Why Women Lift

12by311

We see a lot of threads asking "why don't women lift?"

Well.....let's do a spin thread. Say it loud, say it proud....what are the reasons women DO lift.

1. I have two kids now...I don't have time to spend forever and ever working out. I want to get in and get it done. More bang for the buck (burning more calories AFTER I leave the weight room).

2. I love looking like an athlete. I've been involved in sports and competition all of my life...and I like looking like I have.

3. When my co-worker says "Hey - you are looking buff." I take it as a compliment.

4. I LOVE competition. Being 31 years old, I don't get to compete very often anymore. But I can....against myself....in the weight room.

5. I like being and feeling strong.

6. I can move furniture (up and down steps) with my husband and I like when he says, "I'm glad I didn't marry a weak woman."

7. I like to eat.

8. My dr actually said my muscle mass helped with my high risk pregnancy...my C-section surgery....and my recovery...then post baby weight loss. I'll take it!

9. I think muscles help me look younger. I want to look younger!

Myhaloslipped

I am a believer in the health benefits of cardio, but honestly, my weight loss really took off once I was bound to the house for a couple of weeks and had to focus more on lifting than cardio. I have been eating around 2000 calories per day (before exercise) and losing roughly 1 pound per week. I am loving this! Now I do light cardio, but I mainly focus on lifting.

asdelmonte

I lift so when I get old I can continue to live independently.

Sharon5913

I AM older and I love being able to see definition where there was none before, (it's not much NOW, but more than when I started). I like seeing the progress, as in lifting more than I did when I started.
Finally: Ohh, it hurts SOOO good!!! :happy:

wolfsbayne

1. for my bone health.
2. for the sexy body it will allow me to have once I shred the fat off
3. because I feel like a bad*** b**** when I lift those heavy weights! :bigsmile:

JoRocka

because it's awesome.... and I hate cardio.

I don't care about the health benefits- I love lifting. Period.

And muscles.

I love muscles.

May_Rose

Because it's fun! Cardio is so boring. I get a rush when I lift. I love when I'm outlifting the guys around me .

It also makes my body look pretty awesome.

It's functional too. My parents were helping my Grandma move last weekend and they called ME to help. Not my brother in law, not my finace, not any of thier male friends. Just me .

I can carry all of my grocery bags in the house in one trip.

Once, when my nephew was falling from a pretty good height, I was able to catch him in my arms mid-fall and neither of us got hurt. You'd have had to be there, but I think some people would have broken an arm doing what I did.

I'm not afriad to be alone no matter where I am. I'm fast, strong, and know I'd put up a good fight if anyone tried to mess with me.

It also keeps me mentally sane. There's no better way to deal with the stress of the day than to push a sh*# ton of weight off your chest, literally.

A lot of people don't understand, and maybe it's just not for them. It's become a passion for me, a way of life. I think I'll be lifting into my 80's !

sjbtiger

Great topic!

I've just begun my strength training journey, but I am so inspired by each of you! I hate running but want to be strong and in great shape.

I want my daughters to see their mom as healthy and strong. Not a mom who goes on crazy diets and obsesses over the scale.

sophayz

i lift to be strong , fit and for that big round booty

archaichoney

Lifting is hawt, muscles are hawt, curves are hawt, having a booty is fun too.

Love dat iron.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I can carry my two smaller children at the same time (5 & 3), or my 7 year old alone. My husband cannot due to his back issues.

I can carry large bags of dog food.

And yeah, pretty much all the reasons you listed. I can lift twice a week for 45 minutes and maintain my decent physique while eating 2300+ calories a day. I also feel more confident naked than I ever have at 33 years old and after having 3 kids.

moparjer

I usually do Zumba for cardio but am interested in how to get started on lifting weights. I'm in my late 50's and don't want flabby arms or tummy. What's a good web site to learn from for beginners? Thanks!

EmilyJackCO

I lift because it makes me feel like I can conquer anything. I also work with mostly men (always have), and I no longer have to ask them to move floor tiles or rack a 5U box or anything. I can do it all on my own... though sometimes I do need support because of the leverage involved if the pieces are too big (awkward, not heavy). Being able to move anything on my own is pretty awesome.

Most of all, I lift because I can, for all the years I was told I couldn't do anything physical at all. I have had severe asthma since I was 7. I never ran a mile until this year. I never ran 2 miles until last month. I couldn't do that UNTIL I started lifting. But lifting helped me get to the point where I could... as I can do that irregardless of my asthma.

I started working out 5 years ago due to being very ill and becoming severely underweight. The only way to get back the weight was to rebuild it, and I didn't want to be sickly anymore, and I didn't want to be flabby. I had never set foot in the gym, and it took me 3 1/2 years to start lifting progressively heavier. But it has been so very worth it, and I probably won't ever stop.

May_Rose

I usually do Zumba for cardio but am interested in how to get started on lifting weights. I'm in my late 50's and don't want flabby arms or tummy. What's a good web site to learn from for beginners? Thanks!

Good for you for taking an interest :drinker: !

A couple good resources you can google:

- Starting Strength
- Stronglifts 5x5
- New Rules of Lifting for Women (book)

If you have access to a gym, I highly reccomend hiring a personal trainer for 3-5 sessions to get you started and teach you proper form. I would also come prepared with the workouts you want to learn (one of the above) so they don't start you off on the wrong foot (i.e. lifting pink dumbbells).

Good luck to you, you won't regret it!

Holly_Roman_Empire

because it's awesome.... and I hate cardio.

I don't care about the health benefits- I love lifting. Period.

And muscles.

I love muscles.

Pretty much this. I feel like I'm dying when I do cardio. I feel empowered when I weight train.

And when I say "dying" I mean "dying of boredom because it sucks" not "dying because I'm out of shape."

FoxyLifter

Yes to all of this! I wish more women would lift. It's the best workout routine I've ever done. I'm getting the results I want!

carla113

Love all of this!

My reason: Showing my kids what a strong mama looks like. I don't want to be some stick or out of shape slob who can't play basketball, throw some softballs or run a foot race with her kids.

...oh, the bonus is that the hubby appreciates the look and feel of the muscles.

SoDamnHungry

1. For my *kitten*.

2. For my *kitten*.

3. For my *kitten*.

4. Cuz muscle looks and feels fantastic.

5. For strong bones.

norm67axp

Because women that lift and have muscles are sexy!!!!!!

wolfsbayne

1. For my *kitten*.

2. For my *kitten*.

3. For my *kitten*.

4. Cuz muscle looks and feels fantastic.

5. For strong bones.

QFT :drinker:

SunofaBeach14

'Cause guys like big sammiches?

Mrsallypants

To help with carrying babies and lifting cast iron frying pans.

WhiteRabbit1313

because it's awesome.... and I hate cardio.

I don't care about the health benefits- I love lifting. Period.

And muscles.

I love muscles.

Pretty much this. I feel like I'm dying when I do cardio. I feel empowered when I weight train.

And when I say "dying" I mean "dying of boredom because it sucks" not "dying because I'm out of shape."

^^This. ALL of this. Soooo all of this (JoRocka and Hollydubs)!!! Cardio, unless it's recreational, is pure hell.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

I lift for ripped abs and strong shoulders.

BlueAngelChar

because it gives me an *kitten* you can bounce a coin off of!!

skinnyinnotime

I enjoy it
It's good for my health
It makes my body look good

catfive1

I usually do Zumba for cardio but am interested in how to get started on lifting weights. I'm in my late 50's and don't want flabby arms or tummy. What's a good web site to learn from for beginners? Thanks!

Good for you for taking an interest :drinker: !

A couple good resources you can google:

- Starting Strength
- Stronglifts 5x5
- New Rules of Lifting for Women (book)

If you have access to a gym, I highly reccomend hiring a personal trainer for 3-5 sessions to get you started and teach you proper form. I would also come prepared with the workouts you want to learn (one of the above) so they don't start you off on the wrong foot (i.e. lifting pink dumbbells).

Good luck to you, you won't regret it!

Never too old to start lifting. I started last year at age 53. I want to be fit and fabulous when I grow up.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women Check out this mfp group.

elg1982

I lift because I like feeling strong. It makes me feel secure and confident.

I lift because I like exercising, but I'm really bad a running. I make gains in strength if I put in effort in a way I've never succeeded with cardio.

I lift because it's good for my health and I want to be a healthy mother one day and live a long and active life.

I lift because it's useful to be able to move big things.

I lift because it makes my arms and legs and butt look good and my waist gets smaller, and my boobs sit higher on my chest. I know there's no real cure for cellulite, but I seem to have less of it when I'm squatting regularly.

One day my mom and I went away for a ladies weekend. We were in the hotel gym and she was on a bike watching me deadlift. She said to me "Why do you want to be SO strong?"

I looked at her like I thought she was crazy. I asked her "What if I need to lift something heavy?"

She said "We'll that's what your husband is for!"

I said, "What if something heavy falls on him?"

Galatea_Stone

I lift for the endorphins it gives me and everything that follows after. Better health, known strength, better performance, regulated hormones, uncontrollable sex drive, and looking good in my skin suit.

pearlmullet

I lift because when I leave the gym after a session I feel like pounding my chest and yelling like a maniac. It's a rush.

And I can fit it into my day. It felt like the law of diminishing returns set it too quickly when I was just running. Run longer, or harder, or...I can just LIFT HEAVIER and make gains in the same amount of time.

NextPage

I still love my cardio too (especially spinning, kayaking and hiking outdoors) but the effects of lifting weights are the bomb. It always amazes me when women say they will start lifting weights after they lose weight since they have to concentrate on cardio thinking that weights will render this process. Lifting weights is great for practical things like daily chores and keeping muscle mass as you grow older .

However, if you are looking for real motivation think of the day you have lost inches and you look down at the sides of your thighs and see long sexy indents or you look at arms and see "guns" instead of "bat wings". All the hard work will seem like slowly unwrapping a gift to yourself. As someone else on MFP has already said "skinny girls look good in clothes, strong girls look good naked".

Some clothes at the gym will still be a good idea .