Sex segregation in strength sports: Do equal‐sized muscles express the same levels of strength between sexes?

Objectives Concerns have been raised against the current two‐sex binary category in sports competitions. The thesis states that if males and females were separated based on muscle size, it would negate the strength advantage between the sexes. We tested the possible sex differences in various streng...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of human biology 2023-05, Vol.35 (5), p.e23862-n/a
Main Authors: Kataoka, Ryo, Spitz, Robert W., Wong, Vickie, Bell, Zachary W., Yamada, Yujiro, Song, Jun Seob, Hammert, William B., Dankel, Scott J., Abe, Takashi, Loenneke, Jeremy P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body mass
Competition
Female
Females
Gender differences
Humans
Isometric Contraction - physiology
Lean body mass
Male
Males
Muscle contraction
Muscle Strength - physiology
Muscle, Skeletal - physiology
Muscles
Sex differences
Sexes
Sports
Thickness
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Summary:Objectives Concerns have been raised against the current two‐sex binary category in sports competitions. The thesis states that if males and females were separated based on muscle size, it would negate the strength advantage between the sexes. We tested the possible sex differences in various strength outcomes when pair‐matched for muscle thickness. Methods A total of 16 different data sets (n = 963) were assessed to pair‐match females with males who had a muscle thickness value within 2%. We further compared the competition performances of the smallest male weight class within the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) to different weight classes in females. Results Overall, 76%–88% of the strength assessments were greater in males than females with pair‐matched muscle thickness, regardless of contraction types (i.e., isotonic, isometric, isokinetic). Additionally, males in the lightest weight division in the IPF largely outperformed females in heavier weight divisions. Conclusions Our results would suggest that segregation based on muscle mass or surrogates of muscle mass (e.g., lean body mass) might not be an appropriate classification to create fair competition within strength sports. This is not to refute the concept of the desegregation of the two‐sex binary category but to present data that raises important concerns about the potential sex‐based differences in strength performance.
ISSN:1042-0533
1520-6300
DOI:10.1002/ajhb.23862