Scared of lifting weights?

13

Replies

  • Italiano7
    Italiano7 Posts: 382 Member
    i enjoy lifting I just started,. I could already see a difference! I love doing kettle bell workouts.
  • willieswenson
    willieswenson Posts: 31
    Just giving you a hard time. This might not be the best place to find others who train very heavy. I think it is less of a misconceived fear of bulking up, especially on MFP than it is most women would rather not exercise at a gym, and therefore don't train with anything more than light dumbbells, body weight or bands. Some may not want to workout in front of others, some may not want to travel/pay for a membership, or some don't have the time.

    You've got it right though, lift heavy, it will never bulk you up to that of a caveman looking physique and does wonders for your health.

    For being a member here of just a whopping month, I'm not surprised that you have some misconceptions about what MFP has to offer. In fact, MFP is a GREAT place to find other women that train heavy--a previous poster linked a few threads that were started in that last COUPLE OF DAYS that focused on women who lift heavy. You might want to know what you're talking about before you open your mouth and stick your foot in it. :flowerforyou:

    =)
    I wasn't implying that mfp has zero women that lift. I just said, this might not be the BEST place. As you mentioned there ARE threads about female lifting and is a GREAT place for it. You are right, I am new, I'm sorry for sounding ignorant.
    Thanks for the insight tho, I'll think twice before I express my opinion to someone that there might be a more optimal or relevant site that focuses primarily on the topic mentioned, since this was kind of what the thread was getting at. =)
    Happy lifting
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I quit cardio after I started lifting. Cardio bores me to death.

    I have to literally force my cardio. I love lifting, but cardio makes me want to off myself. I feel your pain.

    i do cardio like once a week...HIIT about 15 minutes on saturday...
  • boomerz12
    boomerz12 Posts: 140
    I quit cardio after I started lifting. Cardio bores me to death.

    I have to literally force my cardio. I love lifting, but cardio makes me want to off myself. I feel your pain.

    i do cardio like once a week...HIIT about 15 minutes on saturday...

    I can MAYBE push myself into doing cardio for 20 mins then I'm just like noope. Time to go lift and HIIT
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    as others have said. lots of topics on mfp re weights esp re bulking. lots and ltots of women who lift here and lift hard. after reading posts i realise it is important to add lifting to my regime but u start slowly and build up.
  • savbentley
    savbentley Posts: 103
    I quit cardio after I started lifting. Cardio bores me to death.

    I have to literally force my cardio. I love lifting, but cardio makes me want to off myself. I feel your pain.

    i do cardio like once a week...HIIT about 15 minutes on saturday...

    I can MAYBE push myself into doing cardio for 20 mins then I'm just like noope. Time to go lift and HIIT

    I'm trying to cut right now so I have to get some cardio in, usually I'll do 15 minutes of HIIT sprints before lifting, 15 minutes after, then a 5 min cool down. not that I always actually do it. :tongue:
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member

    Yeah, I don't think anyone on here lifts. You might need to look for another site to meet others who do. Good luck.
    SarcasmMeter2_zps51a43e7c.gif
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    There are a ton of female lifters on this site.

    Only the newbies seem to be afraid of getting "bulky".
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I have no idea how you get that impression.

    No kidding. Women are always on here talking about lifting. That's how I got into heavy lifting myself - by reading all the bazillions of threads on it. I love lifting heavy - and even if I don't look it, I DO lift heavy. :flowerforyou:
  • mjhedgehog
    mjhedgehog Posts: 249 Member
    Ehhh honestly I just don't like strength training. It bores me to tears. I try to sneak in pilates on the side but really, strength training just doesn't appeal to me.

    same here. I get bored really easily. I've been trying really hard to like strength training but idk. :/
  • boomerz12
    boomerz12 Posts: 140
    I quit cardio after I started lifting. Cardio bores me to death.

    I have to literally force my cardio. I love lifting, but cardio makes me want to off myself. I feel your pain.

    i do cardio like once a week...HIIT about 15 minutes on saturday...

    I can MAYBE push myself into doing cardio for 20 mins then I'm just like noope. Time to go lift and HIIT

    I'm trying to cut right now so I have to get some cardio in, usually I'll do 15 minutes of HIIT sprints before lifting, 15 minutes after, then a 5 min cool down. not that I always actually do it. :tongue:

    Yeah sounds about like what I do most days just no cool down :3
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
    LOTS of female lifters on here! :happy:
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I quit cardio after I started lifting. Cardio bores me to death.

    Not me! I love long distance running and find that heavy lifting has only improved my race pace. I :heart: a nice balance between both cardio and weights. I do 2 days of shorter interval runs, 1 day of long distance cross-country trail running, 3 days of heavy lifting and 1 day of rest.
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
    I ain't scurred.
  • Jessieee_huangggg
    Jessieee_huangggg Posts: 8
    Lol enjoying my youth while I can!
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,473 Member
    I NEVER see any posts from girls who lift weights, and it bums me out. I seems like a lot of women are sort of scared of going heavy (that's not to say all women are, so don't bite my head off guys!) but basically I just want to know, for those that are wary of the weight rack.... why?

    (also if you are a fan of lifting things up and putting them down.. friend me! :bigsmile: )

    I am a little wary, but it's really the time and expense of gym membership that puts me off, and the fact that I don't like lifting alone (for safety's sake). I've done heavy lifting and really enjoyed it, and still do some at home. But my house isn't equipped for heavy squats and deadlifts :(.

    I'm most wary of the bench press because it seems such a dangerous lift! Why would I want to lift a heavy bar over my face and neck while I'm lying down?!? I've been thinking about going back to heavy lifting but missing it out. It seems to be included in programmes more because it's a competitive lift than because of it's benefit, so I've wondered it would be possible to do lifting without it?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    i know tons of awesome female lifters here!
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Is this real life?

    is this just fantasy?

    Caught in a landslide,
    No escape from reality! :laugh:

    h130A1072
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    are these lines to queens song
  • littlebudgie
    littlebudgie Posts: 279 Member
    I NEVER see any posts from girls who lift weights, and it bums me out. I seems like a lot of women are sort of scared of going heavy (that's not to say all women are, so don't bite my head off guys!) but basically I just want to know, for those that are wary of the weight rack.... why?

    (also if you are a fan of lifting things up and putting them down.. friend me! :bigsmile: )

    I am a little wary, but it's really the time and expense of gym membership that puts me off, and the fact that I don't like lifting alone (for safety's sake). I've done heavy lifting and really enjoyed it, and still do some at home. But my house isn't equipped for heavy squats and deadlifts :(.

    I'm most wary of the bench press because it seems such a dangerous lift! Why would I want to lift a heavy bar over my face and neck while I'm lying down?!? I've been thinking about going back to heavy lifting but missing it out. It seems to be included in programmes more because it's a competitive lift than because of it's benefit, so I've wondered it would be possible to do lifting without it?

    Done properly, the bar shouldn't be over your face and neck, but around your nipples. Admittedly it still is potentially dangerous, but so is every lift.

    You can definitely do a lifting program without benching, but it is very beneficial for the chest muscles.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,473 Member
    I NEVER see any posts from girls who lift weights, and it bums me out. I seems like a lot of women are sort of scared of going heavy (that's not to say all women are, so don't bite my head off guys!) but basically I just want to know, for those that are wary of the weight rack.... why?

    (also if you are a fan of lifting things up and putting them down.. friend me! :bigsmile: )

    I am a little wary, but it's really the time and expense of gym membership that puts me off, and the fact that I don't like lifting alone (for safety's sake). I've done heavy lifting and really enjoyed it, and still do some at home. But my house isn't equipped for heavy squats and deadlifts :(.

    I'm most wary of the bench press because it seems such a dangerous lift! Why would I want to lift a heavy bar over my face and neck while I'm lying down?!? I've been thinking about going back to heavy lifting but missing it out. It seems to be included in programmes more because it's a competitive lift than because of it's benefit, so I've wondered it would be possible to do lifting without it?

    Done properly, the bar shouldn't be over your face and neck, but around your nipples. Admittedly it still is potentially dangerous, but so is every lift.

    You can definitely do a lifting program without benching, but it is very beneficial for the chest muscles.

    In the set up at my gym, the bar starts near the top of your head and you lift it over to the correct place, so it does have to pass over your face and neck. To be honest, I wouldn't even want it to fall on my chest (have seen horrific videos!), but as I can't lift that much anyway, it might not do so much harm. I do realise that if I was going to drop it it probably wouldn't be from the full height. But the question was about what makes us wary and that's definitely the most worrying of all the lifts for me. Every time I do it I just think "what the h*ll am I doing?" as this big heavy bar passes over my neck! I've tried doing it in the power cage and that makes me feel a little bit safer (as you can set it so that the bar couldn't completely crush your neck or chest). And I've never done it alone. I probably worry even more watching other people do it! (You know, I feel someone could design a bench for bench pressing which would be much safer. I can picture it.)

    Thanks for the advice on doing a program without benching! I would be doing modified push-ups, etc. to exercise my upper body.
  • savbentley
    savbentley Posts: 103
    I NEVER see any posts from girls who lift weights, and it bums me out. I seems like a lot of women are sort of scared of going heavy (that's not to say all women are, so don't bite my head off guys!) but basically I just want to know, for those that are wary of the weight rack.... why?

    (also if you are a fan of lifting things up and putting them down.. friend me! :bigsmile: )

    I am a little wary, but it's really the time and expense of gym membership that puts me off, and the fact that I don't like lifting alone (for safety's sake). I've done heavy lifting and really enjoyed it, and still do some at home. But my house isn't equipped for heavy squats and deadlifts :(.

    I'm most wary of the bench press because it seems such a dangerous lift! Why would I want to lift a heavy bar over my face and neck while I'm lying down?!? I've been thinking about going back to heavy lifting but missing it out. It seems to be included in programmes more because it's a competitive lift than because of it's benefit, so I've wondered it would be possible to do lifting without it?

    Done properly, the bar shouldn't be over your face and neck, but around your nipples. Admittedly it still is potentially dangerous, but so is every lift.

    You can definitely do a lifting program without benching, but it is very beneficial for the chest muscles.

    totally agree. I can't do bench presses unfortunately (I cracked my sternum a couple years ago and it's still way too painful to do that type of motion with weights, but I use free weights like a mad woman.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member

    totally agree. I can't do bench presses unfortunately (I cracked my sternum a couple years ago and it's still way too painful to do that type of motion with weights, but I use free weights like a mad woman.

    is it bad even with dumbbells?
  • littlebudgie
    littlebudgie Posts: 279 Member

    In the set up at my gym, the bar starts near the top of your head and you lift it over to the correct place, so it does have to pass over your face and neck. To be honest, I wouldn't even want it to fall on my chest (have seen horrific videos!), but as I can't lift that much anyway, it might not do so much harm. I do realise that if I was going to drop it it probably wouldn't be from the full height. But the question was about what makes us wary and that's definitely the most worrying of all the lifts for me. Every time I do it I just think "what the h*ll am I doing?" as this big heavy bar passes over my neck! I've tried doing it in the power cage and that makes me feel a little bit safer (as you can set it so that the bar couldn't completely crush your neck or chest). And I've never done it alone. I probably worry even more watching other people do it! (You know, I feel someone could design a bench for bench pressing which would be much safer. I can picture it.)

    Thanks for the advice on doing a program without benching! I would be doing modified push-ups, etc. to exercise my upper body.

    I'm not sure how workable this is - I would have to try it out myself - but possibly you could arrange the power rack and then put the barbell down on the safeties, then slide your legs under it as you get on the bench, then pull it up to the appropriate bench press position. Doing bench presses with dumbbells might also make you feel safer.

    But in the end if it really makes you feel unsafe, and you can get a similar workout otherwise, I really don't think you're going to suffer from not doing it. www.exrx.net/ is a handy website that has muscle maps, and you can click "exercise instruction" and then select a body map, then click on the appropriate part of the body to find exercises that will develop it.
  • FranksRumHam
    FranksRumHam Posts: 198 Member
    are these lines to queens song

    no













    well, maybe.
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
    I've just bought New Rules of Lifting or Women - I want to start lifting but not sure where to start or what to do. I can't afford a gym membership so this will all have to be done at home. I've got dumb bells but not barbells - will it make any difference if I only use DB when lifting?
    Btw LOVE the lolcat!
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
    Is this real life?

    is this just fantasy?

    Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality. OPEN YOUR EYES


    I lift HEAVY!!!
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    reading this thread made me bulky.

    :huh:
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    Is this real life?

    is this just fantasy?

    Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality. OPEN YOUR EYES


    I lift HEAVY!!!

    LOOK UP TO THE SKIES AND SEEEEEEEEEEEE

    I lift heavy too, by the way. xx
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,473 Member
    I'm not sure how workable this is - I would have to try it out myself - but possibly you could arrange the power rack and then put the barbell down on the safeties, then slide your legs under it as you get on the bench, then pull it up to the appropriate bench press position. Doing bench presses with dumbbells might also make you feel safer.

    But in the end if it really makes you feel unsafe, and you can get a similar workout otherwise, I really don't think you're going to suffer from not doing it. www.exrx.net/ is a handy website that has muscle maps, and you can click "exercise instruction" and then select a body map, then click on the appropriate part of the body to find exercises that will develop it.

    Thank you. It wouldn't work with the particular power rack I was using, but I'll keep it in mind if I go somewhere else.

    I have used dumbbells and feel much safer with them, but they are more difficult to microload.

    I was aware of ww.exrx.net but hadn't thought of using the body map - thanks!

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