Do Women Have More Lower-Body Strength Than Men?
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Do Women Have More Lower-Body Strength Than Men?

Do Women Have More Lower-Body Strength Than Men?
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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It's a common stereotype among gym-goers that men are focused on building up their biceps and pecs while the women are all about rounding out their glutes and toning their quads. This generalization may lead people to believe that women have more lower-body strength than men. However, in reality, lower body strength depends on a lot of different factors.

On average, females don't have more lower-body strength than males, due to key physiological differences. Learning about these differences can help you train more effectively.

What the Research Says

Males Have More Lower-Body Strength at the Same Body Weight

“Men come out ahead when you're looking at pound-for-pound lower-body strength,” says Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS, professor and chair of the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. At the same body weight, on average, males will have more lower-body strength than females.

In powerlifting, everyone competes in the same weight classes, but female competitors lift less in the squat and deadlift than male competitors of the same body weight.

In the 90-kilogram (198-pound) weight class, for example, the United States men's record in the squat is 371 kilograms (around 816 pounds). The United States women's record for the squat is 275 kilograms (605 pounds). In the same weight class for the deadlift, the men's record is about 263 pounds more than the women's record.

People With the Same Lean Mass Have Similar Lower-Body Strength

When adjusted for lean mass (the percentage of total body weight that is lean muscle), males and females are similar in terms of strength capability, Dr. Arent says.

A study published in 2021 in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology found no significant difference between males and females in squat and deadlift strength and in jump height when considering lean muscle mass instead of total body weight.

However, because total body weight is a factor when exercising (not just lean muscle mass), males generally have more lower-body strength than females of the same body weight.

Factors That Contribute to Lower-Body Strength Differences

Females Can Train Their Lower Body at a Higher Volume

Generally, “women have less total muscle mass and are shorter in stature, so the barbell needs to travel a shorter distance,” explains Ashley Kavanaugh, PhD, a sports performance coach at Renaissance Periodization, who has researched strength and power in female volleyball athletes.

 The farther the weight has to travel, the longer the muscles are under tension, and more muscle fibers are strained over that distance.

“Because the load tends to be lighter and the bar travels a shorter distance in female lifters, this results in less neurological and structural fatigue.” As a result, “women lifters can tolerate more volume — more sets and reps,” Dr. Kavanaugh says. That could mean they may spend more time training these muscles, not necessarily that those muscles are stronger.

Females Have a Higher Ratio of Lower-to-Upper Body Strength

Typically, males have more upper-body strength than females. This could be due to differences in the muscle mass distribution in the upper body.

However, weight lifters with the same amount of lean muscle mass are closer in strength when it comes to the lower body, regardless of their sex assigned at birth.

“So if you're a guy and you see that a woman is weaker than you in the upper body, but similar to you in lower-body strength, your natural thought process may be, ‘Women are stronger, pound-for-pound, in the lower body,’” Arent says. In reality, this might just be due to differences in upper- and lower-body strength ratios.

Females Have More Slow-Twitch Muscle Fibers

Females have a greater proportion of type 1, or “slow-twitch,” muscle fibers compared with males.

 Slow-twitch muscle fibers are responsible for greater endurance during activities like long-distance running and cycling.

As a result, females will fatigue less during a long, slow contraction or during longer, lighter sets than male lifters will. The higher concentration of type 2, or “fast-twitch,” fibers in males gives them an advantage for quick, explosive lower-body lifts.

Tips for Strengthening Your Lower Body

“It may be true that some women have more lower-body strength than some men, but it almost doesn't matter,” says Christine Pellegrini, PhD, associate professor in exercise science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. “Why is one comparing to others?” The important thing, she says, should be that everyone feels comfortable working out more regularly.

Here are a few ways you can train better and reach your lower-body strength goals.

Don't Underestimate Your Strength

“There's plenty of data to suggest women are a lot stronger than they think they are,” Arent says. “They underestimate how strong their lower body is. So if you really push them on it, you see those weights really go up.”

In fact, according to a small study published in August 2017 in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, females tend to choose weights that are actually much lighter than what they are truly capable of lifting.

That doesn't mean women should start packing on more weight plates than they can handle, Kavanaugh says. The weight should be challenging, but you should be able to do the exercise with proper form.

Prioritize Range of Motion and Technique

Lifting with proper technique and through a full range of motion should be every lifter's focus — regardless of how they identify.

“The number one rule in the weight room should be performing every single repetition with as perfect technique as possible,” Kavanaugh says. “Establishing excellent technique not only reduces the lifter's risk of injury but also exponentially increases the amount of strength and muscle a lifter can develop over many years.”

Once you've nailed your technique, then you can think about increasing the weight while maintaining perfect form.

The Takeaway

  • For people of the same body weight, men typically have more lower-body strength than women. However, when comparing lean muscle mass alone, men and women have similar lower body strength.
  • Women tend to have more slow-twitch (type 1) muscle fibers, while men typically have more fast-twitch (type 2) muscle fibers. Because of this, women may perform better in endurance-based exercises.
  • To strengthen your lower body, choose weight loads that are challenging but still allow you to use proper technique. Focusing on proper technique and full range of motion will help you significantly increase your strength will avoiding risk of injury
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Bartolomei S et al. A Comparison between Male and Female Athletes in Relative Strength and Power Performances. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. February 9, 2021.
  2. Men's Equipped American Records. USA Powerlifting Database.
  3. Women's Equipped American Records. USA Powerlifting Database.
  4. Hunter SK et al. The Biological Basis of Sex Differences in Athletic Performance: Consensus Statement for the American College of Sports Medicine. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. December, 2023.
  5. Nuzzo JL. Sex differences in skeletal muscle fiber types: A meta-analysis. Clinical Anatomy. July 10, 2023.
  6. Plotkin DL et al. Muscle Fiber Type Transitions with Exercise Training: Shifting Perspectives. Sports. September 10, 2021.
  7. Cotter JA et al. Ratings of Perceived Exertion During Acute Resistance Exercise Performed at Imposed and Self-Selected Loads in Recreationally Trained Women. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. August, 2017.
  8. Androulakis Korakakis P et al. Optimizing Resistance Training Technique to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. December 29, 2023.
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Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN

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Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Her experience includes corporate wellness, teaching for the American College of Sports Medicine, sports nutrition, weight management, integrative medicine, oncology support, and dialysis.

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