Reports that 'women have more stamina' look a little weak

Conclusion This study in a small number of students in the US indicates that when repeating the same calf-raising movement, women showed less fatigue in terms of force applied and time taken to complete the exercise. Some UK media outlets directly link this to women being better than men at lengthy aerobic exercise activities such as ultra-marathons and long distance cycling. However a number of factors might mean this is not necessarily the case: This was undertaken in a laboratory using seated exercise and participants might perform differently when undertaking physical activity normally. Only one muscle was investigated – other muscles in the body might perform differently. The study used a very small number of participants and the results cannot necessarily be generalised to the whole population. The participants were an average age of 21-22, so while this might be relevant for younger adults, it might not apply to older adult populations. While women showed less of a change (i.e. tired less) in things such as power and speed, they had lower scores on these parameters to start with – they were slower, less powerful and weaker. So the link with marathons and activities might not necessarily be true. There are a range of other factors that might affect fatigue in these situations – such as sleep, caffeine intake, blood sugar levels, and previous physical activity. We do not know if women retain this advantage of reduced fatigue over longer perio...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news