123 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise Figure 6.7. Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle Figure 6.8. Sarcoplasmic vs. Myofibrillar Hypertrophy Physiological Differences Between Males and Females There are numerous physiological differences between males and females which can result in significant disparities in their response to strength training. For example, females have fewer and smaller muscle fibers than males. Even so, females have the same array of muscle fiber types as males, both type I, type II and all of their sub-types (Zatsiorsky & Kraemer, 2006). Seventy five percent of untrained females have slow-twitch fibers that are larger than the fast-twitch fibers. The average female’s maximal mean total body strength is about 60% of the average male’s maximal total body strength. Average upper body strength of females ranges from 25-55 % of male’s average upper body strength. Average lower body strength of females ranges from 70-75% of male’s average lower body strength (Fleck & Kraemer, 2004).
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