General Comment About People Who Don't Lift

But I digress, I don't think you can tell every woman that they won't bulk up past their comfort point simply because they are a woman and that we should all lift as heavy as possible because it can't happen. It can.

When I was 14 I broke my leg. For 3 months I was unable to move my ankle joint. When the cast came off, I couldn't even walk, and my left leg was like a toothpick compared to my right leg.

The point being, if you find yourself getting more "bulk" than you want, just stop challenging those muscles and they will very quickly shrink! (Or more practically, limit the level to which you challenge them to control their size.)

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I've know a couple of ballet dancers in major companies and they tell me they lift, actually.

I've know a couple of ballet dancers in major companies and they tell me they lift, actually.

So far, it appears to me that every dancer that has posted here lifts. BinaryPulsar, CoderGal, Katerina, the belly dancing lady (sorry I forgot your user name :flowerforyou: ). They all lift. My daughter was a dancer when she was in high school. I have know many dancers personally. I could not tell the difference in thier bodies from a woman lifter's body. Heck, my wife lifts and she is a thin and "lithe" woman. She had a new woman trainer come up to her out of the blue at the gym and compliment her yesterday for doing weight work and how lean an feminie she looked. I think my opinion is clear that there is little difference between a lifter and a dancer's body. If I am wrong, fine. Can anyone show me how? (other than referencing some vague image in their head) I will then admit my error.

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

Every female lifter I have ever seen has a fairly close body to a dancer... unflexed and In normal everyday life they look very demure and lady like.

In general the dancer would likely be more lithe.

No, this makes no sense. It's simply not true.

^While in a way a dancers body would be more "lithe". That is because they stretch like crazy and train to look graceful. However, I lift heavy and I am VERY VERY flexible. Yoga instructors stop me to ask why I am so flexible! The only way I lose any of my felxibility is when I stop stretching. Lifting weights does not equal less flexibility........less stretching equals less flexibility.

I never suggested lifting weights equaled less flexibility.

Sorry, I took lithe to mean "supple, limber, or flexible". I take back what I said if that's not what you meant!

It's exactly what I meant but, as you pointed out, it is the stretching that creates the flexibility. Which is exactly what I suggested earlier in the thread when I said

You need the stretching and cardio of dancing, along with the strength training to get a dancers body.

I realize you may not have read all the posts, but I did not suggest that weight lifting decreased flexibility. I suggested that a dancer who lifts weights would look different than someone who only lifts weight (without the other training that dancers require). Let's face it, if dancers didn't have a different look to their body, I highly doubt we'd be discussing how to get a dancers body.

I think the original issue was, can a lifter look like a dancer. I take that as muscle definition. Not if a lifter can carry themselves like as dancer. I think women on this thread want a dancer body so they are afraid of lifting. What I am saying is you CAN get muscle definition like a dancer from lifting.

Actually KatrinaWilkes said the same thing I've been saying, when she said:

While in a way a dancers body would be more "lithe". That is because they stretch like crazy and train to look graceful.

I guess you missed this part when she said,
"It depends on what you mean by a "lifter". If you are talking about a normal person who does total body workouts.......they would look very much like a "dancer". Keep in mind some dancers, especially in ballet do not lift and do not have the same muscle definition, but are also very unhealthy! They subside on very unhealthy calorie levels. So if you wanted to look like an emaciated ballerina, you should become anorexic. But if you wanted to look like the healthy, fit modern, contemporary dancer, lifting weights will not hinder that.

But if you are talking about a professional lifter or bodybuilder, no they would not look like dancers. But their strength training is highly specialized and target specific muscles. They are sculpting their bodies and different muscle groups to look like that. But again normal people who do full body strength training and train each muscle group proportionately will not look like the body builders!"

Thanks for reposting my first response. I thought summed it up nicely the first time. Well other than using subside in the totally wrong way! :-)

I am doing this too because of some lower back issues. I don't think I can go right into freeweight exercises on some of the lower body exercises. My back is too weak. I'm working up to it though. :bigsmile:

Careful, this could be a dangerous way to go. No machines will strengthen the stabilizers and antagonists the way actual lifting can. You should be doing freeweight exercises, starting light and very slowly moving up. If you build certain larger back muscles up without building the stabilizers around them, you can create an imbalance that can get you injured later on.

The right way is to do the correct compound exercises from the beginning.

Read the weakness, back recovery, guidelines, and inflexibility articles here:
http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

Since this person responded to me, I'm going to jump in here. I suppose it would depend on the severity of the injury and the degree of fitness one has when starting out. I couldn't lift a 3# Barbie bell without experiencing discomfort in my back when I first started back to exercising after my own back injury. And I'm talking about just picking it up to carry. Doing any kind of pressing or pulling movements? Forget about it. Wasn't going to happen. Most of those moves felt uncomfortable even without any weights at all. And I had zero balance at first. There was no way I could do even a partial squat without almost falling over due to major muscle imbalances.

However, I could use light weights on the machines without discomfort or almost falling over due to balance issues. And so I did. As I gained some strength and flexibility, I added in yoga, then Zumba, then kickboxing, then bootcamp classes, then spinning and outdoor cycling, then running, (a progression as I have been able to handle it without feeling as if I was overdoing it for my back). [Note that during the beginning stages of all these different classes, I often had to modify moves for my back. I rarely find this necessary anymore.]

All of those other exercises/classes have strengthened my stabilizers and improved my balance enough, along with the machines, that I can now do free weights without any problem. It took about 16 months of doing other exercises and using the machines to get to the point where I have been able to make the switch.

I should add that, during this time, I have been doing careful analysis of my body's instabilities/weaknesses/inflexibilities and have been doing things to work on those issues. For example, when I started I had quads that were doing all the work because my glutes/hams weren't even firing. Even exercises that were designed to work the glutes/hams would have my quads doing most of the work. When I first started doing leg curls, for example, my quads wanted to push instead of my hams pulling. I had to do a lot of concentration work on my glutes/hams to teach them to re-fire and, once they actually woke up, to do some of the work, eventually taking over increasingly more of the work until they are actually now working the way they are supposed to. Although they're still my weakest area and will require more work to get them where I want and need them to be.

I love the ExRx site but I don't believe their advice would have worked for me and the issues I was dealing with from my back injury. In fact, most of the things they suggest, could very well have resulted in re-injury for me. Not saying your advice wouldn't work for some. For many it might be perfect. But I'm convinced it would have been very bad news for me if I had followed it. We all need to balance exercise advice with listening to our own bodies.

Talk to your doctor before you do any of that.

That's a given. Rather, a physical therapist. Doctors generally know very little about this topic.

Or a good chiropractor. My physical therapist was actually having me do exercises that would increase the sway in my back which contributed to my back injury in the first place. I had zero good progress while seeing a PT. When I dumped the PT and started doing the exercises my chiropractor gave me instead, I started seeing good, steady progress toward healing.

Of course, not all PTs are bad and not all chiropractors are good. Just my personal experience.

Or a good chiropractor. My physical therapist was actually having me do exercises that would increase the sway in my back which contributed to my back injury in the first place. I had zero good progress while seeing a PT. When I dumped the PT and started doing the exercises my chiropractor gave me instead, I started seeing good, steady progress toward healing.

Of course, not all PTs are bad and not all chiropractors are good. Just my personal experience.

"Good chiropractor" is a bit of a funny term. Chiropractic, at its core, is total quackery and chiropractors, by and large, have no idea what they're doing. The "good" chiropractors are the ones who more or less reject the core philosophy of chiropractic and instead practice physical therapy.

I disagree. If I had followed the advice of orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists, I would have had spinal surgery that would have fused my back in a fixed position and be limited in movement and have severe activity restrictions for the rest of my life. Since I followed the advice of my chiropractor instead, and used other alternative therapies like cranial-sacral, I am doing century bike rides, lifting heavy (well, for me, anyway and I will progress to heavier weights), running in 5k races (and am considering building up to longer ones) and am taking a mountaineering course which includes steep hikes with a heavy pack wearing snowshoes and crampons, learning to self-arrest with an ice ax, belaying, rappelling, and such and virtually never have any back soreness at all anymore. All the things doctors and physical therapists told me I would never be able to do. And I'm loving every minute of it.

nothing is wrong with wanting to be slim and not left for 'tone'
is lifting advice is given it is to people who are asking for suggestions because they are NOT content.

I lift, but not "heavy".. but heavy for ME. usually 10-30#s. I might go up. last time I went up it aggravated my heart (I get tachycardias easily)

Welcome to my world. i think I got it from my mom (she has it too). I managed to get my resting down from 110bpm but moving spikes it way way up. Ironically enough I think the best thing I've done to bring my resting rate down was hike long 'expert' hiking trails. It took forever for me to be able to do one without feeling like I'm going to die in the woods but I got there. When I stopped that I picked up strength training and so far my resting is still regular. The only kick is I always require a longer rest period then my friends because I start to feel my heart spike suddenly if I don't. I wouldn't have picked up anything over 30 lbs before because without a doubt I would pass out but I don't have a problem with it now. Take it slow, progress, but if someone tells you to push yourself past where you're comfortable play dead and they'll never tell you that again haha.

I wonder if we burn more calories then the average person.

Welcome to my world. i think I got it from my mom (she has it too). I managed to get my resting down from 110bpm but moving spikes it way way up. Ironically enough I think the best thing I've done to bring my resting rate down was hike long 'expert' hiking trails. It took forever for me to be able to do one without feeling like I'm going to die in the woods but I got there. When I stopped that I picked up strength training and so far my resting is still regular. The only kick is I always require a longer rest period then my friends because I start to feel my heart spike suddenly if I don't. I wouldn't have picked up anything over 30 lbs before because without a doubt I would pass out but I don't have a problem with it now. Take it slow, progress, but if someone tells you to push yourself past where you're comfortable play dead and they'll never tell you that again haha.

I wonder if we burn more calories then the average person.

I got it from my mom, too. hers is either worse or she complains more (general consensus is she just complains more)
I can now take a 2 mile brisk walk (4.25MPH). jogging is still out of the question, though I have been doing really short jog spurts sometimes. 30 seconds is my limit. BUT it is all improvement. so I may get to longer/faster... and I can do more reps with more weights than when I started.. I do plan on 'real weights' soon. but I do feel my wimpy weights are working really well.
the last time I did real weights on a bar, about 50# deadlifts and stuff, not only did my heart RACE but I had a pressure/pain in my heart too, my trainer seemed to think chest pressure/pain was not good. so I backed off and working very very slowly to increasing.

I hear ya on the long recovery time! It's why I work out at home and not in a gym. I can't do the full workout at once. it takes me most the day in 10 minute intervals to get a workout in.

I can relate to the pressure pains. Haven't had them in forever. You just made me realize how much I've progressed. Thank you. And I was in the exact same situation and hope you can do it to. I've seen numbers as low as 65 bpm recently and before 98 was a victory. Gluck!

It's more important for women. Osteoporosis is the big reason. If you are elderly and you fall and break a hip, you are probably done. Bones are cruel to women, and lifting is what saves us.

Also, then you can open your own jar of pickles.

THIS!

Reading this was exhausting. Yet I kept reading.

I am personally not interested at this time in "heavy lifting" with weights. What I am interested in is continuing with my 3-4x week yoga that I started a month ago so I can look like 95% of the women in my classes. (it's a serious all yoga gym).

They look lean and amazing. I am already seeing a nice difference. And if my muscle soreness is any indication, it's a bigger difference than I can even see.

(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)

Happy lifting or whatever your heart desires my friends!