By Ivana Bisara, CTS Coach

We originally published this article last spring in various publications, and it was so well received that we thought it was worth republishing again this year.

If women and men compete separately, why do so many women train with men? Most women will tell you that it’s to help them ride, run, or swim stronger—if they always chase after someone who’s faster, then it makes sense that they’ll eventually get faster too, right? But is this the best way to do so? Not really.

In the winter of 2001, my collegiate cycling team was preparing for a strong performance at the road racing championships later that spring. Our team consisted of ten men and three women. At that time I believed that the harder I trained, the better and harder riding I’d do. So I trained with the men.

But after only one month of training with the guys I was tired, cranky, and skipping rides due to physical and mental burnout. Sure, I earned some praise for being able to keep up with the boys, but I was struggling mightily to do it.

Physiologically, riding with men every day was taking too much out of me and psychologically it was self-defeating. Instead of comparing apples to apples—my fitness to other women—I was comparing myself to men, a game that all women are set up to lose.

X Never Equals Y
A woman’s heart is smaller than a man’s, which means that the volume of blood pumped with each heart beat is going to be less than that of men. Also, on average, women deliver less oxygen to their muscles than a man can pump to his. Combined, these factors lead to a lower aerobic capacity, and it’s this lower aerobic power, coupled with lower muscular strength and maximum power output in females, that separates women from men.

It’s all right to train every once and a while with a male friend, spouse or boyfriend, but you should match your moderate to moderately hard workouts with his easier training days for the best chance of actually working out together.

I learned from my mistake in college in time to salvage my season. I started training by myself instead of with the team, and as a result of my focused effort I earned a podium finish at Nationals. Even now, 6 years later, I rarely deviate from my training program to join the men. And I’ll tell you why: winning races feels so much better than being able to say, “I can keep up with the guys” on a Tuesday training ride.

It's not only training that can make or break a woman's performance, the right bike matters as well. Read how our partner, Specialized Bike, has addressed the special needs of women cyclists.

PowerBar's new line of C2 products has changed sports nutrition forever.

Stress makes you stronger, but it can also make you sick. Learn how to balance stress vs. rest.

We dissect roast beef at the deli counter to uncover the best, and worst, in cold cuts.

Is it true that I'm now supposed to eat nine(!) servings of fruits and vegetables a day?

We give you a tasty treat to satisfy your cravings and that packs good nutrition.

Subscribe to the Train Right Nutrition News Podcast today and listen to Chris Carmichael and CTS Dietitian Alicia Kendig discuss the highlights from this month's newsletters.