Lifting is "bad for you"

My mom told me I shouldn't lift heavy weights because one time in the 80's crocodile dundee was bench pressing like 350 and had an aneurysm.

:laugh:

Well actually lifting decreases diastolic blood pressure, raises HDL, lowers cholesterol and decreases insulin levels in many studies.

An anecdotal "study" of myself and others I know shows it lowers blood pressure, and lowers resting heart rate.

Its easy to get conflicting data though, especially if you look at lifters who use "supplements" like steroids and extra testosterone and those who intensely lift for long periods and then stop lifting. There is some evidence that lifting intensely and building yourself up for years, then stopping all lifting could be worse than not lifting at all, and that being very massive (and almost certainly when using steroids) is risky for the heart, but I've seen no evidence that an average guy lifting is doing anything worse than put himself at more risk of joint and muscle strain injuries and decreasing his risk of death from heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer and reducing the chance he'll be non-mobile in a home in his later years. Unless you already have certain risk factors, then of course it can increase risk too...

There is also less in the way of evidence on lifting's effect on women, All in all, the whole dose dependent issue is probably whats of primary importance, as it is with every single thing...even a tiny amount of radiation may be GOOD for your immune system, whereas most increased levels are of course very bad...

I know there is a study showing cardio after lifting seems to eliminate any arterial stiffness when its detected. Maybe just do that if you are worried, its usually the best order to exercise in anyways I find if you are doing both, the aerobic exercise also generally loosens your muscles up after.

That ranks up there with my doctor telling me not to lift because it will cause long term increases in blood pressure.

Not the normal rise mid-set, but permanent.

If you dont have a specific condition with unique circumstances, I hope you don't go to that doctor anymore...

Strength training is good for you, but that's not just lifting weights. Incorporate a well balanced plan that includes weights, bands, squats, lunges (if you knees can take them), kettlebells and weight bearing exercises like pushups, planks and dips. Find a class or a trainer that can show you how to correctly do a variety of exercises to tone muscles and build strength. This will give you definition, but not bulk.

For your friend:

My mother-in-law once got upset when I told her I lifted because lifting would "rupture my uterus". I thought her concern was pretty cute, actually Probably wouldn't have been cute if it was coming from a different source.

I don't know about arteries, but I have noticed that over the last 3 years as I've been lifting that my knees have gradually become more arthritic and weak, my shoulders, elbows and wrists have experienced similar deterioration. On the other hand the lower back pain I used to feel because of my pot belly has entirely disappeared since I lost weight.
You know what, actually my joints really don't hurt all that much other than when I'm lifting, well except my left knee which is weak and arthritic always.

So yeah, I would say lifting can be bad for you...although maybe I'm just getting older and my joints are naturally deteriorating.

I think you should see a doctor/physio about that, because that's not normal at your age (34, according to your profile). You shouldn't be getting age related deterioration so young, and lifting usually helps to slow that kind of thing. You could have some minor injuries, e.g. overuse injury, tendonitis. Or some other issue. If you're lifting with bad form or not giving yourself enough rest/recovery time you could be suffering from minor injuries. Generally speaking, lifting makes joint pain less bad. But there are some kinds of injuries and conditions that can be made worse by lifting, which is why it's always a good idea to get joint pain or sharp pain in a muscle checked out by a doctor who knows sports medicine if it doesn't go away after a few days. Most injuries you can train through but there may be certain movements you need to avoid while recovering.

as a general point aimed at the whole thread:

Every sport has its risk of injury. I got a crap ton of injuries playing ice hockey but was still in much bettter shape then than I was after I quit and got obese (because I carried on eating like I was training 4x week and games at the weekend when I was sedentary . *facepalm*) - so regardless of the risk of injury, people should do sports/exercise that they enjoy. There are sensible precautions to avoid injury in any sport, such as lifting with good form, wearing adequate protection equipment in ice hockey, etc. I'm not saying to ignore the risk of injury altogether. Only that the health risks of being unfit and sedentary are substantially greater than the risk of injury from playing sport. People frequently forget to factor that into the equation when they talk about not wanting to do particular exercises because "it's dangerous/bad for you"

I don't know about arteries, but I have noticed that over the last 3 years as I've been lifting that my knees have gradually become more arthritic and weak, my shoulders, elbows and wrists have experienced similar deterioration. On the other hand the lower back pain I used to feel because of my pot belly has entirely disappeared since I lost weight.
You know what, actually my joints really don't hurt all that much other than when I'm lifting, well except my left knee which is weak and arthritic always.

So yeah, I would say lifting can be bad for you...although maybe I'm just getting older and my joints are naturally deteriorating.

I'm a lot older than you and lifting has only helped. I have a tendinitis in my shoulder and whenever I stop lifting for more than a couple of weeks the pain comes back. Regular strength training keeps the pain away. Agree you should see a specialist about that, it does not seem normal.

Read this book " Strong Women Stay Young" fact based info about the positive effects of weight lifting for women

I'm really not worried about it...her answer just kind of threw me for a loop.

Not sure if you want to open the can of worms, but did you ask your friend to elaborate on why she feels that weight lifting is "bad"?

ETA: Yes I know you said the artery thing, but what makes her believe this is true? And is this the only reason she believes lifting is bad? Those are 2 things I would be curious about.

ETA#2: This is interesting.... http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Weight_Lifting_Arteries.aspx

There are probably studies that have found the contrary. That blood pressure is improved. I can see why this is all confusing to everyone. Eggs are bad eggs are good. Coffee is bad coffee is good. At the end of the day sometimes you just have to say F it and do what makes you happy and enjoy life because no matter what anyone does your mortality rate at some point is 100%

It also makes hair grow on your chest. BEWARE!

Gwyneth Paltrow's personal trainer says that no woman should lift more than 3 lbs. Think about that...