Lifting is "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 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...

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"

All of this.

Risk v reward, cost v benefit.

Does weight lifting (or any type of training for that matter) carry risks and costs? Sure. It seems weight lifting (or cycling or running or...) may lead to hardened arteries or an enlarged heart or whatever. To reject that out of hand is daft.

However when you compare the magnitude of the risk and the likelihood of that occurring to the much larger benefits recovered it is clear that it is definitely a worthwhile pursuit.

I had someone tell me once that women shouldn't lift because our hearts aren't strong enough.

I might have made this face at her: :huh:

If we're equipped to push another human being out of our vagina, I think I'll take my chances with lifting.

The only side effect I've ever noticed is boosted self-confidence and extra sexiness. So, I guess you should proceed at your own risk.

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...

I guess that's why its good to be rich so someone else can carry around your kids.

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...

using heavy weights may or may not be that important. It all depends on what your fitness goals are. It also depends on how you use that weight. Even 3lbs can bring you to your knees if used properly. Try doing 50 weighted circles and those 3lb weights will feel like 300lbs very quickly.

My guess: she doesn't want you to lift, b/c she doesn't want you to look better than her.

Is she THAT friend?

This is exactly what popped into my head, too.

I"ve never heard this before, either. Like others have said, I wouldn't listen to her at all. I've done the first round of NROLFW and I loved it. I still lift, but it's been a while since I've done this program. Keep it up, you'll love it! If you want to be friends on here, send me a request. I love having lifting buddies

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...

using heavy weights may or may not be that important. It all depends on what your fitness goals are. It also depends on how you use that weight. Even 3lbs can bring you to your knees if used properly. Try doing 50 weighted circles and those 3lb weights will feel like 300lbs very quickly.

Uh, yeah, I'd much rather work my arms without doing 50 reps of the same exact move. Yeah it'll feel heavy. Try doing 50 jump squats with absolutely no weight - you'll probably feel like your legs are going to fall off. But if your fitness goal is to look good, doing a few sets of squats with heavy weights is way more effective and efficient.

...who the hell wants to do 50 reps? Ugh!

Your friend’s response about weight lifting constricting arteries and by proxy, then reducing blood flood, therefore increase blood pressure as well as other bodily issues, is probably due to the varying reactions of cardiovascular muscle to various training stresses. In short, cardiovascular training has been shown to increase the elasticity of arteries/veins and overall volume/size of the heart.
his means the heart can pump more blood per stroke (because the heart camber size is larger and therefore can hold more blood) and the arteries can accept the blood easier (because they stretch better). Weight lifting does not have this effect. Instead weight lifting exercises tend to build greater density in heart muscles (think thicker and stronger instead of larger with more room on the inside). This allows for a more forcefully pressing of the blood out of the heart into the blood, but not necessarily more blood. I unaware on any evidence that arteries themselves harden due to weight lifting and that seems contrary to the reaction they would need to improve function. My guess is your friend simply misunderstood something she read. Even if she had some legitimate evidence of this, you would need to keep in mind the mountain of evidence that weight lifting improves health outcomes including cardiovascular ones. Food for thought.

Two things I got from the original post that have not been addressed:

1. the friends has a body that the OP considers to be "fit" and must be well defined (in the OP's eyes) for her to think her friend lifted weights, and;
2. the friend apparently doesn't lift weights, so;

is it worth investigating how the friend has arrived at such a fit body and see if there is anything worth taking on board, instead of dismissing completely just because she has a misguided (maybe) opinion on lifting weights?

<backs away slowly, but leaves the idea there for consideration> ?

Well, that's not really the point of the thread.

But it's perfectly possible to have a six-pack without lifting weights.