Explain this difference between workout results

[EMW14]

Tough to make a brief thread title for this. Some of you here are educated in science of exercise, many of you have lots of experience in the gym. I'm not exactly new to training but can't explain this:

My wife and I frequently train together. We did legs yesterday. Exactly the same workout - well, almost - but today we each feel it in different places. Tomorrow will no doubt bring more soreness! But her glutes are "screaming" and her quads not at all. My glutes are sore, but I sure enough feel it in my quads and hams.

Here's the workout:
1. Smith machine squats, wide stance, feet out in front, so almost like sitting in a chair, squat deep and for her pretty heavy (I'm nursing a lower back/glute injury so not too heavy for mr but still challenging) - 4 sets
2. Superset "seated hack press" (no hack squat machine at our gym, which annoys me, but that's a tangent) - pretty heavy on these - 4 sets
3. Leg press - again, heavy

Here's where we went a little different:

I did probably 6 sets leg press while she did 2 but she added backward lunges (meaning stepping backward) - I didn't do lunges.

Then I did leg extensions, which she didn't do, 3 sets, and we both did leg curls, also 3 sets.

I feel it in my quads, especially inner, hamstrings and glutes, but mostly inner quads. She feels zip in her quads but glutes are extremely sore!

So why in hell is that? I know women's hips work differently than men's; we walk differently (in case you hadn't noticed that)... so are different muscle groups more dominant during the same movements? Or are her quads relatively that much stronger than her glutes, so her glutes are working harder than her quads?

This certainly isn't important but sure does have me wonderin'..........

 

[glycomann]

Women have more mass in their ass so that's a big part of what she was working. Plus she's in better shape than you.:wave:

 

[Get_Swole]

Yeah it also depends on the condition of the muscles you're working. Right now I get sore as shit no matter what I work out because I've been out of the gym for over a year. 3 years ago I could workout my back for 3 hours "exaggerating" and the next day not be sore.

Like mentioned more mass in your butt means a lot of the work is going to be done there, try more isolated movements for her quads, and play with feet placement to where she feels it directly in her quads while doing the workout. It is certainly possible her legs are just more used to it then her butt. Previously did her legs get more attention then glutes directly on workouts?

 

[glycomann]

Hacks ass to grass is awesome form quads IMO.

 

[The Dude]

As mentioned men and women have very different musculature then add to that the differences between one person and another.
There are also different neural pathways for each and every person. This can be further complicated by previous activity, athletic involvement, and of course injury. For instance over the years of heavy squats and deadlifts I have some nerve damage in my right lower body which makes my right butt cheek a little smaller as well as my right tibialias muscle.
Then there are the subtle differences in foot position and where the initial force for the positive portion of the rep (press from the fore foot or heels etc...)
There are just infinite possibilities

 

[fstr03svtcobra]

This is simple... you have different leverages. She might have a longer torso than you or visa versa. That's why Konstantin Konstantinov will never be a world record squatter, but can deadlift 939 beltless. He has poor squatting leverages and incredible deadlifting leverages. Does that mean his legs aren't as strong as someone who is out squatting him by 50lbs - probably not. Also, women have wider hips (for babies coming out) so it's much easier for her to hit depth in the squat than you.

 

[BigZ]

The Dude hit on the real difference. Musculature and skeletal differences aside, stance width and foot position will most greatly affect where the exercise hits you. A subtle shift of the ankle, i.e., more force on the outside edge of your foot or the inside edge will cause more force to be directed to the inner quads or outer quads respectively. Varying stance width will also have an effect secondary to foot position.

 

[EMW14]

It just struck me funny. She has pretty skinny legs - which ARE growing, even though she says she never feels it in her quads; her pantlegs are getting tighter and she's more than doubled the weight she moves on the leg press. Today is the 2nd day after and I can barely walk (that's an exaggeration, but you know what I mean), everything is sore, quads, hams, glutes... Her ass is sore and that's it!! Lol! Pretty crazy.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Presser]

This is simple... you have different leverages. She might have a longer torso than you or visa versa. That's why Konstantin Konstantinov will never be a world record squatter, but can deadlift 939 beltless. He has poor squatting leverages and incredible deadlifting leverages. Does that mean his legs aren't as strong as someone who is out squatting him by 50lbs - probably not. Also, women have wider hips (for babies coming out) so it's much easier for her to hit depth in the squat than you.

that

 

[Muscle79]

I agree with stance and conditioning, but you said she lifted heavy on deep squats and lunges..that always does it for me. In fact did a similar workout and still painful to sit on the throne