The fact that women lack natural upper body strength is not a secret. On average, men's upper body strength is often equal to their lower body strength. Women’s upper body strength equals only about 50% of their lower body strength.
For example, most men who can bench press 100 pounds can also leg press 100 pounds. However, the average woman, who can leg press 100 pounds, will only be able to bench press 50 pounds.
Making matters worse is the fact that, unlike men, women loose a great deal of their upper body strength as they age. Experts believe that this is mainly due to hormonal changes that contribute to muscle loss. In an effort to help improve women’s health, an overwhelming amount of research has made a compelling case for the fact that all women, especially those over the age of forty, must incorporate a certain degree of weight training into their regular workout routines.