Comments” section below.
