Males have a greater amount of muscle bulk.” “A man's leg is about 80 percent muscle, compared with about 60 percent muscle in a woman's leg. That extra muscle can help men run faster. Also, men's muscles tend to have larger fast-twitch muscle fibers, which help with sprinting, than women do.”
Moreover, women tend to have less lean muscle and shorter legs than men do, as well as wider hips, which makes running less efficient.
Men's legs have 80 percent more muscles as compared to women's leg. The extra muscles help men to run faster. Apart from this women's lungs and hearts can pump less oxygen as compared to men. This is also responsible for the difference in the running speed.
The extra flexibility is a result of a woman's body structure and function — our hips are wider and our hormones allow our tendons to stretch for childbirth. We also have less muscle mass, allowing our bodies to move more freely.
Historically, scientists have believed that the average man runs about 10 to 12 percent faster than the average woman. A lot of this comes down to men typically having longer legs and greater muscle strength. Biologically, women generally have shorter legs and a less muscular frame.
Boys have a great increase in muscle size and strength, together with a series of physiological changes making them capable of doing heavier physical work than girls and of running faster and longer. These changes all specifically adapt the male to his primitive primate role of dominating, fighting, and foraging.
It found that females are typically faster than males over “extreme” distances of 300 kilometres or more. “The longer the distance, the shorter the gender pace gap,” said the researchers.
In terms of absolute strength – that is, without regard for body size, weight or composition – the average man tends to be considerably stronger than the average woman. Specifically, the absolute total- body strength of women has been reported as being roughly 67% that of men.
However, science suggesting women have greater muscle endurance than men could level the playing field once and for all, according to a new study recently published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
Previous research has shown women have a greater proportion of type I muscle fibers, so their endurance capability is greater. In comparison, men appear to have a higher proportion of fast twitch muscle fibres and have a greater power output compared to women.
Meanwhile, when girls start going through puberty at 11.5 years, they increase in fat mass and their hips widen, which can substantially affect their running performance in the years following puberty.
Among humans, women's life span is almost 8% on average longer than men's life span. But among wild mammals, females in 60% of the studied species have, on average, 18.6% longer lifespans.
Baer said she's seen girls lose speed because "their rear ends widen out." "It's the body changing. Girls, as they mature, their hips do spread and they tend to put on weight," Baer said. "Carrying that extra weight isn't going to make anybody any faster."
During puberty, body size increases for both sexes, but boys also get a burst of testosterone which results in larger, stronger muscles to control their new body; girls do not get this same rapid growth in muscle power.
“We found that there was no difference between elite male and female marathoners and that the age all marathoners peak, on average, is 29,” says Hunter. When it comes to aging, Hunter explains that the decline in performance has to do with a decrease in heart rate that begins when we are just 20 years old.
From puberty on, the testosterone level in boys starts to increase dramatically, as does the ability to increase strength. The direct result of strength gains is improvement in both running speed and movement time.
Males have a greater amount of muscle bulk.” “A man's leg is about 80 percent muscle, compared with about 60 percent muscle in a woman's leg. That extra muscle can help men run faster. Also, men's muscles tend to have larger fast-twitch muscle fibers, which help with sprinting, than women do.”
In lower body absolute strength, a woman is 75% as strong as a man. This difference is usually attributed to the similar daily usage of legs between men and women. Both walk and use our lower body muscles about the same. This is not the case in daily activities using upper body strength.
It is now recognized that there are no significant sex differences in general intelligence, though particular subtypes of intelligence vary somewhat between sexes. While some test batteries show slightly greater intelligence in males, others show slightly greater intelligence in females.
Girls physically mature faster than boys on a physical level as well due to the quicker process of puberty. Girls undergo puberty earlier than boys by about 1-2 years, and generally finish the stages of puberty quicker than males due to their differences in biology.
However, when it comes to health, men are biologically weaker. Men are more likely to experience chronic health conditions earlier than women and have shorter lives. In almost all countries around the world, women outlive men.
No Matter How Tall You Are, Each Runner Is Unique
“Taller individuals burn more energy, but they also tend to have bigger muscles that can generate more power and store more fuel, while shorter individuals tend to be more efficient,” he says.
Marathon running performance among men and women is generally fastest, as indicated by world record performances, when individuals are 25-35 years old. The time to complete a marathon gradually increases with age, with substantial losses in performance after the age of 70 years.
The women's world record for the 100-meter dash is held by Florence Griffith-Joyner, an American runner who posted a blazing time of 10.49 seconds in 1988. Therefore, the fastest human sprint speed for a woman works out to an average of 21.3 mph.
They grow faster because they have higher levels of testosterone in their bloodstream than girls.