Question for men!

rainbowbow
rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I've worked out with a few untrained/newbie lifters (all men) and I've noticed a pattern...


Why is it men (sorry if this is a broad assumption) feel uncomfortable doing squats, dead lifts, good mornings, etc.? It's like they all have said it feels unnatural to stick their butt out or perform exercises in these seemingly compromising positions.

Is it simply normal to feel awkward in these positions initially? Or is it because men generally lift "manly" (chest, abs, biceps)?

Also, anyone notice this as well? Or maybe you were one of these men?
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Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Bump!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Men tend to have tighter hamstrings than women, so they have more difficulty sticking their butt out on squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, etc. Maybe that's what you're noticing.
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    i see a lot of guys w/ huge upper bodys n skinny *kitten* legs n its so laaammmeee.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
    i see a lot of guys w/ huge upper bodys n skinny *kitten* legs n its so laaammmeee.

    Absolutely this. Ostrich legs I call them and its not a good look. Some leg training once a week is essential. I also do 40 squats per day to make myself feel better!!
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    So I've worked out with a few untrained/newbie lifters (all men) and I've noticed a pattern...


    Why is it men (sorry if this is a broad assumption) feel uncomfortable doing squats, dead lifts, good mornings, etc.? It's like they all have said it feels unnatural to stick their butt out or perform exercises in these seemingly compromising positions.

    Is it simply normal to feel awkward in these positions initially? Or is it because men generally lift "manly" (chest, abs, biceps)?

    Also, anyone notice this as well? Or maybe you were one of these men?

    It's not something I've ever thought about. You're either striving to do the lifts correctly, with the correct form, or you're an idiot heading for serious injury as the weights increase.

    As for the whole upper body thing - this is a function of most people being on retarded bro-splits they read about in a magazine or got from someone they saw at a gym once. Once you start a novice on a split, they'll find a way to avoid the day for the bit they don't like (which would be leg day) and keep the stuff they do like (which would be a manly chest, or great guns)

    If a novice starts on a good beginners routine and they are enthusiastic and want to learn and have the appropriate concerns about their form as they go along, they'll be fine.

    As for feeling awkward in these positions, it's an unfamiliar position for men in our cultures (speaking broadly of the western world). In asia, where hunkering down in a squat is culturally widely accepted, you'll find a great range of motion and flexibility in men.
  • YesIAm17
    YesIAm17 Posts: 817 Member
    I don't know... haven't done these... drag my a** to the gym, make me do it, and then I'll tell you.

    Best guess? they think/feel like the movements are "girly" looking poses?

    Better to look "girly" than be a wimp about it, no?

    The gym just ain't my bag right now, so it'll probably be awhile before I know first hand.
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    Well, you did say newbie men lifters. Newbie male lifters tend to be curl bros with chicken legs, so I don't think you are wrong with this observation. But, by the same token you could say that newbie female lifters tend to do what exactly? Sit at the adduction machines and lift tiny tiny little weights. :wink: Eventually guys get around to doing squats and deadlifts like they're supposed to, and the women start moving some real iron.

    More experienced lifters get past their gender hangups and it balances out. I'll admit that when I first saw an adduction/abduction machine I was a little bit wigged out. But I got over it. :tongue:

    But in all seriousness I think it has to do with how each gender is physically aspected to different advantages. We all know that males put on muscle faster than women typically, and a trained male has upper body strength advantages that most women don't have. So I would bet you that a lot of new male lifters are just doing what they feel aspected to. It makes the newbie feel manly to go into the gym and start benching and curling, even if it's not done very well because its a manly dudeish studly thing. :laugh:
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    I see just as many women use poor form with these lifts. Newbie = lack of skill regardless of gender.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    I think it depends on mental toughness. Squats and Deads are generally more difficult than Bench and Curls... Probably has something to do with not wanting to leave their ego at the door.

    I know when i first started a few years back I avoided squats for a couple weeks, deadlifts too. Eventually though they became my two favorite days and I now find Bench and Curls to be boring... hah.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    I stay away from the squat rack because I'm afraid of it. I work out alone at the gym so I don't have a spotter if I can't get the weight off of me. They may be embarrassed if they need a woman spotter to save them.

    I do my leg workouts on the circuit machines. Extensions, curls, calf raises, and then the squat press machine.

    I also don't do lunges at the gym because I probably could not do that many of them and I don't want to be embarrassed.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    Only the mentally weak men avoid squats and deadlifts. Those are more difficult lifts for men because men tend to have narrower and less mobile hips than women. And most men aren't going to put in the work to overcome those difficulties because, like Kyle said, it requires checking your ego.
  • AngelGabriel28
    AngelGabriel28 Posts: 278
    i love to squat, dead lift, bent over row, i don't understand who these people are?
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    It has nothing to do with men in general.

    They are more difficult exercises for men and women.
  • simsburyjet
    simsburyjet Posts: 999 Member
    I do squats and dead lifts in body pump and I can not squat as low as the women.. Push ups, Chest track I do perfectly.
  • MyPureSteez
    MyPureSteez Posts: 265 Member
    Who are these so call men to whom you speak of?
  • LarryDUk
    LarryDUk Posts: 279 Member
    i love to squat, dead lift, bent over row, i don't understand who these people are?

    QFT

    I am relativity new to lifting and right now I am on light weight as I move through SL. I am not embarrassed and I do the lifts right because when the **** gets heavy, I don't want to break my back.
  • danofthedead1979
    danofthedead1979 Posts: 362 Member
    I think people underestimate the importance of the hip/leg/glute muscles. They are really important for physical performance and power.
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
    Men tend to have tighter hamstrings than women, so they have more difficulty sticking their butt out on squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, etc. Maybe that's what you're noticing.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    I haven't noticed that. There are 2 squat racks in my gym and I have to wait for others to finish about half the time.
  • addysolari
    addysolari Posts: 181 Member
    I think people underestimate the importance of the hip/leg/glute muscles. They are really important for physical performance and power.

    ^^This
    Your legs are where all the stability comes from for your strength. Ignoring legs its just plain silly.

    Personally I love doing squats. I find it a crazy man injection when I pull off a new PB. Who cares If you have to stick your butt out. I'd rather have my *kitten* out for a couple sets than stuff my back.
  • AngelGabriel28
    AngelGabriel28 Posts: 278
    i have only seen 1 girl squat i my gym, and 5 men squat. although i have seen hundreds on the bench... is this what your getting at? :-)
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    I am glad they stay away from the squat rack and deadlifts... hard enough to get in there at my gym in the afternoons. Let the bros stick with doing their curls
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
    Haven't noticed that so much - the thing I see much more often is men loading up the bar with ridiculous weights and then doing quarter squats. It's an ego thing. There's only one guy at the gym that I see and think, wow, that is a well-executed squat (and he is no newbie).

    Fully 50% of the women I see regularly do them with good form, but, um, that's only 2 women, so really - I think squatting is just a thing that doesn't come naturally to adults if they didn't learn how as kids first.
  • 1985Andy
    1985Andy Posts: 161 Member
    Squats definitely feel awkward for me!
  • BarbellApprentice
    BarbellApprentice Posts: 486 Member
    I am pretty new to squats and deads, so not moving much weight (ego check) and the form needs work...but I love them.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Well when you say awkward I think you mean that the "pose" you take is awkward, not that the movement itself feels awkward.

    Yeah, at first squating and deadlifting felt a bit wierd curving my *kitten* out like that, but if you workout in a gym that has serious lifters in it, you realize pretty quick that it's a non-starter. I don't even think about it anymore, and it's the only safe way to do it. That said, I don't get the deadlifts, that exercise is fun as hell and you can move some real weight. It's probably the "manliest" lift in my opinion.


    The only time it's awkward now is when I'm talking to another guy about form, and you mention sticking your butt out/curving your back. It's just kinda wierd to talk about, but I just mention it and move on. It's actually the most important part of form and lifting safely, keeping a neutral spine is no joke.

    I get it, completely, but they need to get over it because it's really a non-issue and they're missing out on some great lifts.
    I'll admit that when I first saw an adduction/abduction machine I was a little bit wigged out. But I got over it. :tongue:

    Oh man this! lol I'm sitting there trying to thigh-master some heavy weight looking like a dumbass lol But then I think about how it might improve my squat, and the thought passes! :drinker:
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Edit.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    I don't do situps/crunches/ab work at the gym, either. Too embarrassing.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
    Personally, I don't know about the embarrassment factor - I just find those exercises ineffective for my personal goals as a male. I play hockey and I try to keep active so my legs are already fairly muscular. Squatting to me is just overkill - it puts a massive strain on you back and your legs and takes a lot of recovery time. I prefer to do Wall Squats with my own body weight and train my legs with Plyometric exercises. Keeps 'em lean, strong and ready to go! And no concerns about how I look doing them!
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    I don't do situps/crunches/ab work at the gym, either. Too embarrassing.

    Oh dude, I might have a solution for you here... standing cable crunches. Takes a few tries to get the form down, but it beats the crap out of all the other ab exercises. You could also try stability ball crunches, but again, the cable crunches are awesome.
    Personally, I don't know about the embarrassment factor - I just find those exercises ineffective for my personal goals as a male. I play hockey and I try to keep active so my legs are already fairly muscular. Squatting to me is just overkill - it puts a massive strain on you back and your legs and takes a lot of recovery time. I prefer to do Wall Squats with my own body weight and train my legs with Plyometric exercises. Keeps 'em lean, strong and ready to go! And no concerns about how I look doing them!

    No doubt it strains your back because you're loading it, but don't you get checked and knocked down constantly playing hockey? Are you sure you're using good form and not going too heavy too fast? I know plenty of hockey players who squat and it has improved their game.

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