"Toning" aka fear of lifting heavy

Huffdogg

Thank you for that source...I still need the scale to go down in order for me to get into my healthy bmi zone

BMI is a joke and not to be taken very seriously, especially if your frame is anywhere approaching above average. A Height/Weight ratio is not a viable way to tell whether or not someone is healthy.

Abells

awesome thread!!!

I lift heavy too and lose and i am not bulky --- just deadlifted max out last night at 185# i'm pumped! can't wait to blow through the 200's

Brandongood

Also, I have to say, after having a quick look through the thread a few of you are being harsh and and over-critical toward people who are saying they have never done it before and feel a little intimidated by it. ****ty attitudes that aren't needed on a support site, especially toward people who are obviously interested in trying this new venture.

Probably because these people are clearly "having a quick look through the thread" and hitting Reply before seeing that their questions have been answered 5 to 6 times. But just to do it again:

Starting Strength
Stronglifts
New Rules of Lifting for Women
Bodybuilding.com
Talk to a trainer at your gym

All of these are resources easy to research online and handle oneself to get going.

honestly, I cant wait for the people that are too lazy to read first to post on bodybuilding.com.... they will get eaten alive.
its a great source of info.. but you dont want to go on there posting BS the same way its done on here. lol.

Lame. Both of you. I bumped to read later - that was at the start of my post. My 'quick look through the thread' was because 1. I'm interested. and 2. I didn't have the time to read through the thread properly at that moment. Screaming kids etc. And I don't know what questions you're referring to that were answered "5 or 6 times", but my post was actually referring to the many condescending remarks being made whenever a woman said she felt intimidated by weights - a common and natural feeling to have if unfamiliar with weights I should think. I'm not even sure why you posted those resources to me, I never asked for them. I ordered NROL4W the other week, still waiting for it in the mail. In the meantime I like to read about women's personal experiences with lifting, if that's mkay with you.

If you dont have time to do it properly, just wait until later to reply.
And dont infer we're being sexist... we also make condescending remarks whenever a man says he feels intimidated by weights.
We will continue to do so until you pick up the weight and just do it, or go away crying.... To be perfectly honest, if you're crying about something someone said on the internet, we probably dont want to hang out around you anyway.



"Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, nobody wanna lift heavy weights" - Ronnie Coleman

Ugh. Lame again. I'm not crying at all, bozo, just simply making my point.

First, this reply isn't just for you. I am going to copy it and paste it every time this happens from now on.

You know, I'm literally on 100s of forums, mostly for cool stuff. Forums for various motorcycles, cars, jeeps, jet skis, guns,

computers, electronics, games, etc...
But its only on the "health" forums, (not even the bodybuilding ones) that you get these "mother" women that try to herd conversation

to what they think the proper convention is... "oooh stay on topic", "oooh that’s rude", "oooh be nice" (and my favorite) "don’t be

mean, we're supposed to support people, even if they're wrong"

No.
I’m a guy. Talking to other guys, and girls that are cool enough to appreciate the fact that I am going to treat everyone equally...

as another guy. I am not going to be especially nice just for you... but I am not going to be especially mean..
We will all just continue do everything exactly like we do, and if you really can’t stand that, get off the damn internet.

I'm just going to jump into the fray here. I don't think it's fair for you to speak for others:

"To be perfectly honest, if you're crying about something someone said on the internet, we probably dont want to hang out around you anyway." Really? You sound like a playground bully.

"And dont infer we're being sexist... we also make condescending remarks whenever a man says he feels intimidated by weights.
We will continue to do so until you pick up the weight and just do it, or go away crying.... " This is in NO way helpful. This is like telling someone who has never driven a car, to just suck it up go for it.

Also, I'd like to add that I AM a strong woman who lifts heavy and I don't mind at all answering questions about it over and over again. I appreciate that lifting weights CAN seem intimidating to someone who hasn't done it before. Also, not everyone has all the time in the world to hang out and throughly read messages on internet boards. You have successfully turned a thread that could have helped a ton of people into a popularity party putting the cool kids who lift weights in one corner and everyone else feeling like they don't belong. Stop the jerkiness.

Well said!

Spamee

Great thread! thanks

CookieCrumble

Blimey! I've been doing completely the wrong thing. I went for assessment at my gym and was given 'lady weights' so as not to put on 'bulk'. They never did much, I didn't even raise a sweat or have to catch my breath.... what a waste of time!

I'm going to go back and ask about the heavier weights, using them safely. I have a non-healed fractured sternum but it's never stopped me in five years doing anything so this should make no difference.

I really like the idea of heavier weights... I feel a fraud in the gym with 35kg, I want heavy weights!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :flowerforyou:

ninerbuff

Thank you for that source...I still need the scale to go down in order for me to get into my healthy bmi zone

BMI is inaccurate for people who have muscle and/or are athletic. I've considered very overweight by BMI standards. Point is that BMI calculation doesn't always give you the "best" you.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

thankyou4thevenom

I finally left my little corner of the gym where I tended to hide when working and stepped into the free weight zone. I usually just run in grab a set of 10's and run out. The guys get used to you being around, and I was able to work for real and finally start adding real weight (real for me, for now). Finally getting some plates on the bar LOL. I LOVE LIFTING! My husband even said to me, "hey I think your butt is smaller". Two months of cardio didn't do it, weights did it in less than 1.

Hahaha I was thinking the same thing about my bum today day.
I used to cycle everywhere and I had this really pert bum despite being obese then I stopped and it dropped. I hated that my bum was so saggy. It's less than a month I've been lifting weights. I looked in the gym mirror today and went, omg it's all pert again. I am really happy about that.

MrDude_1

This is in NO way helpful. This is like telling someone who has never driven a car, to just suck it up go for it.

I think its more like someone in drivers ed class fully capable of learning what to do in there... but making excuses of why they dont want to sit behind the wheel.
you know what to do (and if you dont, you know where to find out how) shutup, conquer your fear, get behind the wheel, and do it.

stormieweather

The single biggest help for me to overcome my "weights intimindation" was this site - http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

On the right hand side is the list of muscles and on the left are exercises that work those muscles. The exercises are further broken down by type of equipment available. There are actual gifs showing you the precise form needed to do each exercise properly.

If starting out, try to pick compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts, instead of exercises that focus on a single muscle. Also, just try various weights until you find the one that lets you do no more than 8-10 before you have to rest a few seconds. Every session, try to either increase the number of reps or the weight itself.

I found a weight bench for sale on the side of the road for $50. I have merely added bars and weights to increase the variety as well as purchased some #15, #20 and #25 dumbbells for curls, etc. Although I prefer to go to the gym (no excuses there to prevent me from getting it done), I can do my workouts at home if I am unable to get out.

Don't be afraid. People will admire you for trying! And it helps enormously in keeping your shape while losing weight.

Cruzeleny

I was kind of afraid at the beggining since my Personal Trainer inmeadiately add to my trainings a kind of agressive I would say Weight Lifting program. I have 2 months lifting and I absolutely love lifting I can now press around 70-80 punds and do lunges with 20-25 pounds.. my arms are a lot tighter and I also learned that actually the muscles burn more calories that fat.. so while it recovers from the lifting you´re actually losing weight.. .. so to any women out there I totally recommend this.. obviously with the proper support and guidance so you dont get hurt.

machinegunkate

First, this reply isn't just for you. I am going to copy it and paste it every time this happens from now on.

You know, I'm literally on 100s of forums, mostly for cool stuff. Forums for various motorcycles, cars, jeeps, jet skis, guns,

computers, electronics, games, etc...
But its only on the "health" forums, (not even the bodybuilding ones) that you get these "mother" women that try to herd conversation

to what they think the proper convention is... "oooh stay on topic", "oooh that’s rude", "oooh be nice" (and my favorite) "don’t be

mean, we're supposed to support people, even if they're wrong"

No.
I’m a guy. Talking to other guys, and girls that are cool enough to appreciate the fact that I am going to treat everyone equally...

as another guy. I am not going to be especially nice just for you... but I am not going to be especially mean..
We will all just continue do everything exactly like we do, and if you really can’t stand that, get off the damn internet.

Oh the irony. Let me make one thing clear first of all, I'm not at all an "oh be nice" sort of a person. Do what you will and say what you will, I am saying that I think that comments made by you and others were just plain **** and unnecessary and serve only to feed your own obnoxiousness and inflamed ego - an opinion I stand by.

As a seasoned member of many forums that you're boasting about for some trivial reason, you sure do have poor post reading skills. Three times you've gone off on different tangents that have nothing to do with what I posted, so much that I don't even care to address them. The point just seems to go right over your head every time, as plain as the point is. You also draw strange conclusions in your head on a number of things that is completely unsubstantiated and off topic. You don't seem to understand the concept of a 'bump' either, as I explained to you I had done due to time restraints at that moment, and you told me to wait til I did have time to post before I did . You also quoted me and thereby directly responded to me alone a response that wasn't specifically targeted to me at all. How long have you been on forums again? Slow learner or?? Either way I don't care, It's obvious you're just here to flame and be a ****. Lose the internet hero bravado, buddy, you're not impressing anyone.



**Edit. My apologies to everyone else for going OT on what is otherwise a good thread.