Gender, exercise motives, and exercise behavior

The current study examined the relations between gender, gender role, exercise motives and barriers, emotional factors, and exercise behavior over four weeks. Cross sectional self-report questionnaire data from 137 male and 178 female physically active undergraduates were analyzed using multiple regression techniques. Both men and women rated health and attractiveness motives for exercise as important. Men ranked muscularity and competition motives more highly than did women, whereas women endorsed health, weight control, and mood improvement motives more strongly than did men. Body-esteem moderated the effect of gender on exercise motives, but gender role largely did not. Regardless of gender, appearance-related motives were associated with strength training activity, but not with vigorous or moderate aerobic exercise; health motives were associated with both vigorous aerobic and strength training activity. Men's greater involvement in strength training activity was accounted for by their higher reported competition and muscularity motives. Surprisingly, gender and gender role were not significantly associated with most exercise barriers. Women were more consistent than men in their quantity of exercise in different domains over four weeks, relatedly, weight control motives were associated with high consistency in vigorous aerobic exercise. These findings suggest that exercise motives do affect exercise behavior, and that gender differences in exercise motives and body-esteem may be reflected in behavioral exercise outcomes.