The Claim

In healthy, non-active adults aged 18–52, maximal trunk extension torque normalized to upper body weight does not differ meaningfully between men and women, with mean ratios of 2.16 and 2.00 respectively, indicating that relative back extensor strength capacity is comparable across sexes when adjusted for anthropometric size.

Source: Maximum Force Capacity of Back Extensor Muscles in Healthy Women and Men: Not Different, if Anthropometrically Normalized

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
44score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Description
1 study reviewed
In plain English

When adjusted for body size, men and women aged 18–52 who are healthy and not physically active have similar back extensor strength relative to their upper body weight.

See the scientific wording

In healthy, non-active adults aged 18–52, maximal trunk extension torque normalized to upper body weight does not differ meaningfully between men and women, with mean ratios of 2.16 and 2.00 respectively, indicating that relative back extensor strength capacity is comparable across sexes when adjusted for anthropometric size.

Why this might work

Men and women have similar amounts of back muscle tissue per pound of upper body weight, and their spine and ribcage are arranged so that the muscles pull at the same angles, resulting in equal force output when adjusted for size.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Maximum Force Capacity of Back Extensor Muscles in Healthy Women and Men: Not Different, if Anthropometrically Normalized

    When you adjust for body size, men and women have almost the same strength in their back muscles — the tiny difference isn’t big enough to matter in real life.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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