💪 Strong is the new Skinny!
Ladies - we’re in the middle of a powerful shift. For too long, the world of sport and fitness was seen as a “male space,” but not anymore.
Over the past decade, women haven’t just joined the game - they’ve started leading it.
This change isn’t just about more women working out. It’s about a change in mindset. Society is finally recognising that female strength, endurance, and athleticism are just as impressive and important as male performance.
And it shows. Social media and podcasts are filled with inspiring women talking about strength, recovery, performance, and mindset. The old "be skinny" goal is being replaced with:
Be strong. Be capable. Be healthy.
🧠 Training Smarter: Understanding Your Body
A growing number of active women are getting curious - not just about how to train, but about how to train smarter by working with their bodies, paying attention to their menstrual cycle and hormones instead of ignoring them.
We're seeing a shift:
From focusing only on aesthetics → to setting performance-based goals
From "pushing through" → to understanding your body's rhythm and adjusting accordingly
That's where science comes in - and also where we hit a problem.
📊 The Gender Data Gap - Why It Matters
Ever feel like the world wasn't exactly designed with women in mind? That's because, for a long time, it wasn't.
In many areas - from medicine to vehicle safety to sports science - the research has mostly been done on men. This gap has led to some pretty big oversights, like the fact that women often experience different heart attack symptoms than men but are still diagnosed based on male-centric data.
The same issue exists in exercise science. Training methods designed for men are often assumed to apply and work just as well for women. Spoiler alert: they don't!
This issue was brought into the spotlight by Caroline Criado-Perez in her game-changing book Invisible Women, which highlights how women have been underrepresented in research - and how that affects everything from heart health to performance.
“Women are not small men”
🔬 Research Is Still Catching Up
More research is now focusing on women's unique training needs and responses to exercise and nutrition. Our understanding of female physiology - including the impact of the menstrual cycle - is improving.
This knowledge helps women train with their bodies, not against them.
⚖️ So What's Actually Different?
Some differences between male and female athletes are well-documented:
Strength
On average, men have greater muscle mass and strength, but that doesn’t mean women can’t be just as strong in their own right!
Cardiovascular
Female athletes often cover similar high-intensity running distances to male athletes, despite outdated data suggesting otherwise.
Psycho-Behavioral
Research suggests cognitive and psychological differences exist between men and women in training and competition settings.
🧩 What This Means For Your Training
As Dr. Stacy Sims puts it, when it comes to our health and fitness goals we need to recognise that women are not just small men.
This doesn't mean women can't train hard or push to upper limits - of course we can. But it does mean the copy-and-paste approach, taking a programme designed for men and simply scaling it down, misses the point.
Your biology influences how you should train. Things worth paying attention to:
Hormonal profile – your cycle affects energy, recovery, and performance
Metabolic differences – women burn fuel differently to men
Temperature regulation – hormones affect how your body manages heat
Strength and power development – similar principles, different timelines
Cardiovascular system – endurance advantages at submaximal efforts
Recovery – women often recover faster between high-intensity bouts
Injury susceptibility – some risks differ based on anatomy and hormones
Ignoring these doesn't make you tougher. It just means you're leaving results on the table.
✅ What Can You Do With This Info?
Understanding your body isn't a limitation - it's a superpower. Here's where to start:
Stay curious. Your body is unique and powerful. The more you understand it, the better you can work with it.
Track your cycle. Start noticing patterns in your energy, mood, or performance. You might be surprised what you find.
Don't be afraid to adapt. Working with your body is a strength, not a weakness. Adjusting your training based on how you feel isn't "going soft"—it's being smart.
Ask questions. Seek out female-focused experts and keep learning. The field is evolving quickly, and there's more good information out there than ever before.
🔜 What Next?
We'll continue exploring science-backed topics that could assist your training goals - subscribe to our newsletter and follow along @femilydotco on Instagram.
Get instant access to our free 5-day kickstart covering strength, power, protein, recovery, and hydration when you subscribe.