Wait, what? There is more than one way to progress?!

So over time I have noticed that different types of weight training (especially when we're talking about women) get ripped apart....as though there is only one "right" way to train. It's just simply not true. The fact is that as long as you are PROGRESSING you are on the right track. There are many different types of progression beyond how much weight you're pushing and this article is a great read on some of those ways.

Don't get me wrong....I love setting PR's and putting more weight on the bar. But I also like playing around and progressing in some of these ways too. At the end of the day, do what YOU like to do and what keeps YOU doing it! :smile:

http://www.girlsgonestrong.com/6-ways-to-make-consistent-progress/
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Replies

  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    You're wrong. :tongue:

    Tagging because work blocks that site.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    i don't think anyone here argues against progressing but i guess i could be wrong. is there an example somewhere you could link to.


    fwiw, all the methods suggested in the article are perfectly acceptable and i use each of them throughout different training periods. but if someone is going to try to do bodyweight squats or 4 lb dumbbells lunges and think TUT or destabilizing or anything else is going to work better than just increasing the weight they are going to be wasting a lot of time.
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  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.
  • auntsammy88
    auntsammy88 Posts: 401 Member
    Thanks for the article. I knew some of this, but as someone who doesn't have a gym membership it is good to know more about how to progress without adding more weight.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    ^^Yep

    BTW, the stepper is/can be resistance training....
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  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    Molly and GGS fan checking in :smile:
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    That is certainly a possibility but if she does she isn't doing it at my gym. But it would seem strange that she comes to the gym at all if she is lifting at home. I think she is still in college as she only comes to the gym in the summertime. I have wondered if she is a competitive runner because of how much she runs but I don't see a competition runner doing treadmill runs all summer long, it just doesn't fit. I think she just has really low BF% and between the running and stepper her leg muscles have developed nicely, that along with genetics. Other than that she is just basically skinny like many girls want to be, even her legs are very slim, they just have nice shape and definition.
    My point being that I don't feel that weights are essential to an attractive figure, and some women, many in fact, do not want to have that muscle development that weightlifting will give them, even if the big muscle-minded types at the gym don't consider it 'bulky.' The average woman thinks that muscle definition is too 'bulky' and they don't want it. There is nothing wrong with ladies being really strong and defined, but it shouldn't be considered the ideal that all women should strive for just because serious lifters and athletes think it looks good.

    "Running" won't "develop" leg muscles...fyi. That's steady state cardio. Sprints, hills, etc.. will.

    Weight lifting (at a caloric deficit) doesn't give you "muscle development" (I'll assume you mean increased muscle mass). It maintains what muscle mass you have as well as helping to increase strength.


    I dreadfully feel a can of worms has opened...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    That is certainly a possibility but if she does she isn't doing it at my gym. But it would seem strange that she comes to the gym at all if she is lifting at home. I think she is still in college as she only comes to the gym in the summertime. I have wondered if she is a competitive runner because of how much she runs but I don't see a competition runner doing treadmill runs all summer long, it just doesn't fit. I think she just has really low BF% and between the running and stepper her leg muscles have developed nicely, that along with genetics. Other than that she is just basically skinny like many girls want to be, even her legs are very slim, they just have nice shape and definition.
    My point being that I don't feel that weights are essential to an attractive figure, and some women, many in fact, do not want to have that muscle development that weightlifting will give them, even if the big muscle-minded types at the gym don't consider it 'bulky.' The average woman thinks that muscle definition is too 'bulky' and they don't want it. There is nothing wrong with ladies being really strong and defined, but it shouldn't be considered the ideal that all women should strive for just because serious lifters and athletes think it looks good.

    Have you asked about her workouts? Or are you at the gym 24/7 and just know she isn't doing it at your gym?

    Also...skinny like girls want to be? Really? :laugh:
  • doorki
    doorki Posts: 2,576 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    That is certainly a possibility but if she does she isn't doing it at my gym. But it would seem strange that she comes to the gym at all if she is lifting at home. I think she is still in college as she only comes to the gym in the summertime. I have wondered if she is a competitive runner because of how much she runs but I don't see a competition runner doing treadmill runs all summer long, it just doesn't fit. I think she just has really low BF% and between the running and stepper her leg muscles have developed nicely, that along with genetics. Other than that she is just basically skinny like many girls want to be, even her legs are very slim, they just have nice shape and definition.
    My point being that I don't feel that weights are essential to an attractive figure, and some women, many in fact, do not want to have that muscle development that weightlifting will give them, even if the big muscle-minded types at the gym don't consider it 'bulky.' The average woman thinks that muscle definition is too 'bulky' and they don't want it. There is nothing wrong with ladies being really strong and defined, but it shouldn't be considered the ideal that all women should strive for just because serious lifters and athletes think it looks good.

    "Running" won't "develop" leg muscles...fyi. That's steady state cardio. Sprints, hills, etc.. will.

    Weight lifting (at a caloric deficit) doesn't give you "muscle development" (I'll assume you mean increased muscle mass). It maintains what muscle mass you have as well as helping to increase strength.


    I dreadfully feel a can of worms has opened...

    pp4_can_of_worms.gif
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    FWIW I really don't feel like I need to link to a thread where only one type of weight training is touted as being the end all be all.....the article is a good one and is simply meant to demonstrate that there are different ways to train effectively.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    That is certainly a possibility but if she does she isn't doing it at my gym. But it would seem strange that she comes to the gym at all if she is lifting at home. I think she is still in college as she only comes to the gym in the summertime. I have wondered if she is a competitive runner because of how much she runs but I don't see a competition runner doing treadmill runs all summer long, it just doesn't fit. I think she just has really low BF% and between the running and stepper her leg muscles have developed nicely, that along with genetics. Other than that she is just basically skinny like many girls want to be, even her legs are very slim, they just have nice shape and definition.
    My point being that I don't feel that weights are essential to an attractive figure, and some women, many in fact, do not want to have that muscle development that weightlifting will give them, even if the big muscle-minded types at the gym don't consider it 'bulky.' The average woman thinks that muscle definition is too 'bulky' and they don't want it. There is nothing wrong with ladies being really strong and defined, but it shouldn't be considered the ideal that all women should strive for just because serious lifters and athletes think it looks good.

    Have you asked about her workouts? Or are you at the gym 24/7 and just know she isn't doing it at your gym?

    Also...skinny like girls want to be? Really? :laugh:

    This. Those "slim legs" won't hold the 140lbs of iron I squat. Pass.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    Thanks for the article. I knew some of this, but as someone who doesn't have a gym membership it is good to know more about how to progress without adding more weight.

    No problem! This is why I posted the article to begin with :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    You're wrong. :tongue:

    Tagging because work blocks that site.
    [/quote

    No! You're wrong! :heart:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    We call that "genetics".
  • Rambo529
    Rambo529 Posts: 170 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    You're seeing her "incredible legs" and "great definition" because of the low BF. Duh. And just because you see her working cardio, doesn't mean she's not lifting. I actually do cardio in the morning and then lift after work. You are likely only seeing a portion of her workout.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    That is certainly a possibility but if she does she isn't doing it at my gym. But it would seem strange that she comes to the gym at all if she is lifting at home. I think she is still in college as she only comes to the gym in the summertime. I have wondered if she is a competitive runner because of how much she runs but I don't see a competition runner doing treadmill runs all summer long, it just doesn't fit. I think she just has really low BF% and between the running and stepper her leg muscles have developed nicely, that along with genetics. Other than that she is just basically skinny like many girls want to be, even her legs are very slim, they just have nice shape and definition.
    My point being that I don't feel that weights are essential to an attractive figure, and some women, many in fact, do not want to have that muscle development that weightlifting will give them, even if the big muscle-minded types at the gym don't consider it 'bulky.' The average woman thinks that muscle definition is too 'bulky' and they don't want it. There is nothing wrong with ladies being really strong and defined, but it shouldn't be considered the ideal that all women should strive for just because serious lifters and athletes think it looks good.

    I lift at home (most of the time) and do cardio at the gym. My apartment has free weights and enough plates to do everything I need (for now. My deadlift may surpass what is offered at home sooner than expected) but I do whatever cardio has struck my fancy at that point at the gym.

    Just saying.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    Well, first of all, the OP of the thread specified "weight training" as the point of focus for her posting of the article, which she has every right to do. So in that context, your post is irrelevant to the topic. Yes, there are many other ways to "get fit" and that is fine. This topic is about weight training.

    Secondly, I agree with others, you may not know the whole story with this girl. She might possible weight train at home, or at another gym that has equipment she prefers, or she may be doing any number of things that you are unaware of. Or she could just have great genetics. Let's not make assumptions all willy nilly here. In any case, it is irrelevant (please refer back to my first point).
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  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Those "slim legs" won't hold the 140lbs of iron I squat. Pass.

    jhjeNqh.gif
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member

    I dreadfully feel a can of worms has opened...

    oh, you have no idea...

    "Running" won't "develop" leg muscles...fyi. That's steady state cardio. Sprints, hills, etc.. will.

    Weight lifting (at a caloric deficit) doesn't give you "muscle development" (I'll assume you mean increased muscle mass). It
    maintains what muscle mass you have as well as helping to increase strength.

    In the case I'm referring to I don't think there has been any increase in muscle mass, just maintaining muscle mass and lowering BF%. But this was enough to create nice muscle definition and an attractive pair of legs and hind quarters, without weightlifting.

    I used 'muscle development' to avoid saying 'muscle tone' which I have learned is a big no no among a forum of exercise science majors. In the future I will avoid both.

    Sadly I do stay at the gym long enough(45-60min lifting, 30-45min cardio, 30-45 min basketball) to outlast her entire workout so I know she is not lifting at the gym unless she comes in twice a day (very unlikely).

    Why is it unlikely? How about you just go ask her next time you are at the gym. :)
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  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    What I think is funny is how everyone on this forum encourages all women to lift weights, and lift heavy, and that this is the best way to get a smokin' bod and you won't get bulky from it. There is this girl at the gym I go to who never does anything except run on a treadmill and occasionally the stepper machine and she has an incredible pair of legs, low BF, great definition yet still very slim and feminine. Most women would love to have her figure, yet she doesn't lift weights at all.

    She is more than likely doing more than you are seeing then.

    That is certainly a possibility but if she does she isn't doing it at my gym. But it would seem strange that she comes to the gym at all if she is lifting at home. I think she is still in college as she only comes to the gym in the summertime. I have wondered if she is a competitive runner because of how much she runs but I don't see a competition runner doing treadmill runs all summer long, it just doesn't fit. I think she just has really low BF% and between the running and stepper her leg muscles have developed nicely, that along with genetics. Other than that she is just basically skinny like many girls want to be, even her legs are very slim, they just have nice shape and definition.
    My point being that I don't feel that weights are essential to an attractive figure, and some women, many in fact, do not want to have that muscle development that weightlifting will give them, even if the big muscle-minded types at the gym don't consider it 'bulky.' The average woman thinks that muscle definition is too 'bulky' and they don't want it. There is nothing wrong with ladies being really strong and defined, but it shouldn't be considered the ideal that all women should strive for just because serious lifters and athletes think it looks good.

    Have you asked about her workouts? Or are you at the gym 24/7 and just know she isn't doing it at your gym?

    Also...skinny like girls want to be? Really? :laugh:

    This. Those "slim legs" won't hold the 140lbs of iron I squat. Pass.

    I appreciate that you can squat 140lbs, but that doesn't mean that your body type is more fit or ideal than skinny legs over there, or hers more than yours.

    You perfectly illustrate my point that this forum is prejudiced in favor of the strong, defined women type. Lets say I post a pic of one of those cross-fit type ladies you see on youtube. Most on here will say that she's hot, but if that pic is shown to a non-fitness minded crowd, most will say she looks manly, or too muscular.

    So your beef is that you prefer not so muscular women? I'm just trying to figure out what you are saying in a thread in which the topic is about progression in weight training.
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  • Zaniejane
    Zaniejane Posts: 329 Member
    I like this article. I would like to feel just as proud when I meet a five km run record or demonstrate progress in balance, flexibility and agility as when I beat my dead lift PR. Weight training can help us progress in many areas, including strength. The times i executed a cramp roll turn and a pull back in tap class I considered that fantastic progress! How we measure our progress has to do with our personal goals rather than what someone else thinks our goals ought to be:)
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  • Cockney365
    Cockney365 Posts: 52 Member
    Can't we all just get along?
  • riccoismydog
    riccoismydog Posts: 319 Member
    Wow, this thread took a turn somewhere for the worse didn't it?

    good advice op. I've been playing with these concepts a bit lately, even while eating a deficit. I'm doing some high reps low weight total body work out in the way of body pump, lifting heavy on other days as well, and some endurance cardio some days too. Some days I don't want to do endurance cardio, I only have half an hour. I do some HIIT. Some days I'm feeling lazy so I go for a bike ride and there is nothing wrong with that. Some days I'm anxious and I do a little yoga. When I lift heavy, sometimes I hold longer on the squat, sometimes I work on speed. Sometimes I just try to put myself in as much pain the next day as I can by way of muscle fatigue, and that is fine too.

    Someone please go ahead and tell me I'm not doing my body any favors. My body does whatever I ask it to. I ask it to do many different things.

    The outcome? I am fitter, stronger, have more endurance, better balance and on and on.

    You wouldn't learn anything new by doing the same exercise in school over and over again.

    Great article. Thanks for the link. It's given me some ideas on how to mix it up a bit more.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    Wow, this thread took a turn somewhere for the worse didn't it?

    good advice op. I've been playing with these concepts a bit lately, even while eating a deficit. I'm doing some high reps low weight total body work out in the way of body pump, lifting heavy on other days as well, and some endurance cardio some days too. Some days I don't want to do endurance cardio, I only have half an hour. I do some HIIT. Some days I'm feeling lazy so I go for a bike ride and there is nothing wrong with that. Some days I'm anxious and I do a little yoga. When I lift heavy, sometimes I hold longer on the squat, sometimes I work on speed. Sometimes I just try to put myself in as much pain the next day as I can by way of muscle fatigue, and that is fine too.

    Someone please go ahead and tell me I'm not doing my body any favors. My body does whatever I ask it to. I ask it to do many different things.

    The outcome? I am fitter, stronger, have more endurance, better balance and on and on.

    You wouldn't learn anything new by doing the same exercise in school over and over again.

    Great article. Thanks for the link. It's given me some ideas on how to mix it up a bit more.

    Thank you for this!