Lifting for the inside or outside health?

pcastagner · December 2013

Yeah for some weird reason I prefer to believe in things when I have some evidence they actually happened.

Mr_Excitement · December 2013

I only lift for the sex.

SezxyStef · December 2013

20 years ago I had "bulging biceps" I was in my early 20's and in a male dominated trade in the military. After going through boot camp and then trades training I could easily do 7 chinups, pushups up the wazoo and lift the 100lb bullet up 4ft to place it on the tray. I was not purposefully working out but most definately eating a lot of food to keep up with the activity I was doing...

I was 5 ft 7, weighed about 155lbs not sure of bf% because I wasn't even aware of that 20 years ago

True story but no pics of those guns (I have pics of the guns I worked on) but to be frank my physical transformation didn't really phase me and I didn't think to take pics...so no pics but it did happen, true story.

So just cause there are no pics etc don't discount what people remember, I know I was strong then, I know I had "bulging biceps" as my sister used to make me flex for her friends...hehe...bulging being subjective of course.

SCV34 · December 2013

Thanks SezxyStef for somewhat coming to my defense. Not sure what else I can say to prove my story was true. I lifted dead weight patients my junior and senior year of high school some times working double shifts. That meant from the bed to their chairs and rolling them over. The end result was biceps that were developed to say the least that got comments from my guy friends. It was my job and a hard one that was very physically demanding.

ninerbuff · December 2013

The majority of clients I've trained did it for vanity reasons. Currently most of them do it for health and rehab reasons. What I do find is that it may start out as a vanity goal, but for those who stick with it, they also start being more intrinsic and do it for overall health.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

pcastagner · December 2013

5'7", 155 lbs and doing 7 chinups? loading 100 lb shells overhead?

that would put you in a very small group of women who have that kind of upper body strength. I would indeed expect some nice guns on a girl like that! (sexy as hell, btw)

SCV34 · December 2013

I don't even understand where your snide remarks are coming from and why. I know what my arms looked like when I was lifting and moving dead weight patients almost on a daily basis for two years. Just because I wasn't working my arms out the way you do, doesn't mean that there wasn't something there. I was asking questions about the health benefits of lifting and what their motivation for doing it is.

cafeaulait7 · December 2013

I think most people know how much adults weigh and could do the math if they felt like it, so maybe the confusion comes in because it involves a profession that is female-dominated. You know those nurses never could have had guns all those years, being female and all. They don't even know a barbell from a dumbbell; how on earth could they have big biceps?

Dude, do they even lift?

My sister had enormous biceps and I have no idea what she was doing. I never asked her, but hers were just crazy big for no apparent reason, lol. She did work on her car, so maybe something involving that. In pictures she never flexed and never wore sleeveless things, so I don't know what that would prove anyway.

cafeaulait7 · December 2013

For me, btw, I lift for health first and foremost. I have a back problem, and it staves off the arthritis that can set in. Then I have a genetic thing that affects my tendons, so lifting is very important to stabilize my joints. I also find that the relatively few numbers of reps is very helpful on my tendons compared to very repetitive things.

Then for looks! I really like the shape of muscles compared to flabby bits, be they flabby fat or flabby muscles. I don't need to see the muscles completely clearly, but I like seeing a certain amount of definition, just aesthetically

SCV34 · December 2013

Well, it sounds like you have very good reasons for lifting, thanks for your responses.

pcastagner · December 2013

No lol I'm just using my BS detector. In my mind I replace all the unverifiable statements with blank ones and it exposes just how little usable information is actually here.

OP is highly motivated to steer things to a particular conclusion, IMO, and should just get to the point of complaining about how the world works.

For one, I don't accept a dichotomous "outside vs. inside" view of "health", since quality of life is necessarily a measure of a person interacting with an environment.

Here is what we can actually learn here: some people somewhere are self conscious about their biceps being too big from lifting, despite the fact that a program designed for increasing strength has little to no isolation work on the biceps, since they contribute relatively little to most movements and generally don't need extra training. OP is not educated enough to realize the difference between lifting and bodybuilding, and like most people not educated on the subject, has some pretty interesting ideas about biceps. OP also not clear that in order to build big arms she would have to use BOTH training AND a calorie surplus, which is what she did accidentally to develop her arms in the past.

The reason, my dear, that I can't take you seriously here is that you clearly do not lift and never have, otherwise you would know very well that it is the single most effective way to improve your quality of life, for the rest of your life, particularly when a proper strength training program is followed. It makes you better at EVERYTHING.

Prove me wrong. Get a copy of "Starting Strength", and spend the next year getting a good squat, deadlift, and overhead press, and learn to do a pullup. If at the end you don't feel like it was one of the most important commitments you ever made for yourself and those who care for you.

SCV34 · December 2013

You know nothing about me and to make assumptions about me is quit funny(INSERT SARCASM). You must suffer from low self esteem to be attacking someone that you don't even know. Do you feel better having done so? I asked a queston and got my answers. Maybe your intentions for your statements is to motivate, but you MY DEAR have done quit the opposite.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · December 2013

Like others said, I do it for both.

The single most important reason is the pain relief I get from lifting. I have chronic pain but I've been able to cut my medications by 40% since I started lifting. It also makes me feel like a superhero, which is amazing for someone who has always felt weak and sickly.

That said, I also do it for vanity. I love the way it has changed my body.

As far as not liking the aesthetics of it, here's what I'd tell you. There are many many days between the day you first pick up a barbell and the day you end up ripped. On any one of those days you can decide you don't like what you see and change your goals. But if you never start in the first place you'll never know.

Matt24442 · December 2013

Outside

/thread

Mia_RagazzaTosta · December 2013

Vanity first, then to be able to kick some *kitten*, then to preserve my bones and all that.

gracielynn1011 · December 2013

When I first started it was completely vanity. I wanted to have a tight firm body. And cardio alone just wasn't doing it. I was getting smaller, but still flabby and "fat" looking. So after seeing all the lifting success stories, I decided to start with some lifting.

After a few months, I noticed that my joints didn't hurt so much in the mornings. I could move and do my daily activities without pains or aches. And I appreciate those benefits as well as the cosmetic benefits.

Sarauk2sf · December 2013

I do it for numerous reasons, some of which are primary drivers and some of which are secondary.

I lift because I love it.

I also really like the improvements in body composition, the fact that it allows me to eat more, it keeps my bones strong, I no longer get back pain, it actually does improve cardiovascular health to a degree....and more.

But mainly..because I love it.

SCV34 · December 2013

Thanks for the input ladies and gent!

pcastagner · December 2013

If just one curious woman reads this and realizes being afraid to lift because it will make her bulky is a sort of running gag around here, That's enough for me.

You're right, I know nothing about you. Because you won't provide details. When I ask, I am accused of something awful for questioning your conclusions. But since your conclusions don't make sense, I figure there is a mistake in there and would love to help you fix it or at least point it out to others. That's the kind of support I appreciate, and what I try to give. Real answers, not someone to make me feel better about never reaching my goals. Or even worse, someone spreading unrealistic fears which deter me from ever trying.

If I thought you were actually just asking questions, rather than trying to make the point that lifting is only for vanity, I might approach this very differently. Lifting with a good program is the single most important health decision you can make after committing to a healthy diet, and can not on its own make you bulky (you have to back it up with a positive energy balance to achieve that).

jimmmer · December 2013

I feel like I'm in a relationship with the iron. It's challenging. It's challenging enough that I won't get easily bored and every bit of weight added to the bar is a victory. It's a mental game and the prize is a better me. One rep at a time.

Sure it makes me stronger, more resilient, increases my bone density which is increasingly important as we age.

Sure, it'll make me look good naked if I choose to cut. Or by the other turn it'll add mass to my frame if I choose to structure my diet another way.

Sure it'll strengthen ligaments, tendons and other connective tissue.

But it's really a spiritual and emotional challenge. All the other stuff is just gravy...

Lifting for the inside or outside health?

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