Why are so many women SCARED of weights? LMAO.

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  • lapinu390
    lapinu390 Posts: 46 Member
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    Well I am losing weight first before I gain muscle because the quicker i see results the happier i will feel, but I don't want a six pack or visible muscle, just to look toned and become stronger :)
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    Well I am losing weight first before I gain muscle because the quicker i see results the happier i will feel, but I don't want a six pack or visible muscle, just to look toned and become stronger :)

    Gaining muscle is a very very hard thing to do for a woman. If you do weights now while you lose, your body will realize it needs the muscle it has and hold on to it instead of using it as a fuel source, therefore burning more fat.

    So you could lose 50# without weight, and say 40# will be fat and 10# will be muscle. Or, if you weight train, you could lose 50# but only 5# will be muscle and you are losing 5 more pounds of fat! (I made these numbers up but that's the general idea of what happens, your body can burn muscle just like it can burn fat for fuel and I believe that it actually PREFERS to burn muscle).

    And, for reference, it will take a woman a long time, like 10 months, to put on that extra 5 pounds of muscle you lost by cardio-only. Why do all that work when you could just keep what you already have?
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
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    prepare for my sexism here, but it seems women really like to be in groups. weight lifting isn't a group activity. also men are more competitive, and it's harder to be competitive with cardio than weight lifting. weights are "I can bench X more than you, sucka!" but being able to zumba harder...well, less satisfaction?

    ^^This is the exact reason that i DO lift. I used to do classes and I could NOT stand the people who would interfere with your workout because they stand in the middle of the room when they can't/don't want to do what the instructor is doing. OR...and this was my main reason for ditching the classes...there's the women who fly into class .5 seconds before it begins and stand RIGHT in front of you and then give you nasty a$s looks when you're in "their" space during class. SOOOOOO glad I ditched the classes.

    I've never looked back since. Now I put my headphones on, block out the world, and lift. I don't talk to people....no socializing....just lifting. Call me a b!tch, but that's how I relax and let off steam.
  • martinbeks
    martinbeks Posts: 255 Member
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    I think different strokes for different folks. Everyone has a vague idea (or clear idea) of how they want to look.

    As for those who are scared, as they don't know how to use the machines, and don't have money for a trainer, etc etc, I was nervous about stepping foot into the weight room, but discovered Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer on BodyBuilding.com through a health blog I regularly read. It's all free on that site, they have videos showing you how to do the moves, and it's been an overall good experience. When I first started LiveFit, I used weights I was comfortable with, but now I'm challenging myself to lift heavier. It's kind of empowering to see how much you lift and how quickly it can change!
  • runningfataway
    runningfataway Posts: 262
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    I'm not! I crave them.
  • dawnreid2012
    dawnreid2012 Posts: 108 Member
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    Just curious…

    At my gym I’m usually the only woman on the floor w/ weights, I’m the only one uses the Smith machine etc. All of the women are in classes (Zumba, Pilates…more Zumba). Guys are NEVER in classes (with the exception of the 2 or 3 that may go to the spin class). I don’t understand why classes (and the cardio machines) are always overflowing with women but it’s so rare to see one with a dumbbell.

    Please explain.

    Not all women wish to be muscular. They want to have smaller muscles and don't want them to grow. There is nothing wrong with that.

    I have a lot of respect for women at the gym who lift heavy b/c it's very difficult to do. I often praise them for it b/c it's amazing to watch.

    I hope those same women who I praise don't secretly make fun of me when I lift my 10 lbs dumb bells b/c I prefer a smaller physique for myself. I'm 18 % body fat and I have good muscle tone...I just don't want it to grow.

    Well if they laugh at you with your ten pound they will laugh at me with my 3s lol.. i told my husband to pick me some up and thats what he bought me.. he says i didnt wanna get any higher because we dont want you getting big muscles lol.. ill just secretly use his that go up to 50 pounds (just not go all the way to 50 lol)
  • EstiloPanama
    EstiloPanama Posts: 245
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    I'm not scared. I just wouldn't want to hurt myself doing workouts improperly. I had a personal trainer for a while and we went to the weight room and he taught me how to use the machines properly. After that, the initial 'fear' is gone. Maybe some females don't feel comfortable surrounded by a sea of weight lifting men. It's not that strange, it actually makes sense. That's why some places have female-only gyms to help women feels more confident and less self conscious.
  • lripson28
    lripson28 Posts: 213 Member
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    I enjoy doing cardio when I go to my gym. Especially because it's winter and cold outside, so there's no way I'm gonna go run outside. My goal is to become a good runner and run in 5ks, 10ks and maybe even a marathon someday in my life. So I always focus on running. I do go around and use all the weight machines a few times a week, then use handweights at home sometimes also. So I do both cardio and strength, but tend to do more cardio at the gym.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
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    I guess I don't notice the separation as much. I see men doing cardio and women doing weights at all the gyms I've belonged to. I took 2 yeas of weight training in high school. There was an equal amount of both sexes in there. And everyone did some cardio during their workout.

    Currently I am focused on my running (it's my race season) but I have no problems lifting either. I am pretty unfocused now (for various reasons) so I had to drop/leave something out. Once I get some more control on outside factors, I will start lifting again.
  • Fit_Vixen1
    Fit_Vixen1 Posts: 419
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    At my gym I'm usually the only one that is on the bench with weights or on any of the weight machines.
  • Sister_Someone
    Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
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    I'm not afraid of weights. I know that women don't bulk up easily and I know that lifting has benefits. That said, I'm just not interested. Lifting is painfully boring to me and just generally not worth it. I only exercise to cover my daily slice of cake with it, and weight training just doesn't do that. Besides, I couldn't care less about being strong or building muscle, I just want to be small.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I used to be afraid of weights, but not anymore!

    Back in October, after hearing so many people on MFP talking about how awesome lifting heavy was, I started squatting...then like a month later I started deadlifting.

    I want SO bad to learn some other stuff, but I really need someone to show me what to do. Hopefully when we get our tax refund, I can take a few hundred dollars and get some training sessions. For the last 6 months I have had my eye on one particular trainer at the gym--he was training a girl and I saw that he had her doing stuff with barbells, and with probably 40# dumbbells.
  • devilwhiterose
    devilwhiterose Posts: 1,157 Member
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    I use the weight machines and love em. There is a separate section in the back of the gym for all the free-weights. That's where the beefeater men are. :laugh:

    I'd love to go back there but I guess I'm just intimidated. I don't want to walk back there and feel like I'm being critiqued. I get stared at enough and it makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    prepare for my sexism here, but it seems women really like to be in groups. weight lifting isn't a group activity. also men are more competitive, and it's harder to be competitive with cardio than weight lifting. weights are "I can bench X more than you, sucka!" but being able to zumba harder...well, less satisfaction?

    There you go - THAT's why I don't lift weights and do prefer to go to Yoga class and do my own bodyweight workouts at home.
  • sylviatx
    sylviatx Posts: 156 Member
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    There needs to be more weight-lifing for beginners classes.

    This. I'm 61, have had some health issues, don't want to hurt myself, and don't have a clue what I would even do as far as lifting free weights. I'd love to learn.

    Can anyone point me to some online references, or a good beginners book?
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
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    I think you can't judge a book by it's cover. I had someone try to tell me the how low I "should" be going on my squats. HELLO I have a pinched nerve in my lower lumber region I'm not supposed to go past a certain degree.

    You never know what is going on with people, maybe they want heart health more than bone health or maybe they do some type of weight training at home.

    On a side note I lift as heavy as I can and I try not to judge others hoping they aren't judging me. To each his own.
  • AyaKara
    AyaKara Posts: 220
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    They shouldn't be. I'm the only girl in the weight section at both of my gyms (three total since I started lifting), & I was never treated differently by a man. One time I squatted too heavily & I asked a guy to help me & he was very kind about it. Another time, a guy spotted me on my chest press. There's no reason to be afraid or be embarrassed. I was at first too, but these guys have proved me wrong. Don't be afraid!
  • Erika521
    Erika521 Posts: 2
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    I'm not "scared" of weights. And attitudes like yours are why I generally avoid the weight area at the gym. There's this opinion that women don't belong there, and that's what I avoid. I have weights at my house that I use and I lift heavy when I'm there. I go to the gym for classes because its just really not practical to workout in a class at my house. See how those sweeping generalizations are usually not correct and just silly?

    The same argument could made by say "Why do women use the machines, such as the Smith machine, at the gym instead of doing squats with free weights?" See how that works!
  • jacquelinecao75
    jacquelinecao75 Posts: 3
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    I'm not afraid of heavy weights at all. I want to do squats and deadlifts over 100 lbs, hip thrusts and glute bridges... I actually want to add mass and not lose weight since I already am small and a size 0. I want to work my *kitten* and add at least 1 inch (preferably more to my *kitten*). I am so into getting a bigger butt that I plan to work out my *kitten* and legs 3x a week!

    I like heavy weights. My problem is that I do not like being the only woman in the weight room! I am naturally a self conscious person so I ALWAYS feel like everything is about me and everyone is staring at me but it's 100x magnified in the gym. I hate being around a bunch of dudes; I don't feel intimidated at all since I am in great shape and strong for my size but I get ANNOYED being the only female and being surrounded by a bunch of guys. It irritates me.

    I also feel like they feel like its their territory and that they own it (even though they don't, we all pay the same membership fee). I am paranoid and do have anxiety so it's probably all in my own head; however I THINK that THEY Think that it is their "territory" and when they see me it's like "wtf is this woman doing here?" or "Did you wander in the wrong section" or "get back to cardio downstairs where you belong." Perhaps that's not what they are thinking at all but my anxiety gives the impression that they may think that.

    My plan is to just keep ear pods on, look super mean/angry, get into beast mode and never make eye contact or talk to anyone (I don't talk to people in general anyways since I'm not a social person). If someone dares to stare at me I won't back down and stare back until they look away first. I may be small in size but I won't let anyone think they can dominate me.

    It would be so much better if there were MORE WOMEN in the weight room.

    So the point is that I am not afraid of weights! I just don't want to be around SO MANY dudes. It's not that I'm intimidated; it just annoys me!
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I'm not afraid of weights. I know that women don't bulk up easily and I know that lifting has benefits. That said, I'm just not interested. Lifting is painfully boring to me and just generally not worth it. I only exercise to cover my daily slice of cake with it, and weight training just doesn't do that. Besides, I couldn't care less about being strong or building muscle, I just want to be small.

    You had me until that last sentence. I can respect the fact that some people just don't enjoy weight-lifting, but I can't take you seriously if you don't believe that being strong is an absolute necessity for good health. That renders all your talk about not being afraid of weights and knowing that lifting has benefits pretty much meaningless.

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