Men do not gain muscle (strength and size) faster than women through resistance training, and women sometimes even progress more quickly in the upper body.

noli's read

Dr. Andy Galpin highlights an important nuance here regarding the adaptive capacities of muscle fibers. Physiologically, studies show that while men possess higher total muscle mass, the relative capacity for gain (percentage increase) is often comparable between sexes when normalizing results (Meta-analysis, Roberts et al., 2020). Regarding the upper body, some research suggests that women can indeed exhibit rapid relative rates of progression, partly due to differences in lean mass distribution and distinct hormonal responses (Observational/RCT study, Gentil et al., 2016). It is essential to note, however, that absolute strength values generally remain higher in men due to initial muscle size and morphology. The advice is therefore scientifically grounded in a comparative reading of relative gains rather than absolute maximum strength capacities. This perspective helps to deconstruct the myth that women cannot or should not train with heavy loads to achieve results.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.