Essay on Lifting Weights

I've been trying for the longest time to get my girlfriend to get into lifting weights. I've tried to convey to her the benefits but she doesn't seem to listen. In addition she believes in that preconceived notion that if she lifts heavy weights she'll get bulky, which i've told her repeatedly isn't true. Too top it all off when I do manage to get her to lift weights it's impossible to get her to lift anything with any kind of real weight. She complains that it's either too heavy or she's terrified of being too sore the following day to do anything. I'd say it wasn't a big deal if I was trying to make her lift like 100 some pounds, but trying to get her to do bench press with just the bar or a squat machine with more than 50 lbs and she flips out on me. Does anyone have any idea as to how I can better get it through to her the benefits of weight lifting and how to go about getting her to lift heavier weights? I've can get her into doing light weights but I just don't think doing 2 sets of bicep curls with 5-8 lbs weights will be any kind of beneficial. Thanks in advance.

I completely agree! In the past when I've lost weight, I've done various diets with tons of cardio. I never felt like I got stronger or that my stamina increased. When I was 18 I lost about 40 lbs with cutting calories and doing the stairmaster and brisk walking every night, and I would still get winded walking up a flight of stairs. In pictures from then, I'm definitely smaller, but not toned at all--I still look flabby. I also gained the weight back very easily. I've now kept off 50 lbs. for over a year, and I really think weight training has been a big factor in that. I don't always keep up with my food and logging, but as long as I get in the gym and get in both my cardio AND my strength training, the weight seems to stay off. My metabolism is really good now because of my increased muscle mass. And this time, my body actually looks "fit". I always thought I had a naturally slow metabolism, and now I think it was just from lack of lean muscle mass.

I hear and see so many women saying they don't want to "bulk up." I mean, really....how many bulky women have you seen? Even my lift instructor isn't bulky--and she teaches at least six lift classes a week, plus lots of other classes with strength training coponents. But she looks freaking awesome after having three kids! Unless you are training to be a competetive weight lifter, you are not going to bulk up. You're going to get leaner lines, muscle definition, and your energy and metabolism will be so much higher than if you just did cardio. You will look fit, instead of skinny and flabby. I firmly believe that weight training, as part of an exercise plan, is one of the keys to keeping the weight off once you lose it.

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