Women! Weight Lifting! Why so scary!

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  • missym357
    missym357 Posts: 210 Member
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    Once you find your groove it's isn't so intimidating, is it? I do get a little self-conscious and feel like eyes are on me which can get annoying. I much prefer it when other women are around.

    I think women get concerned about bulkiness because we are so conditioned to think small is better and when you lift you are going against that line of thinking even if in the long-term it will make you leaner.
  • JBeansie
    JBeansie Posts: 33
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    Jillian Michaels does not have "man arms" and no hips. Good lord, look at what society wants women to look like! Ladies, put down the Cosmo and pick up a barbell. Strength is not about bulk, it is about building confidence and helping your body be the best it can possibly be.

    Let me put this in plain English: YOU WILL NOT GET BIG FROM WEIGHTLIFTING. Unless you are Olympic style, every day, protein shake weight lifting, you are not going to turn into the Terminator anytime soon. Weightlifting obliterates fat and tones your entire body. It does not turn you into a stocky bulk of muscle.

    /rant.
  • Bean615
    Bean615 Posts: 132 Member
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    i love this post! i am terrified of going to the weight part of the gym! maybe one day ill get the courage. good for you!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Jillian Michaels does not have "man arms" and no hips. Good lord, look at what society wants women to look like! Ladies, put down the Cosmo and pick up a barbell. Strength is not about bulk, it is about building confidence and helping your body be the best it can possibly be.

    Let me put this in plain English: YOU WILL NOT GET BIG FROM WEIGHTLIFTING. Unless you are Olympic style, every day, protein shake weight lifting, you are not going to turn into the Terminator anytime soon. Weightlifting obliterates fat and tones your entire body. It does not turn you into a stocky bulk of muscle.

    /rant.

    I have never actually seen JM except in those still pics on the internet and exercise DVDs, which are possibly "enhanced", but in those pics she does indeed have man arms and absolutely no hips whatsoever. I don't read Cosmo but I assume you mean ultra thin women with no muscle?? I have no desire for either of those looks and thankfully there is a world of difference between them for me to fit into.

    My point was (hopefully I don't need all caps) is that I believe few women think they will look like the Terminator if they weights. Even if they are "Olympic style". I think when they say "bulky" they mean similar to those pics of JM (whether the pics are accurate or not). IMO she is bulky in those pics.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
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    I didn't touch weights until a few weeks ago for a few reasons.

    1.) I was misinformed about how it relates to weight loss. I didn't know how it all worked. Now that I know how important it is to weight loss i'm all for it. I also have a different goal body-type wise for myself then I did years ago. I used to want what's known as "skinny fat" type body, now I think toned is sexy and healthy.

    2.) didn't know what i was doing. So I hired a personal trainer. It was really that simple. Now i'm on my 3rd week with a strength training routine and I"m loving it.
  • Shyloh1
    Shyloh1 Posts: 422 Member
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    Very well said!:smile:
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Ok so I have a question. I have done NROL4W before and I loved it. I gained a lot of strength and muscle (not defined yet as I went back to old habits of cardio).

    Anyway my question is the last time I started doing heavy weights, I was at near perfect weight for my height. 5" 4' and about 120 lbs. I maintained my weight and ate like a dog and looked better.

    This time around, I have had a baby 9 months back and am around 136 lbs. Do I need to shed the 10 lbs or so before I venture out fully with this program or can I start doing this again full heartedly and 'Look' the same. Don't really care too much about the number on the scale. I really want to look just lean.

    Right now I have been doing Interval training for about 50 mins about 3 times a week. My off days, I usually do yoga or just walk.

    Sorry for hijacking this thread but I am confused

    There's no reason to wait to lift. It'll help preserve muscles as you lose and it's fun.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I have HUGE shoulders so I really don't want to get bigger there... yeah they say women don't have enough testosterone to get big but I have a testosterone problem, so while I'm sure I don't have as much testosterone as a man, I'm afraid that I will get big.

    Do you have PCOS? I do not find your shoulders to be "HUGE" and broad shoulders are sexy!
  • JJinWI
    JJinWI Posts: 197 Member
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    Only thing that is scary is my appetite since lifting weights. WHEW! I am HUNGRY!

    LOVE THEM!
  • PirateJohn
    PirateJohn Posts: 80
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    Weightlifting builds muscle. Muscle burns fat, even when you are doing nothing. Ergo, if you want to lose fat, build muscle.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Agree. I really don't like cardio, I like weight lifting sooo much better, and the results are awesome. :)

    Sing it, sister! I love lifting over cardio because I can FEEL myself getting stronger, I can feel my muscles move under my skin! I do my forty minutes of cardio (warm up on rower ad C25k) and then take my time doing at least thirty five to forty five minutes of resistance training as a reward.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Agree. I really don't like cardio, I like weight lifting sooo much better, and the results are awesome. :)

    Sing it, sister! I love lifting over cardio because I can FEEL myself getting stronger, I can feel my muscles move under my skin! I do my forty minutes of cardio (warm up on rower ad C25k) and then take my time doing at least thirty five to forty five minutes of resistance training as a reward.

    Psst: you should lift first. You need your glycogen stores to lift.
  • PirateJohn
    PirateJohn Posts: 80
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    Sing it, sister! I love lifting over cardio because I can FEEL myself getting stronger, I can feel my muscles move under my skin! I do my forty minutes of cardio (warm up on rower ad C25k) and then take my time doing at least thirty five to forty five minutes of resistance training as a reward.
    I've always said that the single best workout there is is the one that you like to do the most.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,985 Member
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    We are all on a learning curve....

    For me, it took 25+ years of being a cardio-gym-rat before I finally, FINALLY, F-I-N-A-L-L-Y moved onto strength-training as my REAL dedication of time, energy and resources.

    Remember, we are ALL learning. Some of us "get it" much earlier on in our spin on this earth - and YAY for them.

    But, some of us take a little longer to DUMP the societal myths that are pumped into our heads for years and years and YEARS. Forgive us for we don't know what we don't know.

    And now YOU know...
  • PirateJohn
    PirateJohn Posts: 80
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    Only thing that is scary is my appetite since lifting weights. WHEW! I am HUNGRY!

    LOVE THEM!
    That's when you eat a lot of protein. Get a chicken breast or big pile of beans or something like that. Your muscles need it to repair itself, and that's why just about every gym sells protein bars at the counter. (Though most of them are junk, TBH -- I stick to Clif bars)
  • PirateJohn
    PirateJohn Posts: 80
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    But, some of us take a little longer to DUMP the societal myths that are pumped into our heads for years and years and YEARS. Forgive us for we don't know what we don't know.

    And now YOU know...
    True, but sometimes the best way to dump a fear is to face it. Ask a skydiver.
  • gloriashaped
    gloriashaped Posts: 46
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    You didn't jinx yourself, the scale will show your motivation :)
  • susieq101178
    susieq101178 Posts: 305 Member
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    Speaking of weight lifting, I'm signing up for a gym membership tomorrow. The problem is, I can not afford a PT and I have NO clue what I'm doing or how to get started . . . what exercises, how much weight, how many reps, etc.

    Can anyone guide me to a free source for this type of information? Website? I need all the help and guindance I can get.

    Thank you!!!
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    I'm actually going to start weight lifting again tomorrow... I haven't done it in years (not since I took a Women's weight training class in college) and I'm looking forward to it... the part the intimidates me the most is not having a plan... So I am taking index cards that have the name of each machine/type of free weights and it will have listed a number of reps/sets and then a weight and I'm going to work to increase my weight I can lift each week or two. It makes it much less intimidating for me.
  • PirateJohn
    PirateJohn Posts: 80
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    Speaking of weight lifting, I'm signing up for a gym membership tomorrow. The problem is, I can not afford a PT and I have NO clue what I'm doing or how to get started . . . what exercises, how much weight, how many reps, etc.

    Can anyone guide me to a free source for this type of information? Website? I need all the help and guindance I can get.

    Thank you!!!
    Never underestimate the value of finding someone -- female or male -- who looks like they know what they are doing and ask for help. Most people there are glad to give tips.

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