The findings surprised the study's author, Kathleen Martin Ginis, associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University.
"We thought – obviously incorrectly – that women's body image would improve more than men's as they progressed through the strength training study," Martin Ginis said. "We were surprised by the responsiveness of men's body image to strength training. Men's body image improved as much as women's. Yet interestingly, men didn't care about numbers--how much weight they actually lost or how much muscle they actually gained had no bearing on their body image; if they simply felt more muscular and stronger, or if their pants were looser, that was good enough to improve their body image. But when it came to the women, feeling thinner and stronger was only part of the story. The women who had the greatest improvements in body image were those who saw actual increases in the amount of weight they could lift at the gym."
The study followed men and women, between the ages of 18 and 29, during a 12-week full-body progressive resistance-training program. Significant body image improvements were found for both sexes but it seems that men's and women's body image improved for different reasons. For the men, body image improvements were related to perceived changes in their bodies. For the women, body image improvements were related to perceived and real changes in their bodies.
An illuminating side bar to the study is that all the participants led sedentary lifestyles up until the beginning of the study. In all cases, visible changes in strength were apparent in a short period of time, proving that with a moderate amount of exercise (in this case, about an hour a day), significant changes to physical health and body shape can emerge in a relatively brief period of time.
McMaster University, a world-renowned, research-intensive university, fosters a culture of innovation, and a commitment to discovery and learning in teaching, research and scholarship. Based in Hamilton, the University, one of only four Canadian universities to be listed on the Top 100 universities in the world, has a student population of more than 23,000, and an alumni population of more than 115,000 in 128 countries.
For more information, please contact:
Kathleen Martin Ginis
Associate Professor
Kinesiology
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 23574
martink@mcmaster.ca
Jane Christmas
Office of Public Relations
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 27988
chrisja@mcmaster.ca
Martin Ginis, K. A., Eng, J. J., Arbour, K. P., Phillips, S. M., & Hartman, J. W. (2005). Mind over muscle? Sex differences in the relationship between body image change and subjective and objective physical changes following a 12-week strength-training program. Body Image: An International Journal, 363-372.
Journal
Body Image