Are Men Actually Stronger Than Women?

Continuing the topic of the battle of the sexes…

Men and women have many physiological differences that can either favour them or hinder them depending on the task at hand.

Yes, women are not built with the same amount of muscle mass, raw strength, and bone density men are given at birth. However, this doesn’t mean it’s impossible for women to train themselves to build a superior level of strength for their size.

Absolute strength is a matter of lean mass, fat mass, and muscle density.

Based on this article written by Matt Brzycki from Princeton University, he compared Powerlifting World Records previous to 2001 in all weight classes and from both genders. He concluded that while the absolute strength of the average male will be more than the average female, the gender differences are much less significant when making comparisons relative to body weight and/or body composition.

This particular study evaluated the impact of differences in lean body mass, fat mass, and muscle thickness amongst powerlifting athletes of both genders. These were trained lifters and their body weight was accounted for in this evaluation. They concluded that the lifter’s ratio of lean body mass to fat mass had a direct impact on their absolute strength. They also noted a high correlation between muscle thickness and 1RM power and strength in the compound lifts they evaluated. For example, a thick pectoralis major muscle resulted in a stronger bench press—regardless of sex.

There were many variables unaccounted for that could have influenced their findings such as the lifter’s training age, the number of lower-body or upper-body exercises performed, lifting techniques, training frequency, and the periodization model used.

Even if these factors were to be included, the results between sexes wouldn’t have changed much. The difference between lifters was predominantly noticed in their differences in how much muscle they carried on their frame, their body fat percentage, and the density of their muscles.

Here’s an example to help you understand.

Let’s say we have an average 6’1 225lbs male and an average 5’3 130lbs female. The first obvious discrepancy is the fact the female individual weighs 42% less than the male. That difference right there will impact how much actual weight each individual will be able to move and/or lift. Regardless if both individuals were trained or untrained, they wouldn't be able to move exactly the same amount of weight if tasked to do so.

Now, if we were to compare them from a pound-for-pound perspective, the female individual absolutely has the capacity of being as strong or perhaps even surpass the male’s level of strength. This brings us back to the notion of having more lean mass, less fat mass, and more dense muscle increases our overall absolute strength.

The table below (screenshot taken April 11th, 2023) outlines the top pound-for-pound male and female performances by lifters in the Canadian Powerlifting Union. Out of the top 10 performances, the 1st, 2nd, and 5th ranking placements are held by women.

Now, comparing statistics from USA’s Open Powerlifting rankings, there are only 2 male placements out of the top 10 (ranked 7th and 9th). Not to mention, the top 6 pound-for-pound performances have been set by female lifters.

How to find the best pound-for-pound lifter?

In sports such as Powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, they used specific formulas to calculate who are the top-ranked lifters in every meet and competition.

In Powerlifting, they use the Wilks formula that takes into account your body weight, your sex, and your total from the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

In Olympic Weightlifting, they use the Sinclair formula which takes into account your body weight, your sex, and your total from the snatch and the clean and jerk.

Our thoughts as coaches…

Of course, there will be differences between male and female individuals. These should be taken into account when a coach creates their unique strength training plan. As mentioned in our previous piece, women can recover better from more volume than men at submaximal intensities while male lifters have the potential of training at heavier loads more frequently than women.

There will always be outliers that can achieve certain feats of strength, be able to handle a certain workload, or set world record performances that won’t be beaten for decades.

Regardless, we encourage all our athletes, lifters, and clients to strive towards gaining the utmost strength possible for their bodies. Limiting yourself due to biological sex, age, fitness level, or physical capabilities is outdated and won’t serve you well in this pursuit of becoming better.

Always do what you can with what you’ve got.