7 News Features: Battle of the Sexes

WSVN -- Spiderman comes to the rescue Mary Jane.

Superman saves the day for Lois Lane.

Men are often thought of as the stronger sex, but, now, more and more women are muscling their way in.

Lisa Maxwell: "Women can be stronger than a man if we're looking at total body system."

And exercise physiologist Lisa Maxwell knows what she's talking about.

She helps women toughen up at Memorial Hospital West Fitness Center.

She mixes weights with movements to work the entire body, instead of just isolating one muscle.

Christine Cruz: "But it's not easy. Try adding a ball under your feet or hands for pushups or balancing on one leg while doing a cable pull-up. That stability takes more strength and balance."

But does it work?

Only a Battle of the Sexes will show if this really makes women stronger.

The competitors: Irene Cejka, a 56-year-old grandmother of seven, who has been training with Lisa for the last 18 months.

Irene Cejka: "I see a lot of benefit, really, all over my body."

And Stacie Coffey, who's transformed her body.

Stacie Coffey: "My whole muscle mass overall has gotten so much better and more defined than it ever was."

Their opponents?

Todd Moser, a 30-year-old athlete, and Mike Foster, a 40-something who works out regularly.

Mike Foster: "Men are going to win, sure."

The first test: A one-leg dead lift with 15-pound weights.

The trick: Your leg can't touch the ground, something that immediately tripped up Todd.

Stacie Coffey: "He did six, I did 13."

Moving to a cable lift lunge, again on one leg.

The girls breeze through it but the guys?

Lisa Maxwell: "They're wobbling a lot."

Mike Foster: "I'm dying. It's very hard."

And while push-ups are usually men's strong suit, put a ball under their feet and hands and it's an unbalanced act.

Todd Moser: "Getting on the ball was not as easy as I thought it was going to be."

Lisa Maxwell: "You can see how much harder he's working."

The women were able to do more push-ups without falling.

Todd Moser: "Their core strength, doing functional training, way more advanced."

When it came to total body strength, the women were the total package.

Todd: "Oh, I got smoked!"

But, for Irene, it's not about winning.

The training has given her strong arms to hold her grandkids.

Irene Cejka: "I always want to be able to hold them as long as possible and hold them close to me."

And, for Stacie, let's say victory is sweet.

Stacie Coffey: "You see guys, and of course they have a lot of muscles, that doesn't mean they're coordinated or have balance."

The integrative strength training classes are held four times a day at the fitness center.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Memorial Hospital West Fitness Center
954-433-7125