women should lift weights?? wtf?
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running doesn't build muscular strength
really? So how come people get better and better at it, and get better muscle definition etc?
Different types of muscles. Running and other long term cardio works different types of muscles than strength training. And endurence and strength are two different things.0 -
my reason for posting this is just that ive been thinking about it a while.
Its diets as well as exercise. People constantly depriving themselves of things they like and being very very restrictive and strict, or even forcing themselves to eat things they dont actually like because its "good for them", then doing exercises they hate, or overdoing the exercise, which while is fine for crash weight-loss in the short term, y'know if youre doing it for a specific occasion, then thats fine, but youre not going to get a realistic idea of your natural input or output or anything.
I think there are sooo many ways to acheive a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight, but to do it long term, its got to involve living normally to a certain extent. I believe EVERYONE has their sport. They just need to find it
I agree that fad dieting is crazy, doing exercises you hate is ridiculous, etc. However, I joined MFP because I needed to be aware of what I was eating, aware of my laziness due to a lack of exercise, aware of what the scales "actually" read & aware of my body fat %! For me, it was the...."I hate cardio" or the "I'd rather have pizza" way of thinking that got me here! So with that said, I came to realize to get where I want to be, I'm going to have to do some things I don't particularly enjoy doing (like running, ab work, eating my veggies, etc.) I guess my point is...I'm going to have to be "uncomfortable" & make the necessary changes to meet my goals! I agree with the comment about achieving a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle......I think this is a goal we're all working toward....we all just need to find what works for us to make it long term! Whatever it may be!
(& btw, I despise running & love weight training! People are different and that's ok!!!)
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OK my take to the OP is that people need to stop going straight to weights. There are other strength building things people can do that do not include the weights. Me personally I hate the gym. I have a slight anxiety about people being around and the stupid feeling that they are watching me (I know their not I don't need another 920503297 people telling me so please). And I'm kinda on the low income side so I don't have money to go buy weights for my house. So how did I cope? I started doing other things. Sit ups, push ups, pull ups etc. It strains the muscles to help build the muscles up and doesn't require weights.
I think people should suggest weights as a possibility but the word should can and often does turn people on the defensive side.
Just my opinion tho.
well people can go straight to weights if thats what they want to do.
All i said, is the BEST most effective form of exercise for anyone, is the one that you enjoy doing, and are likely to maintain long term.
I got better results from 4 months of running, than i did from 18months of varied exercises at the gym, and im positive the reason for that is because i love it so much i want to get out there and do it more, and push myself.
put it this way. Youve got two people one discovers she actually loves eating healthy and prefers the food.
Another hates it, but goes on a diet and forces herself to eat healthy food she doesnt enjoy.
Whos going to last longer on their healthy eating plan long term?
the best thing for the non-healthy eater to do would be to find a compromise. Something she LIKES eating thats still healthy so she can maintain it long term if shes going to get anywhere.
Im not against weight training. Im just saying its not for everyone, and the best thing for people to do is find a sport they love, and get fit doing that, not faddy stuff at the gym that the chances are theyll give up after a few months.
if the sport they love happens to be weight lifting, then GREAT, its really good for you, but if you prefer badminton, or running or swimming then do what motivates you to get out and do it.0 -
maybe women should "consider" lifting weights
How much difference is there in telling someone what they should or shouldn't say, or how they should or shouldn't phrase it- as oppossed to what they should or shouldn't do?0 -
OK my take to the OP is that people need to stop going straight to weights. There are other strength building things people can do that do not include the weights. Me personally I hate the gym. I have a slight anxiety about people being around and the stupid feeling that they are watching me (I know their not I don't need another 920503297 people telling me so please). And I'm kinda on the low income side so I don't have money to go buy weights for my house. So how did I cope? I started doing other things. Sit ups, push ups, pull ups etc. It strains the muscles to help build the muscles up and doesn't require weights.
I think people should suggest weights as a possibility but the word should can and often does turn people on the defensive side.
Just my opinion tho.
well people can go straight to weights if thats what they want to do.
All i said, is the BEST most effective form of exercise for anyone, is the one that you enjoy doing, and are likely to maintain long term.
I got better results from 4 months of running, than i did from 18months of varied exercises at the gym, and im positive the reason for that is because i love it so much i want to get out there and do it more, and push myself.
put it this way. Youve got two people one discovers she actually loves eating healthy and prefers the food.
Another hates it, but goes on a diet and forces herself to eat healthy food she doesnt enjoy.
Whos going to last longer on their healthy eating plan long term?
the best thing for the non-healthy eater to do would be to find a compromise. Something she LIKES eating thats still healthy so she can maintain it long term if shes going to get anywhere.
Im not against weight training. Im just saying its not for everyone, and the best thing for people to do is find a sport they love, and get fit doing that, not faddy stuff at the gym that the chances are theyll give up after a few months.
if the sport they love happens to be weight lifting, then GREAT, its really good for you, but if you prefer badminton, or running or swimming then do what motivates you to get out and do it.
Oh sorry after re-reading my post I think it was unclear. I wasn't saying people shouldn't do weights. I mean by all means what you enjoy is what you should do. Except sitting on the couch playing video games and eating potato chips. That probably wont help you...at least I don't believe it would... But that people shouldn't be telling others to go straight to weight lifting. Because some people don't like weight lifting. There are alternatives. At least that is what I was trying to say. Not sure if it came out in my post tho...0 -
Why would you be against people that state factual information that only enhances your optimal health? Strength training, whether through weight resistance, body resistance or isometric resistance it something that SHOULD be done. You can choose not to, but your anecdotal evidence of it not being effective is more than probable because you didn't do it effectively. You can discard it because you felt it did nothing, but clinical studies would say differently.im not against it ffs. Im against people saying that people SHOULD do it. If people want to do it, thats fine. If they dont want to, there are other things they can do that are just as effective for some things, and more effective than others.
Do you need me to say it again? I can say it again if youre not quite sure.
So you don't like when people say it. Get over it already. It's still the truth.0 -
This is where we will agree. Any form of exercise is better than none at all and if it's something that you will stick to long term, then by all means keep doing it.well people can go straight to weights if thats what they want to do.
All i said, is the BEST most effective form of exercise for anyone, is the one that you enjoy doing, and are likely to maintain long term.
I got better results from 4 months of running, than i did from 18months of varied exercises at the gym, and im positive the reason for that is because i love it so much i want to get out there and do it more, and push myself.
put it this way. Youve got two people one discovers she actually loves eating healthy and prefers the food.
Another hates it, but goes on a diet and forces herself to eat healthy food she doesnt enjoy.
Whos going to last longer on their healthy eating plan long term?
the best thing for the non-healthy eater to do would be to find a compromise. Something she LIKES eating thats still healthy so she can maintain it long term if shes going to get anywhere.
Im not against weight training. Im just saying its not for everyone, and the best thing for people to do is find a sport they love, and get fit doing that, not faddy stuff at the gym that the chances are theyll give up after a few months.
if the sport they love happens to be weight lifting, then GREAT, its really good for you, but if you prefer badminton, or running or swimming then do what motivates you to get out and do it.0 -
i wouldnt be in optimal mental health or physical health because i wouldnt like it, and i obviously dont do it right, even though i was instructed how to do it by a PT. Just couldnt get into it.
There is no should about it. There isnt even a should about being in optimal health. I dont even think any of us could ever be in optimal health. We just do what we can to live a happy, healthy long and enjoyable life. I realise you think youre some sort of elite because you weight train and theres obviously no better exercise in the whole world than picking heavy things up and putting them down again, and my running could NEVER compare in million years.0 -
the best workout is a well rounded workout. no one is going to be in optimal shape just by running or swimming or lifting or biking, etc.
i think lifting is very important for overall health, especially as you get older. lifting builds bone density and increases muscle mass. when sitting in front of their desk at work, a 150 lb person with 10% bodyfat is burning a lot more calories than a 150lb person with 30% bodyfat.
one interesting thing i have noticed at every gym i have been to is that the people working out in the freeweight area tend to have more "ideal" body types vs those that work out in the cardio area. i'm not saying that you can't get an "ideal" body by simply doing cardio, i'm just sayin...0 -
i wouldnt be in optimal mental health or physical health because i wouldnt like it, and i obviously dont do it right, even though i was instructed how to do it by a PT. Just couldnt get into it.
I guess that's really the point. Everything which has a benefit also has an associated cost. It depends on whether that trade off ultimately is worth it to the individual.
There's optimal and then there's happy and functional. Sure, if my diet was cleaner and my training more complete then I would be in optimal health. Would it be worth the unhappiness, aggravation or time to get what is a small advantage in reality? Naaaaah.
Who wants to be perfect? I'm happy being perfectly unperfect 0 -
Actually I'm a PT who trains several types of athletes from ages 10 and up. So I'm very well versed in how to train people for their different types of sports running included. And while there are people in my clientele who are marathoners, they still involve some strength training in their running regimen.i wouldnt be in optimal mental health or physical health because i wouldnt like it, and i obviously dont do it right, even though i was instructed how to do it by a PT. Just couldnt get into it.
There is no should about it. There isnt even a should about being in optimal health. I dont even think any of us could ever be in optimal health. We just do what we can to live a happy, healthy long and enjoyable life. I realise you think youre some sort of elite because you weight train and theres obviously no better exercise in the whole world than picking heavy things up and putting them down again, and my running could NEVER compare in million years.
Sorry you look at it so negatively. You view me as a "meathead" when it's further than the truth. To instruct cardio, I have to know it. It's more than probable that your PT wasn't well versed on how to train you where you at least enjoyed the workout. If running is what you enjoy, I would have had you running with things like parachutes, uphill, Tabata protocol, and getting in some basic calenstenics with running intervals between to mix it up. At least that way the majority of your workout would be exercise you enjoy.0 -
Should you eat your peas? Should you floss? Should you use abbreviations when U text? Should you still be discussing this?0
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[quote.
and also when you do pure cardio, you actually LOSE muscle, which in the end makes you physically look fragile, but also you burn less calories.
[/quote]
This concept completely baffled me....so I had to google it. This is what I found:
http://www.buildingmuscleworldwide.com/mbb/does-cardio-make-you-lose-muscle
http://www.bodybuildingapplied.com/index_center_misc.asp?newsId=61
Or to summarize:
To put it really simply, when doing cardio exercise, energy is burnt in this order;
1) Carbohydrates (both stored and direct from foods)
2) Fats (from foods and as stored cells)
3) Proteins (amino acids from muscle tissue)
It is cardio workouts over an hour that get into the 3rd stage...
That being said, I also agree that there is bone density benefits to resistance training. Even walking with ankle/arm weights would have a benefit.
And as many of the previous posters have said, the most important is to find additions to your lifestyle that you can maintain and enjoy. Neither running nor time spent in a gym would make the cut for me, and I have tried both.0 -
I dont view you as a meathead. im just saying that you can be just as healthy and happy and have a great body from other exercises.
I never hear people who do other sports try and insist other people do it their way as much as weight trainers - well, weight trainers on this forum specifically. Sure its good for you. I never insist other people should be running even though i think its fab exercise. If you dont like it, then you probably shouldnt be. Lifes too short (unless youre a weight trainer and youll live forever cos its so damn healthy). Find what you do enjoy and get good at it0 -
Lol, I debate all the time with bodybuilders who claim it's a "sport". It's not. But there are many people who will insist that Zumba, yoga, pilates, P90x, ChaLean, Insanity, rock climbing, etc. is what it takes. I hear runners here say that that's what it took to lean them up. And while people's genetic predispositions will dictate how they lose, as long as they lose with whatever exercise is working for them is the one they will tout as the bomb.I dont view you as a meathead. im just saying that you can be just as healthy and happy and have a great body from other exercises.
I never hear people who do other sports try and insist other people do it their way as much as weight trainers - well, weight trainers on this forum specifically. Sure its good for you. I never insist other people should be running even though i think its fab exercise. If you dont like it, then you probably shouldnt be. Lifes too short (unless youre a weight trainer and youll live forever cos its so damn healthy). Find what you do enjoy and get good at it
For me, I know it's optimal ( not perfect) if strength, cardio, and rest are equally distributed that people tend to be closer to optimal health.0 -
For me, I know it's optimal ( not perfect) if strength, cardio, and rest are equally distributed that people tend to be closer to optimal health.
can't argue with that.
Sounds very different to "women should lift weights" though, which is what i took issue with0 -
I dont view you as a meathead. im just saying that you can be just as healthy and happy and have a great body from other exercises.
I never hear people who do other sports try and insist other people do it their way as much as weight trainers - well, weight trainers on this forum specifically. Sure its good for you. I never insist other people should be running even though i think its fab exercise. If you dont like it, then you probably shouldnt be. Lifes too short (unless youre a weight trainer and youll live forever cos its so damn healthy). Find what you do enjoy and get good at it
Funny, I feel the same about all the cardio fanatics...yet, somehow...incredibly...I managed to come out of it....unoffended!
About the only thing I've come out of this discussion with is that you're quite opinionated...and are doing the exact thing that you're railing against.
Oh, the irony.0 -
im not offended, just irritated.
and yes, i am opinionated on some things :smokin: isnt everyone?0 -
I didn't read every post in this thread so I apologize if this was already mentioned, but I think this phrase really grew some steam over the years in response to the fear that is ingrained in SOME women toward lifting weights. Some women fear that it might make them look unattractive, so some people respond with, "Women SHOULD lift weights!"0
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maybe women should "consider" lifting weights
How much difference is there in telling someone what they should or shouldn't say, or how they should or shouldn't phrase it- as oppossed to what they should or shouldn't do?
what she said0 -
What has been confusing me about the OP's viewpoint is the part about women. If it's about not telling people what they should do, what does being a woman have to do with it? Are all men supposed to lift weights? The gender specificity lends support to the notion that there is more going on here than not telling people what they should do. Especially after looking at the photos of the OP. You look thin, sure, but you don't look healthy.0
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You could Not lift weights, continue to rely on cardio, and find that you're still eating the minimum in order to maintain your weight and you have no muscular definition.
But I believe a healthy balance of cardio, weights, and eating right will do everyone's body good.
That's MY two cents, and I don't expect anyone to agree with me.0 -
You could Not lift weights, continue to rely on cardio, and find that you're still eating the minimum in order to maintain your weight and you have no muscular definition.
But I believe a healthy balance of cardio, weights, and eating right will do everyone's body good.
That's MY two cents, and I don't expect anyone to agree with me.
My two cents is this person's real concern is that muscular definition makes you look less thin than you would without it.0 -
Eh, I wasn't gonna respond to this thread, but here are my $.02.
If you asked me 2 years ago, do I need to lift weights to be in good shape? My answer would have been no. I was skinny, 102 pounds, fit in size 0, barely ate and thought I looked terrific. Meanwhile I got sick all of the time, my skin was flabby, I had cellulite on the back of my legs, and I was literally a frail waif who probably couldn't lift a 20 pound box.
Fast forward 2 years, lots of education, a leap of faith and urging of a friend to try Crossfit, now I am 110 pounds, strong as a damn ox, feel great, eat TWICE what I used to, my skin isn't flabby, I have no cellulite, and I look like I'm 25. I helped move my mom and was able to lift everything the guys could. My size 0 clothes fit better now, I sleep better, my skin is better....the list goes on and on. My hubby says I have a "Benjamin Button thing going on". :laugh:
So, do I think women should lift weights? The answer is HELL YEAH, and I am living proof. Cardio still has its place, I do still run (but I don't spend countless hours on the treadmill like I used to) and do many aerobic-type activities (way more hard core than I used to), but I believe lifting weights is the biggest reason I look as tight as I do now.0 -
Eh, I wasn't gonna respond to this thread, but here are my $.02.
If you asked me 2 years ago, do I need to lift weights to be in good shape? My answer would have been no. I was skinny, 102 pounds, fit in size 0, barely ate and thought I looked terrific. Meanwhile I got sick all of the time, my skin was flabby, I had cellulite on the back of my legs, and I was literally a frail waif who probably couldn't lift a 20 pound box.
Fast forward 2 years, lots of education, a leap of faith and urging of a friend to try Crossfit, now I am 110 pounds, strong as a damn ox, feel great, eat TWICE what I used to, my skin isn't flabby, I have no cellulite, and I look like I'm 25. I helped move my mom and was able to lift everything the guys could. My size 0 clothes fit better now, I sleep better, my skin is better....the list goes on and on. My hubby says I have a "Benjamin Button thing going on". :laugh:
So, do I think women should lift weights? The answer is HELL YEAH, and I am living proof. Cardio still has its place, I do still run (but I don't spend countless hours on the treadmill like I used to) and do many aerobic-type activities (way more hard core than I used to), but I believe lifting weights is the biggest reason I look as tight as I do now.
Thank you for sharing your story with us
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This thread is just a very long semantics game based around the word should... lifting weights is beneficial to women as it increases bone density which aids in osteoporosis prevention as well as gives you many other health benefits , some women do it, some women don't. Should you do it? Yes! Do you have to do it? No! Should you do things that have positive effects on your body? Yes Should you stay away from things that have negative effects on your body? Yes.... Should you do everything you can to be healthy? YES....but you don't have to :-P0
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This thread is just a very long semantics game based around the word should... lifting weights is beneficial to women as it increases bone density which aids in osteoporosis prevention as well as gives you many other health benefits , some women do it, some women don't. Should you do it? Yes! Do you have to do it? No! Should you do things that have positive effects on your body? Yes Should you stay away from things that have negative effects on your body? Yes.... Should you do everything you can to be healthy? YES....but you don't have to :-P
Exactly sir.
Along with being based around a person/people who think they should be able to tell other people when they should be able to use the word should...even if the topic containing said 'should' has nothing to freaking do with them, is on a public board...and the only reason they were inflicted with is is they chose to read it.
Maybe they should not do that any more?0 -
You could Not lift weights, continue to rely on cardio, and find that you're still eating the minimum in order to maintain your weight and you have no muscular definition.
But I believe a healthy balance of cardio, weights, and eating right will do everyone's body good.
That's MY two cents, and I don't expect anyone to agree with me.
your gorgeous... :happy:0 -
This thread is just a very long semantics game based around the word should...
well yeah, and i cant believe its taken 8 pages for some people to realise that its the implication that its necessary or should be done, rather than having anything to do with weight training in particular0 -
cheersYou could Not lift weights,
.
as i said in previous posts, i can lift what i need to, when i need to, and that includes carrying my 70 odd lb 10 year old all the way down the street on one hip with one arm when he was crying his eyes out and distressed and refusing to walk the other day (hes autistic), so i dont think im particularly weedy. I push a massive phil and teds double buggy up hills with my 4 and 3 year old in it when im doing the long nursery run, and its not a problem for me, and i do a lot of things with no problem, that my friend whos into weight lifting finds knackering, so really, I think people need to quit with the "should" do this, or "should" do that, and realise that everyones lifestyle and needs are different, and a lot of people can get everything they need without stepping foot in a gym, and lifting actual weights. Works for some people. Excessive and unnecessary for others.0
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