I am annoyed with the anti-lady-muscle posts.

crisanderson27

Yeah, I told my husband I was upping my weight in my Body Pump class. He said just make sure you don't look like a dude whe you come home. Thanks for the support, darling! JERK!

Aww hun, he wasn't being unsupportive lol, most people...even most men, believe if a woman is lifting heavy, they'll look like a guy in no time.

Stupid, and inaccurate stereotype.

kjerstenkipp

I deadlift twice my body weight and I definitely don't have "boy muscles."

Woman - picking up and putting down weights will not turn you into a SHE-MAN!

I, for one, am totally coveting your abs...I am working on it!

penrbrown

"Women are meant to be soft!"

This one annoys me the most. Why can't we redefine what women are "meant" to look like? Why do we have to appear weak? We can go to college now, have jobs, pay bills, but we can't be strong? We can't open our own jars of pickles, or pick up 50lb 6 year olds, swing 20lb sledge hammers as a seismic source, load full coolers into trucks, or fill out the *kitten* in a pair of work trousers?

Mmmmm pickles.

I agree that women aren't meant to be anything. Women are meant to be whatever the hell they want to be. But I think it's ok for people to want different things. I think everyone needs to define it for themselves. And fine to say, "not what I'm going for" but I think both sides are guilty of telling others their way is better/right.

Confession: I can dead lift my body weight. Bench press 100 pounds. It's still pretty hard to open the damn pickles.

Confession: I can't dead lift anything and have a hard time swimming a mile, but my husband still hands me jars to open when he can't get them, LOL.

I was just going to say something similar to this minus the husband. But I'm a pianist so I have strong hands.

Krissy366

"Women are meant to be soft!"

This one annoys me the most. Why can't we redefine what women are "meant" to look like? Why do we have to appear weak? We can go to college now, have jobs, pay bills, but we can't be strong? We can't open our own jars of pickles, or pick up 50lb 6 year olds, swing 20lb sledge hammers as a seismic source, load full coolers into trucks, or fill out the *kitten* in a pair of work trousers?

Mmmmm pickles.

I agree that women aren't meant to be anything. Women are meant to be whatever the hell they want to be. But I think it's ok for people to want different things. I think everyone needs to define it for themselves. And fine to say, "not what I'm going for" but I think both sides are guilty of telling others their way is better/right.

Confession: I can dead lift my body weight. Bench press 100 pounds. It's still pretty hard to open the damn pickles.

Now that's funny! That must be a separate skill set, cause I can open the pickles, but I can't dead lift my body weight or yours, which I'm sure is substantially less than mine.

suelegal

I have no clue why, but even after months of lifting I can not open a jar... What lifts can I do to be able to independently open a damn jar? Lol I feel ridiculous because half the time I closed it and I still can't open it!

Bet you have small hands. Opening jars has as much to do with how well you can gtrip the lid as anything else. I can open small jars, but I have pretty small hands, and I cannot for the life of me open a larger jar of pickles!

ashreynolds09

well I am glad I didn't post about my husband not wanting me to gain muscle...he's "..afraid I'll look like a man" <insert eye roll here> I guess people would agree with him, huh?

MrsRipdizzle

"Women are meant to be soft!"

This one annoys me the most. Why can't we redefine what women are "meant" to look like? Why do we have to appear weak? We can go to college now, have jobs, pay bills, but we can't be strong? We can't open our own jars of pickles, or pick up 50lb 6 year olds, swing 20lb sledge hammers as a seismic source, load full coolers into trucks, or fill out the *kitten* in a pair of work trousers?

I have no clue why, but even after months of lifting I can not open a jar... What lifts can I do to be able to independently open a damn jar? Lol I feel ridiculous because half the time I closed it and I still can't open it!

You'll have to get those rock climber finger/hand trainer things... :P

Or knock a dent into the cap with the dull side of a knife to break the air tight seal. Then you can open it right up. Did that when I had no muscles and no strength all the time. Things are much better now, but I can still open a jar of pickles. One of my strongest assets. :happy:

I also find that if I take that thing that pops a hole in the top of the can (I don't know what it's called, LOL, but it usually also has a bottle opener on the other end) and nudge it under the rim of the lid in a couple of places where it pulls away from the jar a tiny bit, that gives some air inside to allow you to open it.

THIS...is the same mentality I try to instill in the guys that work for me...

Work SMART, not HARD!!

At the gym on the other hand...yeah =D.

C'mon guys...didn't your grandmas teach ya how to use a spoon to beat the sides of the lid and then just like that it pops open!

stephyy4632

love most of this thread very inspiring seeing all the ladies getting the lifting love on

I just started seeing my abs really well and I`m super excited to keep going right now I only do kettlebell and machines but I`m hopeing to try free weights soon
and my little 3pounders that I use when doing 30day shred

jetscreaminagain

I'm at work so I can't spend much time on this apparently controversial thread started by a woman asking that you stop bashing other women, but I want to tell you all that more than the anti-fat and anti-skinny posts that you see here and are also objectionable, the anti-strong woman post has an added thread of misogyny.

In cultures around the world, thin women may be valued, or fat women may be valued. Similarly tan or not tan may be valued. It is generally a matter of what can be obtained by upper class people who don't have to work (so much for a living) (ie the antebellum southern woman went through great effort to avoid skin exposure while the current day southern woman may well spend hours in a tanning bed).

What doesn't happen in misogynist cultures is for women who are strong to be valued. So when you spout that crap here, you are continuing a hateful system. Stop it.

Plus, outside of the quite obvious hotness benefits of lifting for women, the health benefits are too many to be enumerated, and more so and differently than for cardio only. So knock it off with the hate just for the promotion of women's health reasons.

Beezil

Yeah, I told my husband I was upping my weight in my Body Pump class. He said just make sure you don't look like a dude whe you come home. Thanks for the support, darling! JERK!

Aww hun, he wasn't being unsupportive lol, most people...even most men, believe if a woman is lifting heavy, they'll look like a guy in no time.

Stupid, and inaccurate stereotype.

My husband used to think that way, but since I've been working out for so long and he can see with his own eyes that I've gotten smaller (and leaner) NOT bigger (and bulkier) he has a lot more appreciation for all the hard work I put into my body. I think he's even beginning to find my little muscles attractive! Lol

crisanderson27

"Women are meant to be soft!"

This one annoys me the most. Why can't we redefine what women are "meant" to look like? Why do we have to appear weak? We can go to college now, have jobs, pay bills, but we can't be strong? We can't open our own jars of pickles, or pick up 50lb 6 year olds, swing 20lb sledge hammers as a seismic source, load full coolers into trucks, or fill out the *kitten* in a pair of work trousers?

I have no clue why, but even after months of lifting I can not open a jar... What lifts can I do to be able to independently open a damn jar? Lol I feel ridiculous because half the time I closed it and I still can't open it!

You'll have to get those rock climber finger/hand trainer things... :P

Or knock a dent into the cap with the dull side of a knife to break the air tight seal. Then you can open it right up. Did that when I had no muscles and no strength all the time. Things are much better now, but I can still open a jar of pickles. One of my strongest assets. :happy:

I also find that if I take that thing that pops a hole in the top of the can (I don't know what it's called, LOL, but it usually also has a bottle opener on the other end) and nudge it under the rim of the lid in a couple of places where it pulls away from the jar a tiny bit, that gives some air inside to allow you to open it.

THIS...is the same mentality I try to instill in the guys that work for me...

Work SMART, not HARD!!

At the gym on the other hand...yeah =D.

C'mon guys...didn't your grandmas teach ya how to use a spoon to beat the sides of the lid and then just like that it pops open!

Exactly!!

Spoon, butter knife, juice can opener...you don't just have to muscle it off lol.

But women seem to love it when we do...go figure =p.

JennieAL

What doesn't happen in misogynist cultures is for women who are strong to be valued. So when you spout that crap here, you are continuing a hateful system. Stop it.

:drinker:

IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym

C'mon guys...didn't your grandmas teach ya how to use a spoon to beat the sides of the lid and then just like that it pops open!

I always slam it into the counter once or twice, knocks it lose. This, even after I had my recent wrist surgery. :bigsmile:

ZoeLifts

My boyfriend commented on my back muscles while we were busy in bed. While I'm proud in other situations, that one was a bit of a mood killer.

Sometime last year, before I got back into working out, as we were getting into sexy time, I asked my husband what he liked best about my body and he said "Your back and your legs...when you work out". Now that, my friend, was a mood killer....

crisanderson27

Yeah, I told my husband I was upping my weight in my Body Pump class. He said just make sure you don't look like a dude whe you come home. Thanks for the support, darling! JERK!

Aww hun, he wasn't being unsupportive lol, most people...even most men, believe if a woman is lifting heavy, they'll look like a guy in no time.

Stupid, and inaccurate stereotype.

My husband used to think that way, but since I've been working out for so long and he can see with his own eyes that I've gotten smaller (and leaner) NOT bigger (and bulkier) he has a lot more appreciation for all the hard work I put into my body. I think he's even beginning to find my little muscles attractive! Lol

And well he should...I damn well would =p.

theartichoke

It's a hard myth to overcome, "If I lift I'll get big huge boy muscles!!" But I will say you ladies do a FANTASTIC job of dispelling that myth. You should be very proud of yourselves. There are a lot of women on this site lifting heavy who never would have without your example.

Kudos! :flowerforyou:

You're absolutely right. I'm one of them. Thank you ladies!

BrettPGH

I'm at work so I can't spend much time on this apparently controversial thread started by a woman asking that you stop bashing other women, but I want to tell you all that more than the anti-fat and anti-skinny posts that you see here and are also objectionable, the anti-strong woman post has an added thread of misogyny.

In cultures around the world, thin women may be valued, or fat women may be valued. Similarly tan or not tan may be valued. It is generally a matter of what can be obtained by upper class people who don't have to work (so much for a living) (ie the antebellum southern woman went through great effort to avoid skin exposure while the current day southern woman may well spend hours in a tanning bed).

What doesn't happen in misogynist cultures is for women who are strong to be valued. So when you spout that crap here, you are continuing a hateful system. Stop it.

Plus, outside of the quite obvious hotness benefits of lifting for women, the health benefits are too many to be enumerated, and more so and differently than for cardio only. So knock it off with the hate just for the promotion of women's health reasons.

I am so proud to have women like this on my friends list. Women who are not just strong physically, but internally as well. Women who lift not because they worry about what the boys are going to say about them, but because they love the way they look and feel about themselves.

Strong women. Nothing hotter.

Grimmerick

I deadlift twice my body weight and I definitely don't have "boy muscles."

Woman - picking up and putting down weights will not turn you into a SHE-MAN!

To each her own...you are in much better health than me, and that's to be commended. But your muscles are pretty masculine. The high jumper pic, which fit and muscular, is more what I ascribe to be one day...still soft and womanly, but strong and fit.

Wow this is one of the rudest thing I ever saw here.

How about you post a pic of yourself so we can critic you?

What is so rude? I commended her for the dedication she gives to her health and admitted that she is in far better health than I am.

Dude, you said she looks masculine. That's pretty effing rude.

Ok normally I don't give 2 sh!ts but the girls first comment was that muscles won't turn you into a she-man, so then the other poster comes back and gives her COMPLIMENTS but also states that her MUSCLES not HER look masculine. she is answering to the first quote and it's her opinion, whether you like it or not she is allowed to have it. AGAIN she said her MUSCLES were masculine not her face or anything else and again she was answering to the SHE-MAN comment. Sheesh and she even compliments her, how else would you have her say it? Probably not at all I am guessing............it's obvious she was dead in the water the second she touched the enter button.

So by your rational if I said your fat makes you look like an elephant that would be ok? Its not your face that makes you look like one, but your fat that does it. So it must be ok right?

she didn't say her muscles make her look like a man now did she, she said she had masculine looking muscles, she sure wouldn't call them feminine muscles now would she. Besides if her confidence is that shaken by someones opinion on the internet especially when that tiny little criticism was surrounded by compliments then she needs to be working out her self esteem as much as her muscles. and somehow just somehow I don't think this chicks confidence is all that shaken up by this terrible horribly rude comment that someone made when giving her own personal opinion (sarcasm btw)

Rae6503

I always slam it into the counter once or twice, knocks it lose. This, even after I had my recent wrist surgery. :bigsmile:

This is my method of choice too. But I'm still annoyed that I can't do it without the banging. I have big hands too. WTF?

ancha0702

Strong is new sexy! :bigsmile: