10 Mistakes Women Make in the Gym

Myhaloslipped

I know what you're saying Brower, but "slut" is a term aimed at women and it is intended to shame. What is the equivalent term for a man with multiple sexual partners, perceived or actual? "Stud" for one.

There is absolutely no reason why words like this should be tolerated.

I call my male friends sluts all of the time. Pretty sure the writer was just using the term to describe the nature of someone's relationship with particular forms of exercise. It is certainly an eyecatcher that draws attention to the article. I do agree that the way it was written was a bit raw and abrasive, but the points were definitely made clearly.

logg1e

We'll agree to differ. I think language is powerful. For example, the use of the word "boy" to describe a black man. Discriminatory language is pervasive and damaging if left unchallenged.

BigT555

Bump to come back later when I have more time to comment. But I will say that I almost shut down completely as soon as the article referenced "Skinny Fat". This idiotic phrase is one of my pet peeves! And I find it very difficult to take anyone seriously who uses it.

im not a huge fan of the term either considering is a pretty big oxymoron, but it really is the best way to describe someone who has alot of fat and little muscle[

"Skinny Fat" suggests that someone who chooses to focus on Cardio, which is ok btw, is somehow less than acceptable than those who choose to lift.

Different people have different plans--whatever works for them, but they don't needed to be labeled. No one calls lifters "buff-fat" if they have some extra weight on them.

NO, it is someone who appears thin but has a high level of bodyfat. And "bulky' and "fatceps" are used to describe lifters with extra pudge.

agreed.

also another term for this is built-fat. i hear it get used all the time

BinaryPulsar

I know what you're saying Brower, but "slut" is a term aimed at women and it is intended to shame. What is the equivalent term for a man with multiple sexual partners, perceived or actual? "Stud" for one.

There is absolutely no reason why words like this should be tolerated.

I call my male friends sluts all of the time. Pretty sure the writer was just using the term to describe the nature of someone's relationship with particular forms of exercise. It is certainly an eyecatcher that draws attention to the article. I do agree that the way it was written was a bit raw and abrasive, but the points were definitely made clearly.

Yeah, the writing style was not so great to me.

But, that aside, while I do very much dislike people calling women sluts due to their sexuality. I am not against the word as a whole. I mean, sometimes I call myself a slut, as a way to disable the intended meaning of the word, like poking fun at the word or simply saying that what people consider bad (slutty) is not bad. I don't see an issue with using the word, as long as it is not used to insult women for their sexuality or blame them for sexual assault. The word exists, so why not reclaim it.

logg1e

"I don't see an issue with using the word, as long as it is not used to insult women for their sexuality or blame them for sexual assault."

In an article entitled "10 Mistakes Women Make..."!

KeyCat43

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

brower47

I know what you're saying Brower, but "slut" is a term aimed at women and it is intended to shame. What is the equivalent term for a man with multiple sexual partners, perceived or actual? "Stud" for one.

There is absolutely no reason why words like this should be tolerated.

I call my male friends sluts all of the time. Pretty sure the writer was just using the term to describe the nature of someone's relationship with particular forms of exercise. It is certainly an eyecatcher that draws attention to the article. I do agree that the way it was written was a bit raw and abrasive, but the points were definitely made clearly.

Yeah, the writing style was not so great to me.

But, that aside, while I do very much dislike people calling women sluts due to their sexuality. I am not against the word as a whole. I mean, sometimes I call myself a slut, as a way to disable the intended meaning of the word, like poking fun at the word or simply saying that what people consider bad (slutty) is not bad. I don't see an issue with using the word, as long as it is not used to insult women for their sexuality or blame them for sexual assault.

All of this.

We'll agree to differ. I think language is powerful. For example, the use of the word "boy" to describe a black man. Discriminatory language is pervasive and damaging if left unchallenged.

We just have a fundamental difference of opinion. A lot of words have had the derogatory meaning marginalized when the people it's used against adopt it into their own vernacular. I do it with slut and redneck (I was born in WY and now live in rural CO). There are other examples. Words can be powerful but that power can be eroded. I like eroding powerful negative words rather than letting them fester and grow into something more.

ETA:

"I don't see an issue with using the word, as long as it is not used to insult women for their sexuality or blame them for sexual assault."

In an article entitled "10 Mistakes Women Make..."!

It wasn't being used in the sexual sense at all, so it wasn't being used to insult women for their sexuality. It was also used to describe men in the article in the exact same way.

firstsip

I know what you're saying Brower, but "slut" is a term aimed at women and it is intended to shame. What is the equivalent term for a man with multiple sexual partners, perceived or actual? "Stud" for one.

There is absolutely no reason why words like this should be tolerated.

I see what you're saying, but to be fair, the article didn't just say "slut"--it specifically said "workout slut." While I'm not a fan of the article, the singular use of the word slut combined with "workout" very much makes this about something outside of sex, particularly when the paragraph goes on to say that being a workout slut is even more common among men. Sort of like when people colloquially use "shoe *kitten*" to denote their shopping habits, etc. etc. It's, more or less, a colloquial appropriation of the word.

I'm a huge, huge proponent of watching our words and understanding the power they have, but this might not be the right battlezone for the argument you're trying to make.

thickerella

"It's virtually impossible – no matter what you eat – to gain any fat in the post-workout period, which is roughly defined as the hour-long timeframe after you finish lifting weights. "

Is THIS part true?

BinaryPulsar

I know what you're saying Brower, but "slut" is a term aimed at women and it is intended to shame. What is the equivalent term for a man with multiple sexual partners, perceived or actual? "Stud" for one.

There is absolutely no reason why words like this should be tolerated.

I see what you're saying, but to be fair, the article didn't just say "slut"--it specifically said "workout slut." While I'm not a fan of the article, the singular use of the word slut combined with "workout" very much makes this about something outside of sex, particularly when the paragraph goes on to say that being a workout slut is even more common among men. Sort of like when people colloquially use "shoe *kitten*" to denote their shopping habits, etc. etc. It's, more or less, a colloquial appropriation of the word.

I'm a huge, huge proponent of watching our words and understanding the power they have, but this might not be the right battlezone for the argument you're trying to make.

Yeah, I agree. We do need to pick our battles effectively.

logg1e

I've stated my point and I've read with interest and respect other people's thoughts.

I agree that there is an argument for minority groups to take back derogatory terms. So I guess that means the author is a woman, writing for female readers.

MissHolidayGolightly

"It's virtually impossible – no matter what you eat – to gain any fat in the post-workout period, which is roughly defined as the hour-long timeframe after you finish lifting weights. "

Is THIS part true?

We should eat all of our daily calories in that hour after lifting, then!

likitisplit

"It's virtually impossible – no matter what you eat – to gain any fat in the post-workout period, which is roughly defined as the hour-long timeframe after you finish lifting weights. "

Is THIS part true?

We should eat all of our daily calories in that hour after lifting, then!

That's another thing that doesn't make much sense.

MissHolidayGolightly

Great article. Thanks for posting it. I must admit when I walk into the weight room at the gym I feel completely lost. I pretty much just stick to the weight machines because the free weights and weight bars/benches kind of intimidate me. Especially because that's what all the "big dudes" use and I'm not really sure what to do with them. I have no goals for the weight room and I'm not even sure what would be reasonable goals for me to set in there. I've been using the weight machines on and off for years and never really feel like they're doing much of anything for me and I just recently found out that I have in fact lost some muscle. When I worked with a trainer in the past he had me doing the weight machines as well and when he did have me doing dumbbells they were always the lighter ones. He always told me lighter weights and more reps. I need to find a trainer who will work with me on the "big boy" stuff and will actually challenge me and push me and teach me so then I can learn to do it on my own.

Some good books to get into heavy lifting are "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe and "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Sculer. As for the big guys, just go in there and do your workout and don't worry about them. A lot of the good lifters are actually nice and helpful if asked.

MissHolidayGolightly

"It's virtually impossible – no matter what you eat – to gain any fat in the post-workout period, which is roughly defined as the hour-long timeframe after you finish lifting weights. "

Is THIS part true?

We should eat all of our daily calories in that hour after lifting, then!

That's another thing that doesn't make much sense.

I think he just grossly oversimplified. I know after you workout, your body continues the burn for a period of time. For anerobic exercise like lifting, that period is longer and more intense than after doing aerobic exercise like steady state cardio. So you can and should eat after lifting to aid in recovery rather than produce fat. This is only to an extent though. If you leave the gym and eat Thanksgiving dinner regularly, you're probably not going to lose weight.

dixiewhiskey

True!! (article)

SnuggleSmacks

So I could eat like 2 plates of lasagna and a giant milkshake right after my workout and I'm not going to gain fat?

BinaryPulsar

"It's virtually impossible – no matter what you eat – to gain any fat in the post-workout period, which is roughly defined as the hour-long timeframe after you finish lifting weights. "

Is THIS part true?

We should eat all of our daily calories in that hour after lifting, then!

That's another thing that doesn't make much sense.

Yeah, that made me raise my eyebrows also. It really wasn't a great article. There are much better articles out there.

Kelly_430

This made me laugh

I am that girl in the free weights and I always shake my head at the quote un quote "cardio queens"