The idea women and men aren’t equal in the weight room is a matter of semantics, not physiology. Men may be able to lift heavier loads, but research has yet to suggest women and men need different exercise prescriptions when it comes to building strength.

“Female athletes are relatively equally adaptive to resistance training prescription to that of male athletes,” claimed a recent position statement by the National Strength and Conditioning Association on the strength and conditioning of female athletes.

A previous position statement was penned in 1989, but women’s sports has exploded since the late ’80s. More women are lifting weights to improve strength, athletic performance and overall health and well-being. Yet, despite the increase in the number of women in weight rooms, most research on resistance training utilizes male subjects, making evidence-based recommendations for active women wanting.

“The quantity of high-quality research on female subjects is lacking and even more scarce when further delimiting the population studied to female athletes,” said the team of experts who penned the most recent position statement for the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

The NSCA makes it clear both sexes are equal when it comes to their potential to build relative strength. Yet there remains a persistent........

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