Men at the weight bench, Women on the treadmill: This has long been a common image in fitness centers. Today, more and more women are doing strength training. And yet it persists the rumor that men simply find it much easier to build muscle. But is that really the case? Studies and an expert say: No.
Do you do strength training regularly?
Less muscle mass, same amount of gain
On average, men have more muscle in relation to fat as women. But when it comes to building muscle, there are surprisingly few differences between the sexes – even though men have 15 to 20 times more testosterone, which promotes muscle building. Researchers have done this, among other things, in one Meta-study from 2025 found out, in which numerous other study results were evaluated.
It turned out that the men gained more weight in absolute terms, but there was no difference relative to their starting muscle mass. Specifically, this means: A man starts with 40 kilograms of muscle mass and gains four more kilograms of muscle mass over the course of training. A woman starts with 25 kilograms and gains 2.5 kilograms. While the man gained more weight in absolute terms, the percentage increase was the same for both.
“Men and women react very similarly to training”
This is also confirmed by Professor Leigh Breen, a British muscle physiologist and Professor of Translational Muscle Physiology at the University of Leicester. He also refers to the testosterone values, but emphasizes that they have little influence on the structure itself: “There is a connection between testosterone and the amount of muscle mass we have. “But that doesn’t determine how effectively we can build muscle through strength training,” Breen told the Guardian.
“Women have significantly lower testosterone levels – around 15 to 20 times lower than men. There is a notion that men gain muscle more easily because of their higher testosterone levels and greater number of androgen receptors in their muscles. But it’s not that simple. If you look at the relative change – i.e. the percentage increase – men and women react very similarly to training.”
Do women need different training?
Women don’t need specific training to build muscle, says Breen. However, a gender-specific difference is the muscle-fat ratio: men often find it easier to get their body fat below ten percent, while for women this is associated with extreme diets and abstinence.
Such extremes can have undesirable side effects, explains Breen: “A very low body fat percentage in women is associated with hormonal disorders, irregular menstrual cycles and possible effects on fertility.” From a health perspective, a body fat percentage that is too low (less than ten percent) is not desirable for women.
What do you like to do best to keep fit? Do you go to the gym or do you prefer being in nature?
Meret Steiger (mst), has been working for 20 minutes since 2016. She is an editor for Living and Auto & Mobility and reports on living, furnishing and architecture.
