Did you know that women are more flexible than men! Yes, it's true, women have always been identified with flexibility and men with strength and courage. Men were never known for being flexible; strong, yes, but never flexible.
Have you ever wondered why? There are many factors that make women more flexible than men, but nothing so drastic that you'll notice until you pay close attention to the details.
Difference in body structure
Men naturally have larger and stronger bones. Like it or not, it's just the way we're built. And while it has its benefits, sometimes it also gets in our way. The biggest – flexibility. Having a large bone structure doesn't necessarily mean it will make us clumsy or affect our speed; the least it will do is limit our flexibility a little.
Because a woman's body is built to stretch during childbirth, she naturally has wider and larger hips, making her more accessible for movement and space making. This is why it is easier for women to perform yoga than for men. compliments to the ladies!
Difference in built muscles
While men have a stronger and better ability to build muscle mass (thanks to testosterone), women, on the other hand, have a leaner, longer and more elastic muscle structure that allows them to outperform men on flexibility tasks. This not only allows them to multitask better, but also allows them to do much more with their bodies.
Hormonal differences
Hormones play a crucial role in muscle size and flexibility. The difference between men and women in hormones is testosterone and estrogen. Testosterone increases everything from muscle size and mass to the male skeleton. While estrogen in the female body controls muscle mass, making them lighter and more flexible. Therefore, it is impossible for women to pack the muscles.
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Tarun Gill, is a weight loss specialist, author, speaker, entrepreneur and a hardcore fitness professional.
He is the author of Tarun's Weight Loss Approach,TWLA, India's most cost-effective online weight loss program. An entrepreneur by choice, Founder and CEO of FitFlea.com, India's fastest growing home fitness solutions company, he inspires millions to stay fit and healthy
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FAQs
It's because they have laxer connective tissue in tendons and ligaments. The main reason of this peculiarity is to make delivery easier making the pelvis more extensible so that the baby can pass through it more easily. This effect is caused by oestrogens which are obviusly much more present in females than males.
Why do women have more flexibility than men? ›
In general, women are typically more naturally flexible than men. Part of this is because of the makeup of their connective tissues. Also, while it's a generalization, women typically focus on activities that require more flexibility, such as yoga, dancing, pilates, etc.
Why are women more adaptable than men? ›
We possess some unique qualities that make us more flexible to change. We know how to use our intuition and are better at multi-tasking while dealing with stressful situations than our male counterparts. In addition, according to Korn Ferry Research, we've got a higher degree of emotional intelligence than men.
Do women have greater flexibility than men throughout their life on average? ›
At the other end of the time scale, we know that our flexibility declines with age, leading to the risk of falls. Moreover, women tend to be more flexible than men. This is because women have less muscle mass than men, which means that the joint mobility is larger as there is less tissue to stretch.
How do men and females differ in terms of flexibility? ›
According to the findings of this study, females are more flexible than males. The stiffness of female muscles is less than that of males. Acute stretching, on the other hand, did not affect the relationship between these components in either males or females.
Where are females more flexible than males? ›
Females all around the world tend to have a greater range of motion in the hip joint and in the elbow than men (Alter 1996). Yet, it seems that men are just as and if not more flexible in all of the other major joints compared to women.
Who is most flexible man vs woman? ›
In a room of 50 men and 50 women, the women, on average, would demonstrate greater range of motion. Men have much higher levels of both testosterone and growth hormones, leading to higher levels of muscle mass.
Are women more adaptable than men? ›
In general, women are typically more naturally flexible than men, partly due to the genetic and biological makeup of their connective tissues.
Are women more mentally flexible than men? ›
Males have higher cognitive flexibility and females have higher emotional expressivity. However, females had higher anticipatory and consummatory pleasure. Therefore, the mediating effect of emotional expressivity is larger.
Are women more educated than men? ›
In 2021, the census found that the number of women with degrees was about 3 points higher than the figure for men — 39.1% compared with 36.6%. And looking back at the history of those figures shows how remarkable the change is. Back in 1970, about 8% of 25-plus women had bachelor's degrees.
Women have the edge in flexibility partially from nature, and partially from nurture. Women also have more flexible bodies because of the makeup of their connective tissues, and also tend to do activities that focus more on flexibility rather than on brute strength.
Are women's muscles more flexible? ›
Firstly, women are generally more flexible than men, particularly in the hips and hamstrings.
What is gender flexibility? ›
Gender role flexibility can be defined as the transcendence of traditionally gender-typed traits, roles, and behaviors in the judgment of others and the self.
Can men do the splits? ›
The question asks whether men can “learn splits.” The short answer is yes, of course. But it's not so much a question of learning as training. It's mostly a matter of strength and flexibility.
Does age affect flexibility? ›
As our bodies get older we lose a small amount of flexibility as a result of the normal aging processes. This can happen for several reasons including a loss of water in our tissues and spine, increased stiffness in our joints and a loss of elasticity throughout the muscle tendons and surrounding tissue.
What factors affect flexibility? ›
Many variables affect the loss of normal joint flexibility including injury, inactivity or a lack of stretching. The range of motion will be influenced by the mobility of the soft tissues that surround the joint. These soft tissues include: muscles, ligaments, tendons, joint capsules, and skin.
Why are women's legs more flexible? ›
Connective tissue binds, compartmentalises and protects fragile muscle fibres and, therefore, restricts stretching (and potentially tearing). Women, on the other hand, possess more elastin, which, as the name suggests, facilitates muscle elasticity.
Why do men have tighter hamstrings than women? ›
These findings indicate that males' hamstrings possess a greater capacity for resisting changes in length imposed via joint motion from a structural perspective, but that this property is at least partially attributable to greater muscle size in males, and is similar across sex from a material perspective.
