{"id":283024,"date":"2026-01-14T01:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/283024\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T01:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:34:18","slug":"why-women-need-about-half-the-exercise-men-do-for-the-same-benefits-and-what-it-means-for-your-workouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/283024\/","title":{"rendered":"Why women need about half the exercise men do for the same benefits \u2013 and what it means for your workouts"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s well known that women have traditionally been underrepresented in scientific research. In fact, one recent study<\/a> exploring the gender data gap in sport and exercise research found that out of more than 5,200 papers published in six sport and exercise science journals between 2014 and 2020, a meagre 6% studied women exclusively.<\/p>\n

Now, though, a new study<\/a> has highlighted potentially significant differences in the way men and women respond to exercise, with researchers finding that women needed to do less than half the amount of exercise than men to see the same heart benefits. <\/p>\n

What did the study find?<\/strong><\/p>\n

After asking more than 85,000 UK adults to wear an accelerometer for seven days, researchers monitored each participant\u2019s health outcomes \u2013 whether they developed diseases \u2013 for almost eight years afterwards. <\/p>\n

The results were surprising: the researchers found that women who did around four hours of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in a week, for example, brisk walking<\/a>, cycling<\/a> or jogging (all heart rate-increasing activities) had about a 30% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease. Meanwhile, men required around nine hours of these activities for the same risk reduction. <\/p>\n

Researchers identified the same trend when looking at participants who already had heart disease. While women with coronary heart disease needed to do roughly 51 minutes of exercise per week to see a 30% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, men required around 85 minutes.<\/p>\n

Related Story3 biological reasons why women might respond differently to exercise <\/strong><\/p>\n

The different responses identified in this study highlight why it\u2019s so important to undertake more research on women (both generally and in the sport science space), whose unique physiology reinforces the fact that they are so much more complex than simply being seen as small men. <\/p>\n

1. Heart and blood vessels<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Women typically have smaller hearts and blood vessels. When a woman exercises, her heart must pump faster and work relatively harder than a man\u2019s heart to meet the body\u2019s oxygen demands,\u2019 explains Francesca Bagshaw, a performance physiologist and physiology lab technician at Nuffield Health\u2019s Manchester Institute of Health and Performance.<\/p>\n

\u2018This means a 30-minute walk often provides a higher “physiological stimulus” and heart rate<\/a> response for a woman than it does for a man. This may be one reason to suggest women require less volume than the men of this study.\u2019<\/p>\n

Related Story2. Oestrogen <\/strong><\/p>\n

While we often hear oestrogen discussed in a reproductive context, the primary sex hormone has other jobs in the body, too. \u2018Oestrogen is not just for reproduction; it can be a powerful cardioprotective hormone. It enhances the health of the endothelium \u2013 the inner lining of blood vessels \u2013 making them more flexible and responsive to the increased blood flow during exercise,\u2019 says Bagshaw. <\/p>\n

\u2018To put this simply, it helps blood vessels stay “stretchy” and responsive. We believe oestrogen may act as a catalyst, making the heart protective benefits of exercise “stick” more effectively in the female body.\u2019<\/p>\n

3. Muscle fibres<\/strong><\/p>\n

While men typically have more muscle mass than women, adds Bagshaw, \u2018women often have a higher density of “slow-twitch” fibres.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018These fibres are more oxidative. In other words, they are the engines of aerobic physiology and better suited to using fats,\u2019 she says. They \u2018are more efficient, fatigue-resistant, and better suited for the steady, sustained aerobic activities \u2013 like brisk walking or cycling<\/a> \u2013 emphasised in the health guidelines of this study.\u2019<\/p>\n

On the other hand, \u2018Men often have more Type II (fast-twitch) fibres, which are built for power but may require higher volumes of activity to trigger the same level of long-term cardiovascular remodelling.\u2019<\/p>\n

Strengths and limitations of the study <\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of similar studies rely on participants self-reporting data, which can throw up inaccuracies if they struggle to recall or guess how much they have exercised. However, \u2018this study used wearable accelerometers, which tracked and recorded the data without the reliance on a participant\u2019s memory,\u2019 highlights Bagshaw. \u2018This eliminates “recall bias” \u2013 where people overestimate their activity \u2013 and captures not only intentional exercise, but also everyday physical activity we may forget about, like briskly walking to catch a bus.\u2019<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

\u2018With over 80,000 participants and a median follow-up of nearly 8 years, the study has high statistical power,\u2019 she adds. \u2018It also looked at both primary prevention (preventing disease) and secondary outcomes (risk of death for those who already have heart disease).\u2019<\/p>\n

Although, notes Bagshaw, there could have been potential selection bias. \u2018The UK Biobank (the data from which the researchers draw) could attract “worried well” participants \u2013 people who are generally healthier and more motivated than the average population,\u2019 she says. Participants also only wore the trackers for one week, and while that is a decent amount of time, it could be unrepresentative of \u2018long-term habits and behaviours \u2013 people get injured<\/a>, change jobs, or start new hobbies, which the data might not capture.\u2019<\/p>\n

With those factors in mind, the study can\u2019t prove a definitive cause \u2013 just an association. <\/p>\n

The bottom line<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, these are still potentially powerful findings and highlight the need for more research that includes women. The results are also \u2018highly encouraging for women who feel they do not have time for long gym sessions,\u2019 says Bagshaw. They suggest \u2018that even smaller amounts could be more beneficial than first perceived compared to no exercise. <\/p>\n

\u2018In other words, around 35 minutes per day or four hours per week of brisk walking etc, was enough to reduce cardiovascular risk in women \u2013 some is better than none. This could reduce the barrier to physical activity entry for inactive women.\u2019<\/p>\n

Women should feel empowered by their high \u2018return on investment\u2019 when it comes to exercise, concludes Bagshaw. \u2018While men may need to view current guidelines as a floor rather than a ceiling.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Ready to build and burn? Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to the WH app, find the plan and start training today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"whRelated Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n