Why do people, especially women, enjoy lifting so much?
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I've been lifting since a couple of months into my weight loss journey, but I also speed walk and do Pilates.
I love lifting because:
- it makes me feel so bada$$! I remember going into a garden center to look at 25 lb bags of dirt. When I went to put it in my basket I remember trying not to break my long natural nails then worrying about not being able to move it. A salesperson rushed over to help, but by that time it was in my cart. He was like. :noway: . I love it!
- of the way it has totally reshaped and defined my curves. For example I've always had a big butt, but once the excess fat left it did not get deflated and saggy. Instead it got lifted and more shapely. Combined with a tighter core and a slight "V" in the back, it helped me get a dream body in my 30's and helped me to look better then I did in high school and my early 20's.
- it takes my mind off things. When exercising I always try to put my mind into the muscle, but when lifting heavy I'm focused on my form and squeezing my muscle. Plus when I'm done I feel so awesome.
Many of my other reasons are already listed in this thread, but I'm so thankful I gave lifting a try.0 -
Weight lifting was invented by the Spanish Inquisition! I prefer to do anything else in the gym (I keep away from gyms until the winter, when its too cold and wet to enjoy exercise out of doors)... Its boring and the pain it can induce is horibble...
Then you must be doing it wrong.
ETA: sqwated 7,000lbs worth yesterday with a torn miniscuis and ACL, (running). It did not give me pain.0 -
OP I haven't read the whole thread.
But 1, don't use age as an excuse. I believe a study was done on like really old people and they all gained muscle and experienced tons of improvements.
2. I started having a whole bunch of pain (wrist pain, back pain, hip pain). Since starting to lift again all of that pain is gone. Anecdotal, but weight training done in a an intelligent manner will only benefit you.0 -
it makes me feel empowered and the results make me hot.0
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Going by how many women are getting gangraped in India, I really feel safer when I lift/strength train. Personally, I do not like cuts so much but I really really reallllyyy want to become strong enough to take down a guy someday
Also yes, i'm so glad i actually enjoy lifting as much as I enjoy power walking- I hate the elliptical though, sucks the life out of me.0 -
Weight lifting was invented by the Spanish Inquisition! I prefer to do anything else in the gym (I keep away from gyms until the winter, when its too cold and wet to enjoy exercise out of doors)... Its boring and the pain it can induce is horibble...
Then you must be doing it wrong.
^^ exactly what I was thinking!
I love lifting! I've been doing it for 2 and a half months, so not terribly long, but I love it! There's nothing like feeling strong and challenging yourself. Plus, the health benefits
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Because there are only benefits. Period. Stronger = better. It took me many years to come to this conclusion but i really now believe the key to being fit is strength training. You can do all the cardio you want but nothing is as good for your fitness as getting stronger is.0
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"The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total *kitten*. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds. "
- Henry Rollins0 -
Being strong is awesome...you feel like you could move a mountain if it got in your way...it's an awesome feeling.0
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I actually ENJOY it...(and I don't like a lot of types of exercise.)
I am physically stronger for doing it.
I am looking better and smaller, in spite of what the scale says.
Endorphins - I loves them!
It's me versus me, and every PR I get makes me so proud!
It has strengthened my wonky knees and made them less wonky, which enables me to do other things.
License to eat! (Ok, I am kidding about that, but it has bumped my TDEE up considerably.)
I could go on and on!0 -
I've never lifted and probably never will, since I'm old and have heart disease and back problems. But I get curious when I see how much people get into lifting. Is it like a runner's high? Can you describe the feelings?
These are all the reasons you SHOULD lift weights. When you age you lose muscle and muscle helps prevent osteoporosis. I've been trying to tell my 59 year old mother that for years but she choses to not listen as well. She doesn't feel she SHOULD lift much more than 5 pound weights because she'll risk injury. I keep telling her that's why she need to get stronger - to resist injury!0 -
I loathe lifting weights. I hate every boring, dreadful second of it.
I was morbidly obese when I started. I looked like a snowman crossed with the Michelin man.
But I love that now my lumpy parts are muscles not fat. And someone said I looked "ripped". I don't care that they were lying-that's enough for me to keep lifting weights. Maybe it will be true some day.0 -
Weight lifting, along with kickboxing, gives me confidence....have a shot at defending myself! :glasses:0
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Because I love feeling strong, I love getting stronger, I love being the only chick in the squat rack, I love the shape of my arms, I love eating more food and I love the looks I get at the gym when I bust out some chin ups.0
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I am 44, have back issues along with an array of joint issues, but I lift because I had to cut back on my cardio. Do I like it? NO!
Do I like the results? Absolutely.0 -
Seeing how stong I've gotten is awesome. It makes me feel badass. :happy:0
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Well the super fast and consistent results are pretty rewarding after years/miles of ellipticals with no visible impact.
But I think I'm actually one of the rare female lifters that hates every second that she's lifting. I'm sweaty, tired, and strained. I look and sound like a crazy person. But I keep going back, because, well, my stomach didn't look like this when I weighed 10 pounds less.0 -
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I have a strong like for lifting weights. STRONG. We are stronger than we think and when I lift heavy like that opposed of doing 100 reps of 10 lbs pushes me harder to just try and lift heavier and to learn all I can as a beginner. It's a feeling of accomplishment. It's a different type of exhaustion. I've noticed the biochemical changes mentally too, as a person who did nothing but a ton of cardio to a person who now does cardio with larger emphases on lifting. It's a much more calming effect and I'm not as nervous or hesitant. As a person who ignorantly thought lifting was unlady like and for lesbians, feminist and manly men, and the weight floor was more of a "man's world" my confidence is boosted because it's just one more taboo I have overcome that has held me back from getting what I want with my body. Lifting heavy is a feeling like no other.0
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I feel totally in control when I'm lifting. I run and do (mostly HIIT) boot camp, and I enjoy them both - but for different reasons than I enjoy lifting. When I am in the weight room, there is no "can't" or failure, really - I follow my program of progressive lifts, and if I can't do all the sets/reps at my working weight, I take a few pounds off, and know I'll be there next workout. If I push to muscle failure, that's a win. Not sure if that makes sense outside of my head, but basically it's all winning, all the time. The progress is measurable and very rewarding.
Don't talk yourself put of trying anything that can move you toward your goals - EVERY workout is scalable to your ability, including and especially lifting.0 -
Are you a lace knitter? For me, putting up progressively heavier weights is like completing increasingly complex lace work. Have you ever come across a pattern at some point you just couldn't follow but months (or even years later) after knitting away at easier things you could finally execute that difficult pattern and got a really stunning piece at the end? That's what lifting is to me. It doesn't give me a high. At times it's almost meditative. It centers and grounds me. It also affords me another place for personal growth while conveniently making me stronger.0
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As a person who ignorantly thought lifting was unlady like and for lesbians, feminist and manly men.
My people! I can get behind that.
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I like lifting cause it makes my butt looks awesome?
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I feel totally in control when I'm lifting. I run and do (mostly HIIT) boot camp, and I enjoy them both - but for different reasons than I enjoy lifting. When I am in the weight room, there is no "can't" or failure, really - I follow my program of progressive lifts, and if I can't do all the sets/reps at my working weight, I take a few pounds off, and know I'll be there next workout. If I push to muscle failure, that's a win. Not sure if that makes sense outside of my head, but basically it's all winning, all the time. The progress is measurable and very rewarding.
Don't talk yourself put of trying anything that can move you toward your goals - EVERY workout is scalable to your ability, including and especially lifting.
OMG, this is so full of WIN! 0 -
I've never lifted and probably never will, since I'm old and have heart disease and back problems. But I get curious when I see how much people get into lifting. Is it like a runner's high? Can you describe the feelings?
To me, it's a sense of power when I am able to lift or move something big/heavy. I hate feeling weak. Secondly, it improves the way I look, which is a nice bonus.0 -
I can't speak for the especially women part as most of the women I see at my gym stick to the elliptical or treadmill. But for me it's an amazing feeling knowing that what seemed impossible to lift 6 months ago now feels light, and the confidence you get knowing that something that was once physically impossible for you is now not only possible but easy and believe me this confidence is transferred into your everyday life.
The feeling of setting your goal and hitting it, the new muscles and definition popping up where there was none before, the magical disappearance of pain and fatigue due to your increased strength, the stupidly tired feeling where your muscles feel like jelly and the knowledge that because you gave it everything you had this time the next time you'll be able to do a little more.
And yeah the general badass feeling.
loving this response.. i always felt that it would make me bulky and "manly" but researching and understanding what it takes to become bigger or lean made me realize that my chronic cardio only wasn't doing the trick!0 -
you know what's amazing too..
being able to do something today- or tomorrow that 5 weeks ago you thought was impossible.
As pointed out lifting is very empowering- I seriously have no idea how people hate it- you must be doing it wrong.
I definitely do NOT get a high- it's different- it stays with me- it doesn't go away- it's part of that lift in my chest and the rake of my shoulders, the tilt of my chin when I walk into a room and shake everyone's hand firmly... when I look them all in the eye.
It's not a high. It's the weight that I left that makes me stand tall and proud to be fricking fabulous.
Lifting- you're doing it wrong if it hurts or you hate it. LOL0 -
you know what's amazing too..
being able to do something today- or tomorrow that 5 weeks ago you thought was impossible.
As pointed out lifting is very empowering- I seriously have no idea how people hate it- you must be doing it wrong.
I definitely do NOT get a high- it's different- it stays with me- it doesn't go away- it's part of that lift in my chest and the rake of my shoulders, the tilt of my chin when I walk into a room and shake everyone's hand firmly... when I look them all in the eye.
It's not a high. It's the weight that I left that makes me stand tall and proud to be fricking fabulous.
Lifting- you're doing it wrong if it hurts or you hate it. LOL
Amazingly written! So much this!!0 -
A guy had been watching this for about 5 trugs worth and asked my husband, "where can I get a wife like that?". My husband said, "at the gym".
I loved reading this NSV! As you have read, the majority of the responses to your question have been extremely positive. That many people can not be wrong about what lifting and lifting heavy does for them. I began lifting heavy a couple of months ago. I love it! It makes me feel young. It makes me feel strong. It builds my self confidence and enforces a positive attitude. I could put together a list full of "why I can't lift" ... but those are just excuses. Excuses hold one back from making the best of what they are dealing with. Your first task is to overcome all of the excuses and begin lifting. Your second task is not to give up. There are almost no valid excuses ... especially age ... I'm 67.0 -
1) I told my daughter I would live to be 100 yrs old. Being fit and strong will help me to achieve that
2) The last 9 months of lifting has done more for my body shape than dieting/cardio has done in years.
3) I'm short, so I already have to get assistance with reaching things, I'll be damned if I'm going to need assistance with carrying them too.
4) Sweeping/mopping the floor or raking the yard/gardening used to leave me aching on the couch, swallowing advil because of lower back weakness. NOT A PROBLEM ANYMORE.
5) It just makes me feel good knowing I can
PS, Your reasons for not lifting are the exact reasons you should.0
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