women should lift weights?? wtf?

crmhaske

Body weight exercises like pushups, crunches, lunges, squats, chin ups etc. are just as effective at toning as is weight lifting. I prefer body weight exercises because as a martial artist I need to be able to use my muscles in conjunction with others, I need superior balance, and I need proper hip alignment. Machines have no crossover to real life. It has been demonstrated in several studies that a person who built their muscle using machines is no better at using their body in the real world than they were before they started training.

I practice Tai Chi and agree that toning exercises help balance and posture as well as strength.
If you don't enjoy these exercises though its unlikely you will do them. Perhaps you would enjoy them more to music.
Jazzercise has a body sculpting class that make it fun; maybe you could find something like that. It's more like dancing that just hoisting hand weights.

I do enjoy those exercises very much. It's using machines I can't stand. I don't like doing something out of context, so I don't have a gym membership. I do taekwondo, yoga, and I dance. I do body weight exercises at home with sandbags and medicine balls. I love it!

QUETA2212

What makes the statement women should do strength training untrue? The fact that you dont want to do it doesnt make it untrue. The fact that you feel like you dont have to do it to reach your goal doesnt make it untrue.

craft338

what about women like me who have very large frames? i'm already naturally strong and muscular to the point where men ask ME to open jars for them. i have very broad shoulders and big arms and legs. if i lift weights, i would look like a man. i did it in high school and college for sports and guys would always ask me, "how much can you bench?!?" and it didn't really make me feel very "hot and sexy". i KNOW i won't get bigger because i don't have the testosterone and so on, but i don't need there to be more visible muscles in my already very manly looking frame. the muscles in my legs are already leaning towards masculine, and that's with just WALKING everyday. i don't think i will ever use weights again, no matter how many people tell me i "won't bulk up". i would like to go out with a guy for once without feeling like i can take him in an arm wrestle.

i'm all for women being strong and all that, and i'm not saying i want to look like a girly girl with pink ribbons and flowers. i'm just saying that because i ALREADY look big and strong, i don't want to make it worse by using weights. i'll stick to my cardio :flowerforyou:

EDITED TO ADD - i understand the other points of view and i'm not trying to argue that using weights is BAD, because i know that they're not. i know weights are healthy and that MOST women look wonderful when adding weights to their routines. it's just my personal preference that i would like to keep doing what i'm doing. i've NEVER been a normal weight, so maybe when i reach my goal weight, i might have different thoughts about my own body. but for now, i feel that my exercise routine is fine without weights.

suzycreamcheese

What makes the statement women should do strength training untrue? The fact that you dont want to do it doesnt make it untrue. The fact that you feel like you dont have to do it to reach your goal doesnt make it untrue.

the "should" bit.

but that doesnt automatically mean they shouldnt.


If you like weight training, then great, do it. If you dont, then there is no should about it. Thats ALL im saying.

aj_rock

If you're wondering why you should do some resistance training (not even weight lifting; body weight exercise, swimming, circuit training all count) just do a search on googe scholar:

http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=benefits+of+resistance+training&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

-reduces risk of diabetes
-reduces risk of osteoporosis & loss of bone density
-reduces risk of high blood pressure and subsequent cardiovascular diseases/problems

Like I said, it doesnt have to be a gym or anything but with all the positives of resistance training it almost seems silly not to, and not just from a weight loss perspective.

When it comes to weight loss though, the general idea seems to be that it prevents you from losing too much lean body mass. And LBM doesn't always refer to muscle.

fteale

Body weight exercises like pushups, crunches, lunges, squats, chin ups etc. are just as effective at toning as is weight lifting. I prefer body weight exercises because as a martial artist I need to be able to use my muscles in conjunction with others, I need superior balance, and I need proper hip alignment. Machines have no crossover to real life. It has been demonstrated in several studies that a person who built their muscle using machines is no better at using their body in the real world than they were before they started training. If I do strength training I do it with real life things like flipping truck tires or heaving sand bags. I also like a good 10 lb medicine ball.

Here's a good article on the body weight exercises vs. free weights vs. machines debate: http://liftforlife.com/content/bodybuilding-fitness-diet-health-articles/training-articles/252-bodyweight-exercise

This is exactly my view. I want to build my muscle bulk a bit, but I won't be lifting weights because it isn't sustainable. I don't have access to a gym, and I don't have room for a weights machine at home. Nor do I have any inclination to have free weights (apart from my 6.6lb hand weights) lying around the house with small children around. I do circuits classes and have resistance bands to try to build muscle. I do a fair few press ups and planks and core work too, and when the children are older I intend to get back into martial arts (which I did for 6 years before getting pregnant), but for me, lifting weights would be a short term solution, because it isn't something I will do for the rest of my life.

fteale

I really don't get what people are getting so het up about. The OP isn't saying women shouldn't do weights. She is objecting to being told we should, or NEED to. When we don't. There is no NEED to do weights. It doesn't make you live longer. My grandmother lived to 91 without lifting weights once in her life.

FatGirlSlim89

It has been demonstrated in several studies that a person who built their muscle using machines is no better at using their body in the real world than they were before they started training.

Although I think you're other advice is sound, I have to disagree with this. I love weight training on machines, and it's improved my strength more than I could have imagined. I think this is the sort of thing the OP was trying to voice, we need to respect that everyone is different. I too am fed up with blanket 'EVERYONE SHOULD' or 'YOU'RE WAY IS WRONG' statements.

1953Judith

I agree with the OP that the word "should" can be off-putting. I have learned the hard way that good nutrition and exercise is not just about physical appearance on the outside and it is not just about the point in time we are in. I take a post-cancer medicine that is very corrosive to my bones. I take a low dose of medicine to counteract the effect of post cancer medicine. I want to keep on the smallest dose possible. I try to do by exercise and diet as much as possible for my body. I took up body pump last year (I hated anything to do with weights). Per my latest bone scan, I AM increasing bone density not just stopping the corrosion. I encourage all of us to look at our bodies as a whole, treasure the miracle that they are by integrating healthy habits when and where we can.

pedalpusher5

If the posts that are supportive of resistance training really bother you, you could choose not to read them. That way, the information would still be here as education, help and support for the members who are interested in the benefits of muscle development, and all the positive effects that it brings (which I would venture to say is the vast majority of us), without offending you.

These forums are here to be a source of education and support. Strength training is a huge part of being fit, for most people, so to get bothered by discussion of the topic on a fitness forum would be like joining a boating forum and getting pissed whenever someone mentions water.

You always have the option of skipping over any post that is about subject matter that doesn't pertain to you or your goals. You even have the option of just logging your calories and exercise and ignoring the discussion forums altogether. But for those of us who believe in and are interested in strength training, this is "our" topic, ignore it and move on and leave us to support each other.

Alyx128

what about women like me who have very large frames? i'm already naturally strong and muscular to the point where men ask ME to open jars for them. i have very broad shoulders and big arms and legs. if i lift weights, i would look like a man. i did it in high school and college for sports and guys would always ask me, "how much can you bench?!?" and it didn't really make me feel very "hot and sexy". i KNOW i won't get bigger because i don't have the testosterone and so on, but i don't need there to be more visible muscles in my already very manly looking frame. the muscles in my legs are already leaning towards masculine, and that's with just WALKING everyday. i don't think i will ever use weights again, no matter how many people tell me i "won't bulk up". i would like to go out with a guy for once without feeling like i can take him in an arm wrestle.

i'm all for women being strong and all that, and i'm not saying i want to look like a girly girl with pink ribbons and flowers. i'm just saying that because i ALREADY look big and strong, i don't want to make it worse by using weights. i'll stick to my cardio :flowerforyou:

EDITED TO ADD - i understand the other points of view and i'm not trying to argue that using weights is BAD, because i know that they're not. i know weights are healthy and that MOST women look wonderful when adding weights to their routines. it's just my personal preference that i would like to keep doing what i'm doing. i've NEVER been a normal weight, so maybe when i reach my goal weight, i might have different thoughts about my own body. but for now, i feel that my exercise routine is fine without weights.

You might want to try yoga. My mom is the same as you. She just builds muscle at the drop of a hat. She is also large boned. She used to run a lot and her legs were really big, pure muscle (I think it might be the Scottish and German heritage). My dad is actually the same way too. I am sort of like that I build muscle without trying, but my bone structure is a little smaller. When my mom did yoga, it made her look great. It lengthened her muscles making them look less bulky and more feminine. It also counts and resistance training. You have lost a lot of weight though so obviously what you are doing is working for you.

fteale

The OP has not anywhere said that messages of support bother her. She is offended by being told she SHOULD lift weights, or that she NEEDS to. And I completely agree with her. Why should she? Who on here is to say what she SHOULD do?

crisanderson27

im joking. What works for me, wont necessarily work for you, and vice versa.

I get totally fed up with people assuming it will.


I think people saying that they have found lifting weights to be really beneficial and that they really enjoy it, totally different to people saying YOU SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS. WOMEN NEED TO LIFT WEIGHTS.

because they dont

I'm sorry, but this is absolute crap. I don't mean to offend you...because I generally can get on board with your posts...but the fact of the matter is, that within a small window...and barring health problems or gender related differences...what works for me will sure as hell work for you too. The human body is a very, very fine tuned mechanism. The same type workouts produce the same hormonal responses. Saying that something you don't like doesn't work for you just because you clearly weren't doing it properly is no different than me saying that since I've lost almost 12lbs in the last month plus, eating Taco Bell damn near daily...means Taco Bell is a healthy, effective weight loss diet.

BTW: cardio does *not* reduce your lean muscle mass as someone here suggested. Some protein ingested in the hour or two after your run will help build muscle mass faster so you can run longer/harder more quickly.

The proportion of lean muscle mass vs fat is important in a wide range of health concerns but whether it's your arms or legs doesn't mean much except for one thing: exercising your BIG muscle groups, such as the legs burns a lot more energy :-)

Where's your backing on that one? What hormones are produced with long sessions of steady state cardio? What hormones are produced with high intensity intervals? What hormones are produced with strength training?

You bet your *kitten* you can lose weight with cardio...but you can lose weight eating only Taco Bell too (trust me...I know this...as I said above). Doesn't mean it's the most efficient way to go about it, or that there aren't more healthful and effective routes you can take.



And finally:

Im not saying women shouldnt lift weights, im just saying it pisses me off that it keeps being spouted as something we "should" do, when it doesnt actually particularly benefit everyone (relative to the effort put in or time spent) compared to actually finding an exercise you enjoy and actually WANT to get out of bed and do.

Does it piss you off? People tell people they should eat better all the time. People tell people that healthy exercise is good for them, and that smoking isn't...all the time. You should not eat junk food...I've heard you say that in the past myself. You should eat clean and exercise and not smoke.

This whole freaking forum is based on what you SHOULD do. Perhaps...if you don't like it...you should NOT read it.

Hope that my suggestion of what you should do, didn't offend you.

Oh, and one last thing...to the woman who suggested that women naturally bulk up as easily as men...try talking to all the female body builders on steroids, just to be built like a male swimmer.

Better ask nicely...and have those running shoes on.

summertime_girl

While I'm no personal training expert, my husband is. And the personal trainers I've had in the past as well. And all have said that resistance training, in addition to cardio, is crucial to overall health and fat loss.

No care to me if the OP doesn't want to do any strength training, but to declare that women don't need to do it is patently false.

fteale

While I'm no personal training expert, my husband is. And the personal trainers I've had in the past as well. And all have said that resistance training, in addition to cardio, is crucial to overall health and fat loss.

No care to me if the OP doesn't want to do any strength training, but to declare that women don't need to do it is patently false.

But it clearly ISN'T "crucial" because millions, BILLIONS of people manage to be very healthy with a healthy fat % and NOT lift weights.

craft338

what about women like me who have very large frames? i'm already naturally strong and muscular to the point where men ask ME to open jars for them. i have very broad shoulders and big arms and legs. if i lift weights, i would look like a man. i did it in high school and college for sports and guys would always ask me, "how much can you bench?!?" and it didn't really make me feel very "hot and sexy". i KNOW i won't get bigger because i don't have the testosterone and so on, but i don't need there to be more visible muscles in my already very manly looking frame. the muscles in my legs are already leaning towards masculine, and that's with just WALKING everyday. i don't think i will ever use weights again, no matter how many people tell me i "won't bulk up". i would like to go out with a guy for once without feeling like i can take him in an arm wrestle.

i'm all for women being strong and all that, and i'm not saying i want to look like a girly girl with pink ribbons and flowers. i'm just saying that because i ALREADY look big and strong, i don't want to make it worse by using weights. i'll stick to my cardio :flowerforyou:

EDITED TO ADD - i understand the other points of view and i'm not trying to argue that using weights is BAD, because i know that they're not. i know weights are healthy and that MOST women look wonderful when adding weights to their routines. it's just my personal preference that i would like to keep doing what i'm doing. i've NEVER been a normal weight, so maybe when i reach my goal weight, i might have different thoughts about my own body. but for now, i feel that my exercise routine is fine without weights.

You might want to try yoga. My mom is the same as you. She just builds muscle at the drop of a hat. She is also large boned. She used to run a lot and her legs were really big, pure muscle (I think it might be the Scottish and German heritage). My dad is actually the same way too. I am sort of like that I build muscle without trying, but my bone structure is a little smaller. When my mom did yoga, it made her look great. It lengthened her muscles making them look less bulky and more feminine. It also counts and resistance training. You have lost a lot of weight though so obviously what you are doing is working for you.

thanks i think i might enjoy yoga! i could never do it before, but maybe now that i'm a little more fit, i can give it another try. i've been swimming a lot lately, and in just 3 weeks, i've noticed a big difference in inches without it showing up in my leg or shoulder muscles. it's great! thanks for the tip

LorinaLynn

I've skimmed most of the thread, but my "WTF?" is the comment about how someone can "tell" the OP doesn't lift. I think she looks phenomenal! And her full body shots is a casual pose, not one where she's flexed and pumped. She doesn't have jiggly arms with bingo wings, and she looks tight and taut. A similarly casual, unposed, unflexed shot of even Jillian Michaels wouldn't look much different.

That said, I wouldn't go far as to say I "enjoy" lifting, but I'm enjoying the results. I think of it kind of like brushing my teeth, taking vitamins, or shaving my legs. Something I do because I like the outcome, not so much the act itself. I hate shaving my legs, but I hate having hairy or stubbly legs more. :laugh:

crisanderson27

While I'm no personal training expert, my husband is. And the personal trainers I've had in the past as well. And all have said that resistance training, in addition to cardio, is crucial to overall health and fat loss.

No care to me if the OP doesn't want to do any strength training, but to declare that women don't need to do it is patently false.

But it clearly ISN'T "crucial" because millions, BILLIONS of people manage to be very healthy with a healthy fat % and NOT lift weights.

So do millions and billions who eat fast food, processed sugar, smoke, and drink regularly.

Hmm...something to consider there...I guess because millions and billions do it, it's perfectly acceptable and we should ignore all the reasons not to.

You know it's funny...each and every one of us is willing to tell people they should eat cleaner, exercise more, and do things like we do...but the second someone posts THEIR OWN post, explaining via pictures WHY they think women should strength train...you guys get offended?? Was it directed at you? Did it have your name attached to it?

Did someone tell you you SHOULD read it??

fteale

I would have no issue WHATSOEVER with people posting about how weight training did wonders for them. It's the telling other people what to do when there is really no NEED for it that gets on peoples nerves. It isn't like not eating junk. It is more like the not eating carbs thing. The effects are actually irrelevant IF the rest of your lifestyle is good and you do exercise.

Lift weights IF YOU WANT, but to tell other people they NEED to is just stupid.

summertime_girl

Lifting weights doesn't actually mean you have to hold dumbbells in your hands, or work on a bench press. You can use your own body weight as resistance. And yes, whether or not anyone wants to believe it, it is crucial.

fteale

Lifting weights doesn't actually mean you have to hold dumbbells in your hands, or work on a bench press. You can use your own body weight as resistance. And yes, whether or not anyone wants to believe it, it is crucial.

No. It isn't. Eating is crucial Breathing is crucial. Sleeping and drinking and some level of activity are crucial. Lifting weights isn't. Most people get throughout their lives just fine without it. So it isn't by any definition of the word, crucial.

It may be preferable if you want a certain body composition. But that isn't the same thing as crucial.

BeachGurl815

No one is saying that you MUST do it.


But in all actuality, you really should, because it builds muscle, and the more muscle you have, the higher your BMR, therefore, the more calories you burn just by living.

i agree!!!

I agree also. As for my experience, I have started lifting consistently a few months ago and I am seeing results. It motivates me more than ever to keep at it.

writtenINthestars

Lifting weights doesn't actually mean you have to hold dumbbells in your hands, or work on a bench press. You can use your own body weight as resistance. And yes, whether or not anyone wants to believe it, it is crucial.

This.

There are more reasons for strength training besides weight loss and building muscle....ask several women with osteoporosis and see what they tell you is the first thing they are suggested to start doing...or SHOULD have done prior to being diagnosed.

crisanderson27

I would have no issue WHATSOEVER with people posting about how weight training did wonders for them. It's the telling other people what to do when there is really no NEED for it that gets on peoples nerves. It isn't like not eating junk. It is more like the not eating carbs thing. The effects are actually irrelevant IF the rest of your lifestyle is good and you do exercise.

Lift weights IF YOU WANT, but to tell other people they NEED to is just stupid.

So if I posted a thread titled 'Why People Should Eat Clean', or 'Why People Should Exercise', or 'Why People Should Do Cardio'...you'd be offended?

Right.

sweetsarahj

because they dont

Meh, you're wrong.

alexfaty

I agree everyone should run ;-) I burn 700 cals doing an hours run and 300 in a gym for a hour!
Dont really mean that at all!

I think you should do what you enjoy, at the end of the day if you enjoy exercise you will do it for a long time so that has to be better than someone working out in a Gym everyday for 6months and then giving up because they hate it... Before getting into running I would join a Gym for a few months go everyday and hate every moment of it so stop going totally. Then I found running about 6 years ago, I run a minium of 20 miles a week every week and often more. I kept running until I was 8 months pregnant and started again 3 weeks after my daughter was born. Running has kept me very fit and healthy the only reason it hasn't got the baby weight off is because I have been eating more than I have run... Also if running up and down hills isn't going to strengthen your legs and bum what is!

Saying that I have brought a kettle bell and actually it is quite fun, all the stuff you can do with it is quite functional, its seams to give a whole body work out in 30mins and I do it watching TV!. I have week shoulders and abs from having a C-section and carrying my daughter around and actually I have found that getting my upper body stronger has made so many everyday things easier...

LorinaLynn

It depends on your lifestyle. I saw a woman at Target - beautiful, young, slender, healthy looking - who literally could not lift a case of water to put it in her car. She dropped it three times, and that case weighed about 24 pounds. She's someone who could really benefit from some strength training, and she's in for a world of hurt later in life if she doesn't do something about her lack of muscle.

On the other hand, our city garbage collectors have a 30 pound limit on weight of the trash bags. The estimate they give is if you can easily lift the bag with one hand, it's good to go. Even before I took up exercising and lifting, I had many occasions where they refused to take my bag because it was "too heavy." I had no problem hoisting it single-handedly, as a reasonably small woman, but it was too much for burly men, I suppose. But I've always had an active lifestyle, where I'm always lifting and carrying heavy things - whether it's several cases of soda, a 40# box of cat litter, a pile of lumber or landscape stones/pavers. When I put in a patio, I loaded all the pavers on the flatbed cart at Lowes', and pushed it to the front of the store. I later calculated that the pavers alone, not including the cart, weighed about 800 lbs. Apparently, I'm part mule. Strong and stubborn!

I lift, but it's probably not as crucial to me as someone who can't carry a case of water.

myofibril

So if I posted a thread titled 'Why People Should Eat Clean', or 'Why People Should Exercise', or 'Why People Should Do Cardio'...you'd be offended?

Right.

I think in the context of this discussion some people are equating should with must. "Why people must eat clean" , "Why people must exercise" or "why people must do cardio."

No matter what anyone thinks you can a) be very healthy b) look very good c) have a functional and strong body without ever lifting weights, doing strength training or any kind of formal resistance training. I don't think it the most efficient way of acheiving those goals admittedly.

For the record, weight bearing cardiovascular exercise is also very good for bone density if you are worried about osteoporosis.

lcarter25

I really think the people who are so offended by the term should really need to not read forums as thats what forums are peoples opinions!

suzycreamcheese

why "should" i lift weights? What do weightlifters have that i dont have, apart from the ability to lift big things, and put them down again slowly? seriously?

Im slim, im reasonably strong, im fit,I have muscle definition, I carried my ten year old boy down the street the other day in one arm when he hurt his foot, ive even carried my 4 year old on one hip and my 3 year old on the other down the street at the same time when they both decided they were going to refuse to walk at the same time recently. I can run over two hours straight . My blood pressure is spot on, i rarely get ill.

Tell me, why "should" I be out lifting weights rather than doing what im doing?

Not saying lifting weights is bad - its great. A lot of you weight lifters have awesome bodies, but really, theres no SHOULD about it. There are many ways. Its beneficial to exercise and to eat healthily as much as possible, and its fine to say that you could possibly benefit from lifting weights, but thats very different from saying YOU SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS