Why do so many women lift such light weights?

Lola7791

For me it's lack of knowledge and uncomfortable in the "men's" area. I'm not one of the hot chicks they wanna see there.

Joreanasaurous

I was recently told by a man I was talking to at Starbucks that I shouldn't do squats because they will make me look like a man.

I have had tonnes of fitness instructors when I used to take classes tell me that I needed to lift lite and do high reps so I won't get bulky.

There is just so much information out there when it comes to women and weight lifting unfortunately.

RaggedyPond

For me it's lack of knowledge and uncomfortable in the "men's" area. I'm not one of the hot chicks they wanna see there.

I'm sure they are happy to have any woman there.

RaggedyPond

I read somewhere a while back that:

People are intimidated by the weight areas because of the good looking bodies. But there is a reason why the good looking bodies are there and not on a cardio machine.

rollng_thundr

Everyone starts somewhere. I started with 5lbs. I don't care who watches me at the gym. My philosophy is that if you are too busy watching what other people are doing at the gym then you're not working out hard enough,

Werd....

jenilla1

Ignorance and misinformation.

ETA: I often have women come up to me in the gym and say, "Wow, you're so strong! I could never do that." It reminds me of the women who say, "Wow, you're so skinny! I wish I was as lucky as you." They just don't know what they are capable of with a little work. It's not luck, it's not magic, it's not a shake or a pill. It's attitude, effort and perseverance.

rollng_thundr

For me it's lack of knowledge and uncomfortable in the "men's" area. I'm not one of the hot chicks they wanna see there.

Just curious, but were you ever told this? I wanna see a woman challenge herself in whatever capacity she is capable. I don't care if you are 5'3" and 200 lbs... or 6' and 230#, if you are there trying to better yourself, then you can work out right next to me, or any other "guy" for that matter. And if a guy gives you a look, then you are paying too much attention to your surroundings and not the reason you are there...

Get in there, work out like a beast.. and one day you'll be that woman that doesn't care what other guys in the gym think.

ModernNerd

I lifted heavy once. Now look at me... *pokes massive she-hulk biceps sadly* *lumbers away*

Lola7791

For me it's lack of knowledge and uncomfortable in the "men's" area. I'm not one of the hot chicks they wanna see there.

Just curious, but were you ever told this? I wanna see a woman challenge herself in whatever capacity she is capable. I don't care if you are 5'3" and 200 lbs... or 6' and 230#, if you are there trying to better yourself, then you can work out right next to me, or any other "guy" for that matter. And if a guy gives you a look, then you are paying too much attention to your surroundings and not the reason you are there...

Get in there, work out like a beast.. and one day you'll be that woman that doesn't care what other guys in the gym think.

Thanks!! I have a lot to learn!!

SezxyStef

BTW, there are a few the female personal trainers at my gym and sorry to say they are bulky. There is no other word for it and I can understand that not everyone wants to look like that. And no, they don't pump steroids and what not into their bodies they work hard for their muscle. So to say that all women won't get bulky by weight lifting is wrong.

Bulky women don't happen by accident...it was purposeful and I suspect if you saw those trainers out on the street not right after they were lifting they wouldn't look like that...

We have a few girls in town that compete and when they are working out they are "pumped" but in the street they are slim and trim.

hoyalawya2003

I was recently told by a man I was talking to at Starbucks that I shouldn't do squats because they will make me look like a man.

I have had tonnes of fitness instructors when I used to take classes tell me that I needed to lift lite and do high reps so I won't get bulky.

There is just so much information out there when it comes to women and weight lifting unfortunately.

This is so true. A lot of these responses show the misinformation. I just started doing a "power" class that does barbells and weights. After class an older lady told me I used too heavy a weight for the shoulder exercises (I was struggling at the end--trying to challenge myself and would rather fail the last reps rather than it be too easy). She told me I was going to damage my rotator cuff lifting so heavy--I was using a 5 lb weight. :noway: I would hate for her to see my pick up my 50+ lb four year old, or wrestle with a 1000 lb Thoroughbred. Although instead of insulted, I thought, ooh, I finally have experienced the unwanted advice at the gym I keep reading about on MFP :laugh:

eta: typo fix

Joreanasaurous

For me it's lack of knowledge and uncomfortable in the "men's" area. I'm not one of the hot chicks they wanna see there.

Just curious, but were you ever told this? I wanna see a woman challenge herself in whatever capacity she is capable. I don't care if you are 5'3" and 200 lbs... or 6' and 230#, if you are there trying to better yourself, then you can work out right next to me, or any other "guy" for that matter. And if a guy gives you a look, then you are paying too much attention to your surroundings and not the reason you are there...

Get in there, work out like a beast.. and one day you'll be that woman that doesn't care what other guys in the gym think.

I have to say I have more than a few times been next to a guy doing the same lift as me but 10x the weight I was. Even then I never felt judged. If we made eye contact we would smile briefly then go back to our own lifting and grunting.

Platform_Heels

Heavy means a lot of different things to many different people. I lift heavy for me but someone else might see what I lift and think it's not. Also when I work certain muscle groups, like shoulders, with some of the exercises I'm using 5-10lbs and that is heavy for me.

Some days I prefer to up the reps and drop the amount of pounds I'm lifting to switch it up a bit.

Also the women that you see there lifting light could be new to lifting so to them it is heavy. Or someone could be nursing an injury. Or they just don't like lifting but heard that they "should" do it so they grab light weight and just do whatever.

craftywitch_63

Traditionally women weren't (and somtimes still aren't) encouraged to lift heavy. Most women don't know where to start or with how much weight to start. Also, women tend to need to start with lighter weights and increase gradually (women aren't as strong as men - it's the whole testosterone thing, remember?)

JoRocka

Traditionally women weren't (and somtimes still aren't) encouraged to lift heavy. Most women don't know where to start or with how much weight to start. Also, women tend to need to start with lighter weights and increase gradually (women aren't as strong as men - it's the whole testosterone thing, remember?)

um no.

Everyone needs to start with light weights and increase gradually. that is not a gender specific requirement for progressive lifting.

random_user75

If you see me doing bicep curls with 15lbs weights, that's me maxing out. I can usually do about 8 reps before swapping to 12lbs then about 20 more reps before going down to 10lbs. That's my version of lifting heavy...

I don't do pull ups with a 75lbs assist because I'm scared of muscles. I do it because I can't pull even half my weight.

Thanks for noticing :grumble:

I am right there with you. I'm just starting out, and, if I have to start at the Barbie end of the weight spectrum, so be it. I'll just keep at it. Then I'll Hulk out.

mschicagocubs

Agree with a lot of comments already made, but I've always been a little baffled by this ...

I played high school sports ( basketball and softball ) now I'm 26 so I've only been removed from high school for 8 years, but when we were in athletics at my high school we were required to be a part of a weight lifting program.

I had to learn to bench press, use free weights, incline. Sure we didn't do dead lifts and some of the more "men" oriented moves, but I still knew how to use dumbells and barbells.

I would assume that a lot of high schools had this type of structure. So it baffles me that there are so many women that don't know even how to do some dumbell exercises.

Now, I get not everyone plays sports, but I would think in High School more than 50% participated in some kind of sports. Maybe my high school was just really intense ..... lol

random_user75

The trainers in most gyms don't help.

I had to stipulate very strongly (at least 3 times) that I wanted to be shown how to use the barbell - otherwise I would have just got hit with the usual round of the machines 2x15 plus 20 min each on each cardio machine.

Yet, a very overweight/unhealthy male will automatically qualify to be shown Olympic cleans etc on a first visit without asking

So very true. I'm planning my conversation for my next consultation (I like to check in for form). Fewer reps plus heavier weights? Can we not combine lifts for which I could use a much heavier weight on one part and much lighter on the other? I just need to get off my butt and check out NROLW or SS or something.

Platform_Heels

Agree with a lot of comments already made, but I've always been a little baffled by this ...

I played high school sports ( basketball and softball ) now I'm 26 so I've only been removed from high school for 8 years, but when we were in athletics at my high school we were required to be a part of a weight lifting program.

I had to learn to bench press, use free weights, incline. Sure we didn't do dead lifts and some of the more "men" oriented moves, but I still knew how to use dumbells and barbells.

I would assume that a lot of high schools had this type of structure. So it baffles me that there are so many women that don't know even how to do some dumbell exercises.

Now, I get not everyone plays sports, but I would think in High School more than 50% participated in some kind of sports. Maybe my high school was just really intense ..... lol

I was never in sports in school and I highly doubt that more than 50% of the people that I went to school with participated in any sort of sport.

We had only one day during gym class where we were shown the weight room and how to use the equipment.

MireyGal76

If you see me doing bicep curls with 15lbs weights, that's me maxing out. I can usually do about 8 reps before swapping to 12lbs then about 20 more reps before going down to 10lbs. That's my version of lifting heavy...

I don't do pull ups with a 75lbs assist because I'm scared of muscles. I do it because I can't pull even half my weight.

Thanks for noticing :grumble:

So you do 8 reps at 15, 20+ reps at 12 and then even more at 10?

Why not just do as many as you can at 15lbs? When I lift, I find I prefer lifting so that I can push out 10, 8, and 6 reps. Sometimes I am able to do a few more, sometimes a few less.

But if I get to the point where it's easy to do more than 10... I'm adding weight the next time around.

I don't have a lot of free time though. I can't afford to spend hours doing a million reps when, I can get er done much quicker with heavier weights.

ETA: I'd probably lift even heavier, and do even LESS reps, but I'm working out at home and am always conscious of the fact that I don't have a spotter.

12by311

Agree with a lot of comments already made, but I've always been a little baffled by this ...

I played high school sports ( basketball and softball ) now I'm 26 so I've only been removed from high school for 8 years, but when we were in athletics at my high school we were required to be a part of a weight lifting program.

I had to learn to bench press, use free weights, incline. Sure we didn't do dead lifts and some of the more "men" oriented moves, but I still knew how to use dumbells and barbells.

I would assume that a lot of high schools had this type of structure. So it baffles me that there are so many women that don't know even how to do some dumbell exercises.

Now, I get not everyone plays sports, but I would think in High School more than 50% participated in some kind of sports. Maybe my high school was just really intense ..... lol

Same here. I learned my way around weights playing sports. I can remember in 8th grade benching more than a boy the same age as me. I thought I was AWESOME. haha!

So, now...I'm the coach. The other day I had 11 girls in the weight room, while the boys were in there too. We only did three lifts that day; squats, deads, and bench (we also did some ball slams before going back to the gym) but I told them we were doing something that they could use later on in life.

turtledove773

So ladies.. why are so many afraid to lift heavy weights?

What is exactly considered "Heavy"?

mschicagocubs

Agree with a lot of comments already made, but I've always been a little baffled by this ...

I played high school sports ( basketball and softball ) now I'm 26 so I've only been removed from high school for 8 years, but when we were in athletics at my high school we were required to be a part of a weight lifting program.

I had to learn to bench press, use free weights, incline. Sure we didn't do dead lifts and some of the more "men" oriented moves, but I still knew how to use dumbells and barbells.

I would assume that a lot of high schools had this type of structure. So it baffles me that there are so many women that don't know even how to do some dumbell exercises.

Now, I get not everyone plays sports, but I would think in High School more than 50% participated in some kind of sports. Maybe my high school was just really intense ..... lol

I was never in sports in school and I highly doubt that more than 50% of the people that I went to school with participated in any sort of sport.

We had only one day during gym class where we were shown the weight room and how to use the equipment.

I graduated with 450 kids. And I would assume that majority played some kind of athletic at some point in 4 years. Even if they didn't ... poms/cheerleaders also used the weight room.

Like I said, maybe I was lucky...

We had to run the mile every semester. Based on your performance...you had to do so many Cardiovascular days. The highest being like 30 a semester. With that said, some fun activities were CV days, but also the weight circuit, bikes, aerobics were a way to get your CV days done. So maybe all those times complaining about CV days ... my school was really doing a good job to keep people who DIDNT want to be active, somewhat active.

SezxyStef

So ladies.. why are so many afraid to lift heavy weights?

What is exactly considered "Heavy"?

that is very subjective...heavy is what is heavy for you...meaning you are fatigued on the last reps of the sets (based on my understanding)

Heavy for me is 180lb squat, Heavy for you might be a 60lb squat...but six months ago 60lbs was heavy for me.

it's all about progression and building your strength which as you can tell by my pics does not make you bulky...or have "big huge heman muscles"....:laugh:

Snow3y

Ever considered that maybe because they're women, they don't have great testosterone levels like men?

thatismesammyg

I guess my reason is "I don't want to." There's no gym rule that says you need to lift heavy weights. I can do whatever the heck I feel like doing and shouldn't be judged by some man that spends too much time observing women and not enough time minding his own business.

bcattoes

So ladies.. why are so many afraid to lift heavy weights?

(btw, this applies to many of the men I see in the gym also)

This may not apply, since I'm not afraid to lift heavy, I just prefer not to and I can't speak for anyone else.

When I lift weights I do lift more than 5 lbs, since the lowest weight I have is 10 lbs. (highest is 25 lb - I have only dumbbells and one kettlebell). I can get to my goals with what I have and I don't find going progressively heavier at all enjoyable so I have no incentive to do so.

I prefer bodyweight exercises so I sometimes go weeks without picking up a weight at all.

JoRocka

So ladies.. why are so many afraid to lift heavy weights?

What is exactly considered "Heavy"?

heavy is a rep range- not a weight.

Ever considered that maybe because they're women, they don't have great testosterone levels like men?

that has nothing to do with anything to be completely honest.

I prefer bodyweight exercises so I sometimes go weeks without picking up a weight at all.

progressive loading has nothing to do with lifting- it's progressive loading.
You can progressively load with body weights just fine- you do not NEED to lift WEIGHTS- to be lifting "heavy".

Followingsea

For me, call it 75% insecurity and 25% fear of (re)injury.

I am not very good at admitting I don't know something. Asking for help requires monumental mental effort. It's taken a while to work up to it.

I'm also prone to neck/shoulder injury. On my last round of physical therapy, they had me doing bicep curls with a 1 lb weight on my left side. ...and it was hard. So - just jumping in wasn't an option. I needed someone to help me with form and show me the right way to do [X exercise] without hurting myself all over again.

it took a while to clear the hurdles.

jwdieter

Seems like a lot of women don't want to look like they're making an effort. Almost never see a woman struggling for a rep, or even breathing hard outside of a class.

But thumbs up to the few who get in there and push themselves. And this goes for guys too - if you're working hard, the amount on the bar doesn't matter. Do what it takes to get the job done.