When older men and women over 60 start lifting weights, women tend to get stronger faster relative to how strong they were at the start—especially in their arms and legs—compared to men doing the same workout.

A randomized controlled trial enrolling healthy adults ≥60 years, stratified by sex, assigning equal numbers of older females and older males to a standardized, supervised resistance training program (e.g., 3x/week, 8–12 reps, 70–80% 1RM) for 12–16 weeks, with baseline and post-intervention measurements of upper-body (e.g., bench press 1RM) and lower-body strength (e.g., leg press 1RM) adjusted for baseline lean mass or body weight, and effect sizes calculated for each sex group.

A prospective cohort study following a large group of healthy adults ≥60 years who self-select into resistance training programs, measuring baseline strength and body composition, then tracking relative strength gains over 12+ weeks, adjusting for baseline size/weight, and comparing outcomes between self-reported male and female participants.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of all published RCTs and prospective cohorts examining relative strength gains from resistance training in healthy adults ≥60 years, extracting effect sizes for upper- and lower-body strength gains adjusted for baseline size or weight, and comparing pooled effect sizes between sexes.

A retrospective analysis comparing older adults (≥60) who achieved high relative strength gains from resistance training (cases) versus those with low gains (controls), matching on training duration and intensity, and examining sex as a potential predictor of gain magnitude after adjusting for baseline size.