General Comment About People Who Don't Lift

Chadomaniac

its personal appearance , u MIRIN ?




na its a self war , day in and day out ... u battle yourself through physical and mental pain , its an art too ... bodybuilding is beauty in my eyes

BrettPGH

14 pages when all that needs to be said is this.

Strong > Skinny

jennifer3998

(btw I burned 805 cal in a one hour hatha class and a 4.5 mile walk home today according to my HRM....5"9', 150 lbs)

There's a very good chance your HRM is giving you an inaccurate reading as they are designed to be estimates for steady state cardio (like the walk portion) not things like yoga. I'm not trying to say yoga's bad for you, I think it's very good for you, but unless your walk was more of a run I think you may be overestimating your calorie burn.
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Huh? I only burned 150 calories in the yoga portion. I usually burn between 120-150 and this particular class was brutal. Okay, I guess I was counting the portion that I walked to the bus stop, walked through a mall and up stairs to the yoga class, back down and then the 4.5 miles (which could have been 5 miles bc it was a different route than I usually take and I wasn't calculating distance) walk through gardens with varying terrain in 95 degree heat (I live in Southeast Asia).

Not unreasonable at all.

JosieRawr

1. diet= look good/ great in clothes
+
lift= look great naked
Just my opinion


2. Your body's not going to get "built" or "bulky" overnight, that takes a day to day dedication and purpose for an extended period of time. And specifically is not going to happen accidentally!

3. also a good reason specifically for women to lift is resistance exercise helps build and maintain bone mass, skinny/thin women who do not exercise (walking works for lower body but lifting is the only thing I can think of for upper) are at higher risk for osteoporosis when they get older(after menopause).

caramellattekiss

Lifting is awesome! I think some women assume they'll just be hefting massive dumb-bells about until they balloon like Arnie. If you want that, fine, but there's so many ways to add weights into your routine that build lean muscle. Personally, I've found kettlebell works for me, and adding in weights to pilates routines. I find just lifting pretty dull and I struggle to motivate myself to do it. By adding it in more fun ways, it gets done, and I look and feel so much better.

HotMummyMission

no sense in being a skinny weakling.... when you are elderly not suffering from osteoporosis you will appreciate lifting weight

SunshineKisses_2012

I don't really understand why people make it like you have to do one or the other. I do both. I don't see a problem with either, I enjoy both and I feel like I am getting what I need from both sides of it.

^^ This. I love cardio, but I also love lifting heavy. Lifting heavy gives me a tremendous burst of energy the day after I lift that is all natural. I never get that same effect with cardio alone.

Plus....

no sense in being a skinny weakling.... when you are elderly not suffering from osteoporosis you will appreciate lifting weight

Yupppp!

LorinaLynn

Something else to consider...

Our grandparents might not have lifted weights, but they didn't have the cushy lifestyle we have now. I don't hang my rugs outside to beat the dust out of them. I don't use a washboard or a new fangled ringer washer to clean my clothes. I don't scrub the floors by hand. I don't grind my own meats, butcher my own turkey, and very rarely kneed my own bread dough. I don't walk to the market and carry all my purchases home with me. I don't have to shovel coal or chop wood to heat my house. If I do sew my own clothes, it's not with a foot-pedaled powered Singer. And that's the easy "wimmen's work" for city folks.

ArroganceInStep

Huh? I only burned 150 calories in the yoga portion. I usually burn between 120-150 and this particular class was brutal. Okay, I guess I was counting the portion that I walked to the bus stop, walked through a mall and up stairs to the yoga class, back down and then the 4.5 miles (which could have been 5 miles bc it was a different route than I usually take and I wasn't calculating distance) walk through gardens with varying terrain in 95 degree heat (I live in Southeast Asia).

Not unreasonable at all.

I suppose, I'm male, weigh over 100 lbs more than you, and only burn about 600 calories walking 5 miles. I wasn't trying to attack your workout (as I said I think yoga and walking for that matter are fantastic for overall health). I do often see a lot of people posting highly inflated calorie burns and believe that tends to negatively affect their ability to lose weight so I was mentioning it. As long as you're confident in the figure, my opinion really doesn't matter.

mmapags

(btw I burned 805 cal in a one hour hatha class and a 4.5 mile walk home today according to my HRM....5"9', 150 lbs)

There's a very good chance your HRM is giving you an inaccurate reading as they are designed to be estimates for steady state cardio (like the walk portion) not things like yoga. I'm not trying to say yoga's bad for you, I think it's very good for you, but unless your walk was more of a run I think you may be overestimating your calorie burn.

Huh? I only burned 150 calories in the yoga portion. I usually burn between 120-150 and this particular class was brutal. Okay, I guess I was counting the portion that I walked to the bus stop, walked through a mall and up stairs to the yoga class, back down and then the 4.5 miles (which could have been 5 miles bc it was a different route than I usually take and I wasn't calculating distance) walk through gardens with varying terrain in 95 degree heat (I live in Southeast Asia).

Not unreasonable at all.
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I thnk you are missing his point. HRMs are designed to measure moderate to high intensity steady state cardio. One would not accurately measure an activity like yoga and they are sometimes inaccurate for a low intensity activity like walking. He wasn't trying to be critical of you. He was trying to give you a heads up that, if you are taking your burn from the HRM as dead on, you may be overestimating. It may be accurate, it may not.

stormsusmc

Being lean is diet...Being fit is fitness...Simple.

Most of those yoga and cardio bunnies may look lean, but that's because the majority of them eat like rabbits..Not to mention they don't really have any functional muscle, and are flat all over. Still there is nothing wrong with yoga for the calming effects on the mind, as well as flexibility. If you're a woman and in here defending not lifting heavy then you are seriously missing out. You have not fully educated yourself on both sides of the spectrum. Go ahead be flat and boring....or do your research and try lifting. Most don't like it because they get sore, or don't know what they are doing, but again that goes back to lack of knowledge...

Hearts_2015

I want to start doing it for a few reasons:

1. It helps prevent osteoporosis. A very common problem in women as they age that makes their bones brittle. I don't want to be a senior and fall and break something and be bed ridden

2. It helps prevent high blood pressure which puts you at risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes

3. Lean muscle helps you burn calories making weight maintenance easier

4. It can strengthen your joints which can help with joint pain or arthritis

5. Reduces your risk of diabetes

6. People who have lean muscles look great

Don't listen to me, listen to what the Mayo Clinic says about the benefits of weight training:

"Improved bone health: Strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

Reduced risk of injury: Weight training can contribute to better balance, coordination and agility — reducing the risk of injury. Strengthening makes joints more stable and helps muscles take a greater role in absorbing stresses exerted on joints.

Improved weight control: Muscles burn calories. Muscle gains through strength training help burn more calories, making it easier to reduce body fat and control weight. At first, strength training may not result in much weight loss because muscle weight gains may offset losses in fat weight. Reduction in measurements such as waist size and a leaner overall body are likely to occur.

Reduced back pain: Strengthening lower back muscles is a proven way to ease back pain.

Improved cognition: A recent study found that older women who participated in strength training once or twice a week improved cognitive function."

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2011-mchi/6358.html

These posts were both very helpful to me, thank you! Currently I use Precor machines, why? Because at the moment I don't have anyone to show me how to safely lift free weights. I'm going to grab a copy of the book "New Rules..." for women to start out, the unknown is likely why some of us don't lift free weights.... YET.

I have no fear of getting bulky, simply trying out something I know little about other than using a body bar and hand weights has kept me from it up to this point.

Some good convo here

estrange22

Not that I'm in immediate danger of either, but I'd rather have a dancer's body than a lifter's body.

One of my best friends is a dance teacher and has danced her whole life and her butt is the reason I lift. I want her butt. She wants my arms....so...yeah.

fit4lifeUcan2

It's the closest thing that will ever be to the Fountain of Youth. If you care about maintaining a high quality of life in your later years without depending on others for the most basic every day chores such as feeding, changing clothes and bathing, then lifting weights, or strength training in general, is going to accomplish that.

I'm calling bullcrap on that. Yes, lifting can help maintain bone density and overall strength. But people have strokes, they get dementia. Lifting weights won't stop that.

While I'm all for lifting to maintain your bones and muscles I agree with this. I know many who lift and have done so for most of their lives and they have high bp, strokes, have high cholesterol etc. Some are under the misconception that because they lift they are not going to have any of these problems. Its simply not true. I do both cardio and moderate lifting as well as eating as healthy and clean as possible. As for the fountain of youth comment? I have a couple of women friends who lift heavy and they do not look their age. They look 20 years older in the face. They have deep lines and tough looking features. Not sure how else to explain it.

juliemouse83

I'm doing it for a few reasons:

1. It's FUN...that is a big...no...HUGE part of it for me. If I don't like it, I simply can't make myself do it.

2. Bone density. I want bone health after age 50, and if I can help that along? Boom!

3. I want my knees to feel better. They've never been great, but I took a pretty decent hit to them last year, and am tired of babying them.

4. Lower blood pressure - between diet and exercise, I would LOVE to get of the BP meds I've been on.

5. Look good nekkid. :glasses:

I'm just happy that I have FINALLY found something that is fun AND beneficial.

Lyssa62

I'm calling bullcrap on that. Yes, lifting can help maintain bone density and overall strength. But people have strokes, they get dementia. Lifting weights won't stop that.

While I'm all for lifting to maintain your bones and muscles I agree with this. I know many who lift and have done so for most of their lives and they have high bp, strokes, have high cholesterol etc. Some are under the misconception that because they lift they are not going to have any of these problems. Its simply not true. I do both cardio and moderate lifting as well as eating as healthy and clean as possible. As for the fountain of youth comment? I have a couple of women friends who lift heavy and they do not look their age. They look 20 years older in the face. They have deep lines and tough looking features. Not sure how else to explain it.

Thank - You
Not much else to say ..you nailed it!

LorinaLynn

As for the fountain of youth comment? I have a couple of women friends who lift heavy and they do not look their age. They look 20 years older in the face. They have deep lines and tough looking features. Not sure how else to explain it.

I don't think anyone expects lifting weights to give them a facelift. :ohwell:

stormsusmc

I'm calling bullcrap on that. Yes, lifting can help maintain bone density and overall strength. But people have strokes, they get dementia. Lifting weights won't stop that.

While I'm all for lifting to maintain your bones and muscles I agree with this. I know many who lift and have done so for most of their lives and they have high bp, strokes, have high cholesterol etc. Some are under the misconception that because they lift they are not going to have any of these problems. Its simply not true. I do both cardio and moderate lifting as well as eating as healthy and clean as possible. As for the fountain of youth comment? I have a couple of women friends who lift heavy and they do not look their age. They look 20 years older in the face. They have deep lines and tough looking features. Not sure how else to explain it.

Thank - You
Not much else to say ..you nailed it!

I'm sure the person who knows those who "lift" eat like slobs. Simply going to the gym doesn't promise you perfect health. Doing cardio and lifting if great for you. A lot is also how you take care of yourself in other ways (diet, stress, sleep etc)....That said stress has a huge factor on how you age. In the Marine Corps you look young at first, but 4 years later you age in looks by 10 years generally. There are other factors to consider. Doing cardio in different forms is healthly indeed, but lifting has benefits you should not ignore. I'll quote what I said before with key points.

Being lean is diet...Being fit is fitness...Simple.

If you're a woman and in here defending not lifting heavy then you are seriously missing out. You have not fully educated yourself on both sides of the spectrum. Do your research and try lifting. Most don't like it because they get sore, or don't know what they are doing, but again that goes back to lack of knowledge...

deksgrl

As for the fountain of youth comment? I have a couple of women friends who lift heavy and they do not look their age. They look 20 years older in the face. They have deep lines and tough looking features. Not sure how else to explain it.

I don't think anyone expects lifting weights to give them a facelift. :ohwell:

Damn, it won't? Geez I guess I'll quit then. LOL!

TripleJ3

For me lifting is less about how I look and more about as I age. I am still young but the older I get the more it hits me that I will only get older along with all the crap that goes with that. I don't want to be like my Mother who is in her early 60's but has a body of an 80 year old.

I feel 60 is fairly young and you still have many years left so the better you take care of your inside, the more quality of life you can have.