When older men and women over 60 do strength training, the men tend to get stronger in their arms and legs than the women do, even when they’re doing the same workouts.

A randomized controlled trial enrolling healthy adults aged 60+ with equal allocation to male and female groups, both undergoing identical supervised resistance training programs (e.g., 3x/week, 8–12 reps, 70–80% 1RM) for 12–16 weeks, with pre- and post-intervention measurements of absolute upper-body (e.g., bench press 1RM) and lower-body strength (e.g., leg press 1RM) as primary outcomes.

A prospective cohort study following healthy adults aged 60+ over 12–16 weeks who self-select into resistance training, with detailed tracking of training volume, intensity, and adherence, and measuring absolute changes in upper- and lower-body strength separately by sex, controlling for baseline strength, lean mass, and training compliance.

A meta-analysis pooling individual participant data from published RCTs of resistance training in healthy adults ≥60 years, comparing absolute changes in upper- and lower-body strength between males and females, with standardized effect sizes (Cohen’s d) calculated for each study and pooled using random-effects models.

A cross-sectional study comparing absolute strength levels in healthy older adults ≥60 years who have completed resistance training programs, measuring current upper- and lower-body strength and retrospectively estimating gains based on baseline strength reports.