Razib Khan is a science writer who focuses on population genetics. A former writer for UNZ one topic he discussed was hand grip and fitness. His background is in biochemistry, and software engineering. Khan holds no degree in exercise physiology or sports science. When writing for UNZ it was apparent that it was aligned to a conservative political orientation. Those websites want to take data and twist it to fit their perspective. A 2007 hand grip study is often used by these platforms as evidence women should not be in physically demanding occupations. Law enforcement and the military are what these critics want to exclude women from. The detractors are not analyzing the data and comparing it. Looking at other hand grip charts reveals contradictions. This does not mean the strength gap or sexual dimorphism are not factors. Razib Khan assumes that women’s physical capabilities are limited. Critical examination disproves this assertion.
Hand grip charts provide normative data. When it comes to studies sample size can result in the wrong conclusion. The 2007 study of men, women, and female athletes did not have enough women. Only 60 elite female athletes were used and 533 women. Women only consisted of 35.85 % of the total sample size. This is not significant enough to make a generalization. The graph that compares continents is a better sample. The second graph does not have female athletes and the fitness level is not known about subjects.
The middle graph shows normative data for a hand dynamometer. An 81 lbs ( 36 kg ) is classified as normal for the male range. That would be 352.56 newtons, meaning that would be average female strength range on the 2007 chart. What should be noted is that the top and bottom chart do not account for age. The middle chart does. When comparing different sets of hand grip it appears to contradict itself. Consider the untrained women who reach past 400 Newtons. Based on their baseline athletic training could significantly boost them. What this also exposes is that the bigger the sample size the wider range of individual variation in regards to sex.
Weightlifters, Powerlifters, bodybuilders, and CrossFit athletes were not used in the 2007 study. Handball and judo athletes were selected. Seeing as the sample was only 60, adding more athletes could have made a difference. The number of women would have to be at least 1,000. Another obstacle is that there are probably not enough female athletes for testing.
The full extent of women’s physical capabilities are not known. Using one study would be premature. Razib Khan did not mention this. While it is true men on average are stronger, there still is variation among individuals. A Gaussian distribution can best describe this.
The strength training standards expose another problem. Based on the handgrip strength measurements female athletes should be weaker than average men. There also is a limitation. Hand grip does provide data on lower body strength. Bench press and squats allow for assessments of both sections of the body. Andrea Shaw can bench press 200 lbs (90.7 kg) . Her grip strength is not known. If was was lower if tested, then hand grip would have to be questioned as a measuring tool. Women who train for a number of years surpass average men. Andrea Shaw’s bench press record is 55 lbs (24.9 kg) more than the untrained male range.
Kashma Maharaj, a bodybuilder has a grip strength of 114 lbs (51.7 kg). That translates to 507 Newtons. That means she would be as strong as an average man. If reliable weightlifting statics were available for Kashma she probably would be stronger. Strength standards are based on the averages of male and female gym goers. There remains a strength difference under these cases. The comparison tells a researcher about methods.
Certain methods are more precise than others. Weightlifting statistics would be more precise than hand grip only. Using hand grip is a fast and least expensive testing method. Isokinetic dynamometers would provide better data. Hand grip is provides general accuracy.
Hand grip dynamometers vary in design. Measurement is essential when it comes to experiments and studies. If hand grip dynamometers provide different results then measurements should be questioned. Multiple brands do exist. It cannot be certain which is the most precise. What was used for the study of female athletes was a hand grip ergometer. The device is designed to measure work when exercising. This is not the same as a hand grip dynamometer . It measures isometric grip force.
The study was probably using the wrong device. The result would have still shown men being stronger, but women’s hand grip would have been higher. Tools and equipment used in experiments must be selected to avoid distortions in data. Either it makes men more powerful or women weaker than they actually are.
Age and the strength gap has a direct correlation. Razib Khan does not grasp this from a sports science perspective. Khan sates ” between the ages 10 to 30 men outpace women.” The strength gap emerges between the ages 12 to 13. Boys are slower to grow, gain more height and musculoskeletal mass. Khan does not mention that puberty causes a strength spurt. After puberty and the end of the growth spurt children attain their adult size. Grouping boys into a an adult age group makes no sense. This is why hand grip chats divide demographics. Children grow stronger as they mature and elders lose musculoskeletal mass with age.
The change in the amount of androgens and estrogens effect muscular strength. Thus boys and girls ( 1 to 13) would be studied separately from adolescents ( 13 to 19). Boys at age 13 become stronger than girls. Around age 15 the strength gap is even wider. Khan asserts based on the hand grip graph girls can be competitive physically at that age. A teenage boy at 15 has already attained the strength of an adult woman. There is not a “great grip divergence.” There is a strength gap. Over time endocrinology and age effect it.
Razib Khan holds the position that women are at a physical limitation. Discussing exercise science is not ridiculous. Men are on average stronger than women, but that does not mean women cannot attain strength. Khan claims his dispute is with those who make an opposite assertion. The opposing view is if women trained more, the strength gap would vanish. Women can close the strength gap with average men, but not male athletes. Overtime the athletic performance gap could narrow. Khan makes the error of thinking that women cannot improve or get stronger. Some do think that more athletic training would result in the end of the strength gap. This position is help by a small number of people. Sports divisions exist for fair competition . Razib Khan calling it sex segregation is not correct either. Sports divisions are based on weight class and sex. This cannot be designated as segregation. Sports organizations do not ban women from playing on their teams. The only major sports organization that does this is FIFA. According to the 2011 rules women can only play on women’s soccer teams. Sports like baseball have seen a few women on their teams.
Biology is not the only factor. Environment plays a role in outcomes. Girls are less physically active than boys. Women’s participation in sport is lower. Women were banned from sports competition. Women only began competing in the Olympics in 1900. All sports were not available to them. Physical education tends to have lower standards for girls. This is irrational, because puberty has not changed fitness. To this extent, girls are being stifled. Boys do have a predilection for rough and tumble play, but that is not entirely biological.
Boys are encouraged to be physical from a young age. Culture and social attitudes play a role. Women and girls in certain countries are denied the opportunity for sports competition. Female athletes of Afghanistan found their careers cut short when the Taliban returned. Women were for most of the 20th century were subject to sex verification tests and now testosterone rules. Discrimination, restrictions, and policing women’s femininity is what the female athlete faces.
Razib Khan cannot determine where he would match up to women on the graph. Considering he mocked the idea of the gap being narrowed, it should be simple to figure out. The hand grip data does not show sporting prowess or fighting ability. Competing in a sport differs from a fight. Hand grip only indicates an accurate measure of strength. That is one element of physical fitness. The strongest women are handballers and judo athletes. Assuming Razib Khan is part of the average male range, the strongest female athletes would outmatch him.
Unless he had some experience in martial arts, the judo women could fight him. A random fight has no rules or referee so anything can be done. The handballers are not trained in martial arts. Although it seems unlikely that Khan would beat them in matches. Take the strongest untrained woman and give her athletic training. It is possible that she could reach the 600 Newton’s mark. When examining the graphs, it does not show women are physically limited. What it shows is a sexually dimorphic attribute in the amount of strength.
The British study was more of a clinical assessment. While it does show the same pattern, there is no information on female athletes in the study. The sample size of women was large than the 2007 experiment. A total of 26, 687 women were accounted for. Fitness level or exercise activity was not mentioned. What is assumed is all of the 49, 964 participants do not follow the recommended amount of exercise. Strength goes through a bell curve shape. It peaks early and remains constant at midlife. Then following midlife a decline. The divergence once more, is shown at adolescence. The objective of the study was to use normative data as a means of assessing sarcopenia and frailty. The handgrip study with female athletes was about examining a physical fitness indicator. One has to be mindful of comparing and contrasting data. Looking at the mean grip strength of continents one would think Europeans are the strongest. Given that data set, but that does correlate to populations of nations. China, Nigeria, and India based on their populations would most likely have more people with similar grip strength. The reason for difference does not account for how the lack of food security or healthcare changes outcomes. Graphs and data reveal information, but is up to the observer to interpret it.
Weight class is a factor in sports and fitness. This might be applied to hand grip. Hand grip studies do not divide data into weight class. Age group and sex are the data sets. Dividing men and women by their weight class might negate certain flaws. Strength standard charts are divided by weight and by sex. Using this method both sexes would be compared by weight class.
When comparing female athletes some can reach a male intermediate range. Most surpass male novice and beginner ranges. Certain female Olympic weightlifters could go further. What can be extrapolated from this is the difference in accurate and precise measurements. Hand grip is accurate and some limitations. It tells nothing about lower body strength. Hand grip is useful for medical assessment and tracking strength gain. Using hand grip to prove women are less athletically capable is not what the data is for. It demonstrates ranges of strength related to sexual dimorphism. This is why a researcher or scientist should always question results of a conclusion. Data should be compared to see patterns. If we had only the one graph from 2007, an observer would just assume women are athletically inept. Strength standards, weightlifting, and powerlifting records challenge that. A strength gap is present, but can be closed with untrained men. The strongest female athletes have the ability to do this. The strongest women at untrained state have a greater potential to reach overlap with their male counterparts. Razib Khan does not want to accept this. Interpretation of data and statistics is essential. Otherwise, some will reach the wrong conclusion. Neither of the studies took into account pinch or support grip.