This is part of the problem.

Although I have absolutely NO argument against heavy lifting, I don't understand why women doing high reps with light weights bothers you (or anyone). It is a good place to start for many people, as its not really intimidating, and the ability to injure yourself is probably much less, especially when you are pretty out of shape to begin with.

That being said, I completely agree that more heavy lifting articles would probably encourage a lot more women to give it a shot at the gym, and would help to dispel the myth that lifting heavy makes females "bulky". Its ridiculous that people still believe that. However, i would suggest that the idea that heavy lifting is the only way (or even the best way) to tone up and look good is misguided. The fact is, people are getting off the couch and making an effort to be healthy. So who really cares how they do it?

It bothers me because there's no other options shown to the average woman.

And it bothers me that the exercise they show, and the headlines to go with them ("Get a bikini body in just five moves!") won't work. No one is going to look like the fitness models in the magazines doing the routines they show. And then the woman whose arms didn't get jiggle free, whose abs didn't get tight, whose hips didn't get slimmer, as promised by the magazine, is going to feel like crap about herself because she feels like a failure and a freak.

I've been that failure and freak. It sucks. I thought there was something very wrong with me, that I was stuck having a frumpy, lumpy body, because none of the stuff suggested in magazines did a damn thing for me. I did the kinds of exercises suggested in magazines (but more than the "in just 10 minutes a day!" quantities they suggest), and ended up with a flat, deflated *kitten*. I would have just thought, 'Well, what do you expect? You're middle-aged," until I gave heavy lifting a try.



But you're actually missing the point of my mini-rant in the original post. It's not "this is why women should lift heavy," it was "this is why more of them don't." Because many of them don't consider it an option because it's something they were never exposed to, and coming on a site like this and being told they're stupid and chickenpoop isn't helpful.

And, yes, I do understand that it's best to start off with a lighter weight, but the point of heavy lifting isn't "RAWR! Pick up this barbell loaded with every plate we have RIGHT NOW!" It's starting with a weight that's something that's a challenge, but something you can lift with good form and control, then adding more when you can. If you need to start off with small dumbbells, then start there, but I really don't think *anyone* is going to be challenged by deadlifting something that weighs the same as a pair of kittens.

I also wanted to add that my two main forms of exercise - running and lifting - aren't because I'm some kind of turbo-charged gung-ho athlete. It's because... I'm lazy and don't like exercising very much. It's not my life, it's what I do to make the rest of my life more enjoyable. Just like shaving my legs. I don't like doing it, but I like having smooth legs.

I do what I do because it's the fastest way for me to get the results I want.

The calorie burn I'd get from walking 4 miles is about the same as I'd get from running 3 miles. But it'd take me at least an hour to walk 4 miles, and a half hour or less to run 3 miles. Ain't nobody got time for that! :laugh:

All that matters with weight lifting is that you lift to failure, whether you go light or heavy. I'd be bored out of my skull if I lifted a 5 pound dumbbell enough times for me to reach failure. I just want to pick things up, put them down, and get it all over with.