This is a great thread!
One reason its great is because this is a tough issue, and various interpretations really piss different people off. On the one hand each of us is an individual and doesn't really fit into anybody's little box. On the other hand, you can make generalizations and nobody should get offended. Many women do train just like men, as hard as men, with as much focus as men. And my impression based on nearly ten years in the business is that most men and women wandering around your nearest Globogym need to step up both their focus and their intensity.
As a trainer I always work the girls just as hard as the men. I tell them those pools of sweat on the floor are fat cells leaving their body, and most of them eat it up! I train them as hard as their bodies can take because that's the best way to get them to their goals. But overall I think it is fair to say that female clients sometimes require more emotional support, and that some of them require a lot of encouragement and education before they are willing to really bust their butts for me.
I can understand how both sides get frustrated. As a male trainer and former professional athlete, I feel very few people are up to the way I'd like to be able to train them. At the same time, it is obvious to any trainer with a brain that the ability to read and react to your clients' attitudes, and harness them to their training, is one of the greatest keys to this profession.
Women are different than men, but more importantly, every client is different than every other client!
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