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Does Gender Impact Exercise Attitude and Functioning?

On a scientific level, an average woman has less lean muscle mass (LMM), which is approximately two-thirds lesser, as compared to a man. This is why an average man typically performs far better than a woman in activities that require strength and power due to the greater quantity of LMM in him, in addition to his bigger size and more prominent levels of strength.

Another interesting fact is the hyperextended elbow joint that is only seen among women. Due to the hyperextended joint system, the arms of a woman extend in a turned position thus making the elbows of a woman much closer to each other than in a man. Simply put, the arms of a woman tend to form an ‘X’, whereas the arms of a man are drawn up as parallel lines to each other stretching from the shoulders. It is believed that the angular, supinated position of the woman’s forearm to her upper arm can impede functioning in both flinging actions and movements needing maximum strength.

Statistics also prove that a greater number of men are relatively happy with the way they look and their weight as compared to women. This difference is seen to place a massive impact on why an individual works out and what exercise treatment is eventually attempted.

Another physical difference is that the heart and lungs of a man are far larger than those of a woman. The bigger heart capacity and lungs in a man result in higher stroke volumes and essential capabilities than those of women. More oxygen is pumped in the arterial blood of a man. This component is significant because of the changes of compensatory modifications in cardiac output. Since highest cardiac output is restrained, a woman cannot (relatively) compensate for the lower content of oxygen in the arterial blood. Due to this, the highest amount of oxygen that can be used up while exercising is lower in women than in men.

During strenuous physical workout, women have to raise their heart rate since the stroke volume and functioning are restrained by total blood volume. Hence for a given workload, the average woman is mainly functioning at a level nearer to her utmost capability than the average man, and is likely to get exhausted faster.

Since women have a comparatively lengthier torso and shorter legs, the weight is staggered in the lower parts of the body, than among men and hence women tend to amass fat on the waist, arms and thighs whereas men tend to collect fat mainly on the abdomen, chest and back. Hence it is seen that the female centre of gravitational force is lower than that of men. Some of the chief benefits of having a lower sense of gravitational force are that women have a better sense of balance, a feature that can affect functioning in a number of physical actions.

Temperature can become a restrictive factor in physical functioning, which is why it is important that both men and women develop their own methods of dealing with rising temperature. Research indicates that women have a higher body temperature at rest, lesser number of sweat glands, lower sweat yield and a tendency to begin sweating at higher temperatures than men. In addition, the larger amount of adipose tissue in women works as an insulating material and suppresses heat dissipation. The significance of these fluctuations is that women have less endurance to heat than men. Therefore, women are more subject to heat-stress than men and have to exercise comparatively much more than men to accomplish similar workloads under more soaring levels of heat circumstances.

All elements taken into account, some of the features can hinder a woman’s ability to perform physical activities such as running and jumping, at par with men.

This article is published by Karishma, a guest blogger, passionate towards echo friendly lifestyle. She wrote this article on behalf of www.greencoffeeextractz.com , an online store that offers green coffee bean extract for weight loss seekers.

 

Stretching Before a Workout Can Actually Do More Harm than Good

By SpineCare Chiropractic

From the first time we ever walk into a gym or onto an athletic field of any kind, we are conditioned to always stretch before strenuous activity. Such is the case in P.E. classes in grade school as well as in certain corporate work environments. It’s common knowledge, really: Before your body works, it needs to stretch. Or does it?

Do we even consider why this knowledge is so common and spread so easily? After all, what does stretching before a workout do that so wonderfully enhances human performance? The reality is that stretching is like flossing our teeth. We do it because we’re told to and even though we don’t know for sure that it helps, it sure does make us feel better at the end of the day to say we did. (And the first time something goes wrong, it’s simply because we didn’t floss enough.)

As it turns out, static stretching (the stationary “stretch and hold” types of stretches) before a workout, or any activity for that matter, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Is stretching before a workout bad?

Ian McMahan, a writer and sports medicine professional based in San Francisco, states that “When it comes to static stretching, research has now repeatedly shown that stretching before exercise is counterproductive and results in a temporary loss of muscle strength. These losses can be as much as 5 percent and are magnified in those that hold a stretch for longer than 45 seconds.”¹

Consider for a moment what stretching is supposed to accomplish. Most people would probably agree that they stretch to “lengthen the muscles” or something of that nature. Think of your muscle as a rubber band. Naturally it is meant to expand and contract, however, once it has been stretched to the point of reduced elasticity it does not perform as well as it should.

Experts have augmented this idea by maintaining that a certain amount of “tightness” in the muscles is needed for some sports and activities.²

In other words, stretching may increase flexibility and weaken the stretched muscles at the same time. For some activities and sports, excessive flexibility is necessary. However, for most individuals and athletes, such flexibility is unnecessary and can even be detrimental.

Doesn’t stretching prevent injury?

McMahan explains that static stretching could reduce the risk of muscular strains in explosive-movement sports (football, track, etc.), but studies that found a decrease in muscle strain also noticed an increase in ligament sprains and other injuries after stretching.¹

AP medical writer Maria Cheng, CDC points out that experts who reviewed more than 100 stretching studies found that “people who stretched before exercise were no less likely to suffer injuries such as a pulled muscle, which the increased flexibility from stretching is supposed to prevent.”²

In other words, stretching does not necessarily prevent injury. At least not as effectively as we have been intended to believe.

So what should you be doing before you exercise?

Warm up by doing simple movements with little to no resistance in a controlled setting (air squats, jumping jacks, pushups, etc.). This type of movement allows your body’s breathing rate, circulation and heart rate to increase in order to supply your working muscles with the blood, nutrients and oxygen they need. It also helps lubricate your joints. Stretching does not accomplish these very important goals and therefore should not be considered a warm-up.²

Mark Sisson quoted a study on his blog (marksdailyapple.com) that essentially found evidence that “dynamic stretching (think walking lunges, leg swings, stuff like that) improves flexibility and retains performance, while evidence is strong that static stretching does not.”³

Mark also cites another study that found that athletes who performed a brief warmup imitating the intended workout tended to perform better than those who performed a longer warmup.³

Keep it simple, keep it safe, and don’t overdo it. It’s called a warm-up for a reason.

Here are a few general warm-up ideas:

• Foam rolling (if possible)
• Movements that help maintain or increase range of motion at the joints
• Movements that mimic the activity to be performed, but in a controlled atmosphere with little to no resistance.
• A few specific examples of great warm-up movements are:
  • Bodyweight Squats
  • Walking Lunges
  • Bent-Over Thoracic Spine Rotations
  • Pushups
  • Ankle mobility movements
• Click to get more warmup ideas from Stack.com

So next time you’re in the gym, on the field, or simply getting prepared for any physical activity, use common sense and warm up in a way that will benefit your body and actually prevent injury. (Oh, and don’t forget to floss your teeth.)

What do you think about stretching before exercise? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

 

About the author:

SpineCare Chiropractic provides a chiropractic blog with tips and tools to help you maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle.

 

Photo credit: coachfitness.com

Sources:

1. http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/stretching-before-exercise-is-overrated/376089/
2. http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=4_reasons_to_stop_stretching_before_you_exercise
3. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-stretching-and-warmups-overrated/#axzz3ClJUAyLd
4. http://www.stack.com/2013/12/10/pre-workout-warm-up/