Fitness Coach Uncovers a “Surprising Result” While Studying Muscle Growth in Men and Women

How bodybuilding impacts a man’s and a woman’s body, and how they differ from each other, is a fascinating subject that has intrigued researchers for some time. In a recent study of muscle growth in both genders, some previously unheard results have come to the forefront. Now, fitness coach Matt Irving has made a closer inspection of the results and provided a slightly more practical approach as to what the study must be missing.

Matt Irving recently took to his Instagram to inform many about this study. He also provided a thorough analysis, purely from a mathematical perspective, and explained how the data could skew people’s understanding. Here’s what he said.

The study of bodybuilding in men and women has a caveat

In the video Irving posted on Instagram, he said, “Men and women actually gain muscle and strength at the same rate, shown in a recent study. This is a surprising result. I decided to take a closer look into this analysis. Here’s what I found”, before delving on the crux of the comparative study.

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He continued, “We take an average man of 200 lbs, a woman of 140 lbs, and they gain muscle at the exact same rate of 5%. The man will have gained 10 lbs of muscle, the woman would have gained 7 lbs of muscle. Similarly, if we look at strength, if a man starts with a 200 lb bench press and a woman starts with 100 lb bench press and they both make strength gains of 10%, the man will have added 20 lbs, the woman would’ve added 10 lbs”. Irving strategically distinguished the difference between percentage gain and mass gain in both women and men.

He said, “Although the percentage increase in muscle and strength are the same, on average men have a higher body weight lean muscle mass, and strength to begin with. And I encourage all of the ladies out there to continue lifting. Let’s go”. Irving addressed the key aspect that differentiates a man and a woman that the study did not touch upon – Their body mass. The discussion around bodybuilding for men and women has found many proponents to date. However, it was the ‘Austrian Oak’ who provided sound knowledge as early as 1977.

Arnold Schwarzenegger once shed light on women’s bodybuilding

7X Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger once gave insights into how bodybuilding benefits women, however dissimilar they are to men. Intrigued by the female reporter’s question, “Is it the kind of thing I could do?”, Schwarzenegger said anybody could do it. He further emphasized that the difference in output is due to the lack of male hormones in women. Although they would get firm muscles.

That was 45 years ago, and researchers are still finding for a more concrete answer with their studies. Regardless of the analysis Irving provided, he did mention the interest the study generated and how it should motivate more women to pick up bodybuilding.

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