Why do so many women lift such light weights?

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terizius
terizius Posts: 425 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just curious to hear the reasons..

I've been in the gym on and off for about 3 years. In that amount of time, I've seen very few women actually lifting "heavy" weights. Occasionally, I'll have someone ask me about an exercise I'm doing, or how to do an exercise that targets a certain body part. Inevitably, when I choose a weight for them, without even trying it, I usually hear, "thats too heavy!"

However, I've never once suggested a weight that was actually too heavy. In fact, I tend to recommend lower than what I actually think they can do. Their concern usually turns to wonder when they realized than actually can lift more than 5lbs..

So ladies.. why are so many afraid to lift heavy weights?

(btw, this applies to many of the men I see in the gym also)
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Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    inexperience and bad media.

    this really really awful myth that lifting heavy leads to bulk.

    it's exhausting. Really it's just plain lack of education or ignorance.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    Coupla' things:
    First, "heavy" is a relative term. For some, a 5# db IS heavy. I know, I know - a typical woman's purse probably weighs 5# (or more). I still think it is all relative.

    Second, I lift heavy (for me) but definitely lift even heavier when I am working out with my BF since there are certain types of exercises on which he needs to spot me. For example, I do not feel comfortable benching heavy without a spotter, and there are times when nobody is available to do so when I am at the gym in the early AM.

    You will probably get a few different perspectives on this (I REALLY hope none of them are women saying they are afraid of bulking up - SO sick of hearing that!), but these are mine. :smile:
  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
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    I can only bench 8kg dumbells...
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    I ain't scurred!

    I think it's the bad media thing, too. When I started heavy lifting, my mom told me not to lift over 50 lbs or I'd get bulky. I'm still waiting. ..
  • May_Rose
    May_Rose Posts: 119 Member
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    I don't ;).
  • Sovi_
    Sovi_ Posts: 575 Member
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    I've been tinkering with 150 on squats.
  • terizius
    terizius Posts: 425 Member
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    Of course heavy is relative.. but as you mentioned, most women have purses that weight more than the weights they are curling at the gym. And babies.. and groceries.. and...

    I do think a lot of it is a lack of knowledge though. Last week, a rather overweight girl approached me in the gym after I finished a set of squats. She asked me, "is there a good exercise that works "this part" (as she pointed to her tricep)". So, I took her to the cable machine and showed her the correct form form tricep pushdowns. I made my conservative guess of 60lbs for her, since she hadn't done it before. Checked to make sure her form was correct for a few reps and went back to my squats.

    After my next set of squats, I noticed that she was still doing the exercise. I asked her "have you been doing that this whole time?!". She said she was just doing it until she felt a burn... Obviously I understimated the weight for her.. and actually bumped her up to 80, then 100 lbs (go girl!). But, the point is that she was content to do that "relatively light" weight until they closed the gym.

    Anyway.. she simply didnt know that the weight should be challenging.. sometime before she hits 50 reps...
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    They have three times the muscle building hormones than men. If they lift anything moderately heavy they will end up looking like Mr. Olympia contestants. Many have the astonishing ability to gain muscle in a calorie deficit or in a very short period of time.
  • say_pocket
    say_pocket Posts: 54 Member
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    Maybe they really can't lift that much? If I'm doing sumo lifts or front squats, I can hold quite a bit of weight. But when I bench press, just the 45 lb bar is already a lot for me. By my second set of reps, my muscles are trembling and my trainer really has to spot me.
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
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    It's just fear and inexperience. Most women dont dare go near the free weights with all the beef cake men, and then if they do wander over there they have no idea where to start.

    I started lifting 2 months ago and keep a journal that I record all my weights in so I know my progress. But I started light too, because I didnt know my potential.

    Be nice to them they dont know better!
  • FitnessMeagan1105
    FitnessMeagan1105 Posts: 57 Member
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    I have just started weight training. I know that I debated a lot before I started doing this. I was always afraid to weight train because of the fear of "bulking" up. But I have several close friends who were bodybuilders for a long time and they told me that it would take a lot for me to bulk up like that. So I am slowly increasing my weight amount.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I can only bench 8kg dumbells...

    It's not about the actual weight as much as it is the program and rep range. A vast many women think they need to do a gazillion reps with really light weight to "tone"...to boot, they tend to focus on machine work and other isolation and assistance movements rather than compound movements which are far more beneficial in RE to seeing actual results.

    Reality is, if one wants to be "toned" they should be doing a program that emphasizes barbells and compounds (dumbbells are fine when weight is low) in a low rep range with weight heavy enough to only be able to really complete 5 reps per set (this is the definition of "heavy" strength training...it's the rep range and the weight used in that rep range...the actual weight itself is relative to the individual...what is "heavy" to me is **** to someone who's been lifting for decades, etc).

    I believe when the OP says "light weights" he is referring to the women standing around doing 50 dumbbell curls with 2.5 lb weights, etc. They're essentially wasting their precious time...and much of that has to do with really horrible women's fitness media.

    ETA: ETA, I think a lot of women just really don't know their potential in the weight room...it's actually been pretty amazing to watch my wife's transformation from, "I'll just do this leg press thingy machine" to "throw a 35 Lb plate on my barbell today please, I'm gonna PR reps for my squats today."
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    Lack of knowledge and believing they will get bulky!!!!

    I was content with just cardio until I tried P90X and now I am in Crossfit, there is no going back to just cardio for me. Almost a year and nowhere near being bulky!!!!!!
  • fitandfortyish
    fitandfortyish Posts: 194 Member
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    They have three times the muscle building hormones than men. If they lift anything moderately heavy they will end up looking like Mr. Olympia contestants. Many have the astonishing ability to gain muscle in a calorie deficit or in a very short period of time.

    I thought testosterone was the muscle building hormone? Hence the reason why most women don't get huge...no?
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
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    I used to lift heavy, until my circumflex artery dissected and I ended up having 2 stents put in. Now, I feel it's not worth it, I would love to lift heavy again, but it's not advised by my cardiologist. I am allowed to go up to 8 pounds, but that's all. Dr's weren't certain if lifting heavy caused the SCAD, but I lifted the day before and the next day is when the artery tore, it took several days in the hospital to figure out that that's what happened, so I'm pretty sure that's what it was from. I had no prior heart conditions and this is something that is more common in fit people or right after a pregnancy. http://www.spontaneouscoronaryarterydissection.com/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    They have three times the muscle building hormones than men. If they lift anything moderately heavy they will end up looking like Mr. Olympia contestants. Many have the astonishing ability to gain muscle in a calorie deficit or in a very short period of time.

    I thought testosterone was the muscle building hormone? Hence the reason why most women don't get huge...no?

    90.gif
  • fitandfortyish
    fitandfortyish Posts: 194 Member
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    They have three times the muscle building hormones than men. If they lift anything moderately heavy they will end up looking like Mr. Olympia contestants. Many have the astonishing ability to gain muscle in a calorie deficit or in a very short period of time.

    I thought testosterone was the muscle building hormone? Hence the reason why most women don't get huge...no?

    90.gif


    Gah! I'm an idiot...:embarassed:
  • ModernNerd
    ModernNerd Posts: 336 Member
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    I'd chalk it up to poor education about fitness and health coupled with fear of failure/embarrassment. I know when I started doing back squats a few weeks back my friend teased that I needed to slap on the 25lb plates already, to which I promptly replied "nonononononononono." Then just last week actually I managed to squat that weight! Whoda thunk :wink: I think women in particular underestimate what their bodies are capable of in a gym setting.

    As harsh as it sounds, I think many women are too concerned about how they are perceived in a gym environment as well. This then rounds out to laziness. To many, it's simply easier to hop on a bike than learn proper deadlift form. The idea that lifting=bulky is rampant, especially among college women. I'm asked fairly regularly what I do to stay in shape by ladies who seem eager to put in the hard work, however, when "cardio" doesn't pop out of my mouth they almost immediately lose interest and find excuses for not having time or money or blahblahblah

    Just my $0.02
  • Briargrey
    Briargrey Posts: 498 Member
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    What so many others have said...I think it is the persistent myth that low weight, high reps will 'lightly tone' you and that heavier weights will bulk you up. Also, I think there is more of a "workout" feel (aka a cardio burn sort of feel) by doing loads of reps, just like doing loads of minutes on a treadmill for people who don't know better.

    Also, there is the subset of people who just literally have to start really low because they aren't strong enough yet.

    On the upside, at least they are working out. Some movement is better than none, but the sad side effect, of course, is that they aren't going to get the body they want more than likely doing what they're doing.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    If you're talking dumbbells, for women it can be harder to progress simply due to the weights available. Many gyms only have increments of 5 lbs after you hit 15 lbs, so if 15 lbs is too easy but you can't quite do 20 lbs, you're kinda stuck. They don't have 17-18 lb dumbbells available, which would be challenging but manageable, and many women don't know that even a few reps at the higher weight can be beneficial, so they give up, stay at the lower weight, and just do reps all day long. It can also be because the woman is self-conscious and thinks people will laugh at her if she can only do one or two reps of a weight that is "light" compared to what others around her are lifting.

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