Psychological difference between men and women

First, let’s say THESE ARE GENERALISATIONS! As a woman myself I would be the first in line to defend myself and any other athletic woman, praising our ability to push harder, focus on the goal of our training and therefore succeed but there are a few issues that need to be raised ( even if only for argument’s sake!)

Generally men like to monitor their progress when it comes to training. They are the ones calculating, comparing and evaluating their numbers and performance whereas (apparently) us women are more inclined to distraction with a book, magazine or the trusty iPod.

The other issue to be raised is emotional state. Men seem to have the general ability to focus in on their training unemotionally and therefore are less affected by outside influences on their training performance whereas women are more inclined to let emotional matters affect their performance. However this may not always be a bad thing! When we are in a positive mood, this may lead to longer training and higher endurance where our male counterparts may have just stopped because that’s what their calculations have told them to do.

Competition - another psychological difference between men and women. Again a generalisation but men seem to perform better in terms of competition than women. When it comes to competitive training situations men are relatively good and like training to compete, thriving on the aggression and testosterone that this builds up and yes I hear all you women cry ‘oh how very caveman like!’. When it comes to women, we prefer to train in non competitive groups, such as with a training partner or friend hence the popularity of ‘classes’ amongst women. This fellowship is seen to be more suiting to women where we enjoy the company and this then leads us to train harder for longer.

In conclusion to the psychological determinants of training it would seem that both men and women have conditions which favour one more than the other. It is unfair to say men are better prepared mentally for endurance and perseverance in training than women just as it is unfair to say that men would not be able to train as effectively in a non competitive group situation. Here I think the argument boils down to ‘each to their own’ and the fact that when it comes to training and performance it is a matter of finding what suits YOU regardless. If you train better reading your favourite novel, by calculating each repetition or chatting with a friend then go for it!

In summary, it can be seen that the gender debate for some will rage on, trying to for once and for all decipher who really is the supreme sex when it comes to endurance performance and training. Yes, I will give you that when it boils down solely to maximum oxygen consumption men do indeed have a distinct advantage but this is definitely only one measure and more than this - it is an average. Anyone who trains regularly and trains hard knows that pushing yourself is not usually a matter of physical boundaries but MENTAL BOUNDARIES. It is about finding out how much we can take mentally, how much we can endure psychologically. After all, 30% of training is physical and 70% is mental.