When we think of weightlifting we tend to think of big burly men pumping iron in a gym, but it turns out, women have just as much to gain from strength training as their male gym junkie counterparts. Historically, pumping iron to build muscles has been seen as a masculine pursuit. And research into sport and exercise has largely focused on men too. But increasingly women at gyms are heading to the heavy weights room and picking up the dumbbells to reap the benefits of strength training. 

When she discovered a complete lack of literature on female resistance and strength training former Olympic weightlifter and exercise scholar Mandy Hagstrom decided to take matters into her own hands.  According to her research both male and female strength trainers gain the same relative amount of muscle mass following strength training, so when it comes to fitness, are we compromising the health of half of our population due to a lack of understanding? 

In under ten minutes, or roughly the same amount of time it takes to do a triple set of bench presses, exercise scientist Mandy Hagstrom will explain why being male or female doesn’t make as much difference to growing muscle as you might think.

10 Minute Genius
10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes.

For more information visit unsw.to/MandyHagstrom

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