In Chinese men and women who lift weights, certain genes might make women stronger after training, but make men lose more bone or fat — meaning the same gene can have totally different effects depending on whether you're male or female.

Women of Chinese Han descent who do strength training and have a specific gene version (AG) tend to lose more weight and shrink their waist and hips more than those with another gene version (AA).

In Chinese men who lift weights, those with a specific gene version (CC) tend to get bigger quadriceps muscles than those with a different version (CT), and this gene effect might only happen in men.

People in China with a specific gene version (AA) who do leg workouts twice a week for 12 weeks get stronger and jump higher than those with a different gene version (AG), especially if they’re women.

In Chinese adults who lift weights for 12 weeks, people with a specific gene version (CC) tend to gain more bone in their arms than those with another version (CT). Men with this gene also tend to build thicker leg muscles, and women with it tend to get stronger at explosive movements after training.

Whether you're male or female, if you lift weights, you're likely to gain muscle and strength at about the same rate — even though guys usually start with more testosterone than girls.