Ladies and gentleman...another reason to lift heavy
in_lieu_of
Posts: 33 Member
(Hope this picture thing works...)
I have been a cardio bunny for years, only going to the gym for classes. Then 2.5 years ago, I realized we were paying a pretty large chunk of money for a family membership and I was the only one using it. So to get my husband into the gym regularly, I decided to do something with him he would like… lifting weights. I felt goofy, uncoordinated, and oh so weak. But it worked and soon he was getting up super early to go to the gym before work without me, still even now 3 to 4 times a week.
Next on my list was our at-the-time 12 year old daughter, getting her moving and active outside of basketball season, teaching her how to be healthy at a young age so she didn’t struggle with it when she was older, well, like me. So we started running together. Neither of us truly loved it, but we did it anyway and enjoyed our time together. Then, after talking with her pediatrician, I invited her into the weight room with me and set up a plan for total body she could do two to three times a week. It took us awhile, getting the kinks out. But the next thing I know, I'm dropping her off at the gym while running errands, and inside the weight room surrounded by testosterone is a 13 year old 5'10" girl doing squats (and I mean A to G), chest presses, and her latest accomplish...unassisted pull-ups. Oh, BTW, the pictures above aren’t me…they are her!!! In the beginning, she’d look in the mirror, flex her arms, and say “Look at my muscle!!!” She has been my motivator, supporter, and all around gym buddy all summer long and I have loved it.
Our newest addition is now our 12-year-old son. He is tall for his age, very lanky without hardly an ounce of fat on him. So we are starting off slow and steady because he probably still has about another foot of growing to do if doctor’s predictions and family genetics are correct. It feels good now every month paying for that gym membership.
AFM: I LOVE weightlifting now. Cardio what? No way man, I’m going for the weights. I have no problems going into the room by myself and tearing it up in there and seeing my own personal accomplishments, learning from others’ and my own routines and mistakes, challenging myself to go deeper, push harder, lift stronger. So what started as a motivator for others, ended up being the best motivator for me. Love will definitely make us do crazy things.
GO INSPIRE SOMEONE ….and BE INSPIRED!!!
Editing to add a shout out to my children's other household as well. Their biological father and stepmother also attend our gym and lift heavy (we are so progressive - :laugh: ) and so the kids have good examples and opportunities all throughout the week
No excuses
I have been a cardio bunny for years, only going to the gym for classes. Then 2.5 years ago, I realized we were paying a pretty large chunk of money for a family membership and I was the only one using it. So to get my husband into the gym regularly, I decided to do something with him he would like… lifting weights. I felt goofy, uncoordinated, and oh so weak. But it worked and soon he was getting up super early to go to the gym before work without me, still even now 3 to 4 times a week.
Next on my list was our at-the-time 12 year old daughter, getting her moving and active outside of basketball season, teaching her how to be healthy at a young age so she didn’t struggle with it when she was older, well, like me. So we started running together. Neither of us truly loved it, but we did it anyway and enjoyed our time together. Then, after talking with her pediatrician, I invited her into the weight room with me and set up a plan for total body she could do two to three times a week. It took us awhile, getting the kinks out. But the next thing I know, I'm dropping her off at the gym while running errands, and inside the weight room surrounded by testosterone is a 13 year old 5'10" girl doing squats (and I mean A to G), chest presses, and her latest accomplish...unassisted pull-ups. Oh, BTW, the pictures above aren’t me…they are her!!! In the beginning, she’d look in the mirror, flex her arms, and say “Look at my muscle!!!” She has been my motivator, supporter, and all around gym buddy all summer long and I have loved it.
Our newest addition is now our 12-year-old son. He is tall for his age, very lanky without hardly an ounce of fat on him. So we are starting off slow and steady because he probably still has about another foot of growing to do if doctor’s predictions and family genetics are correct. It feels good now every month paying for that gym membership.
AFM: I LOVE weightlifting now. Cardio what? No way man, I’m going for the weights. I have no problems going into the room by myself and tearing it up in there and seeing my own personal accomplishments, learning from others’ and my own routines and mistakes, challenging myself to go deeper, push harder, lift stronger. So what started as a motivator for others, ended up being the best motivator for me. Love will definitely make us do crazy things.
GO INSPIRE SOMEONE ….and BE INSPIRED!!!
Editing to add a shout out to my children's other household as well. Their biological father and stepmother also attend our gym and lift heavy (we are so progressive - :laugh: ) and so the kids have good examples and opportunities all throughout the week
No excuses 0
Replies
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Fantastic photos, fabulous story.
It really gave me something to think about because I believed accepted wisdom was that young teens shouldn't weight-lift, and here are your children doing it under the guidance of a doctor. Many thanks for sharing!0 -
One of the other benefits to going to the gym regularly is I have met a female fitness competitor that helps me. And her husband is a physical therapist specializing in teenagers, so he has been extremely instrumental in providing correct positions and exercises and warmups for my daughter, which are things even the pediatrician hadn't thought of or even knew about. It is forever an education...0
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Nice, love to see a lady lifting heavy. Weightlifting for the win0
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Nice, love to see a lady lifting heavy.
Why?0 -
Don't you hate when you spend like an hour writing a post, and then you send it just when all the spam hits and you end up at the bottom of the barrel of posts?
Bump 0 -
LOVE this! Awesome to hear about the whole family getting healthy (both households). :flowerforyou:0
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That is amazing! I wish I could have known to work out like this when I was 12, too. I am now nearly 21 and love to lift heavy, even know 'heavy' for me is not really that heavy... So great that all of your family is involved like this!0
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That is awesome! Look at the muscle in her arms and legs!! I bet this has been super great for her confidence, at an age that can be very awkward for us all.
It's great that your whole family are getting involved, what a great example you are setting your kids and a great way to stay fit and healthy.0 -
This is a fantastic post. Thank you for sharing. My son is 10 and wants to lift, the problem is that I don't know what to have him do. What are you doing with your kids? What does their routine look like?
Thanks again for this!0 -
this is an awesome post. Your an inspiration to us mothers to motivate our kids. My daughter who's four currently lifts with me using 1lb weights and she loves it. We have fun together and she gets to see me doing what I love. Now I need to inspire my boys. thanks for your post.0
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Fantastic, I love that you got the whole family involved!0
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I've never done a single min of cardio in the past two years, except for light walking to do warm-up before lifting. I've been able to make progress by doing lifting alone and proper nutrition.0
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Nice, love to see a lady lifting heavy.
Why?
I'm not the guy you asked, but I would assume it's because it seems so many women are afraid to lift. "I don't want to be all muscular and gross!" and whatnot.
I know that's why I applaud and encourage my female friends and wife to try lifting. I'm no pro, but I can see the benefit every day, and I would like the people in my life, male and female, to enjoy that benefit as well.0 -
This is a fantastic post. Thank you for sharing. My son is 10 and wants to lift, the problem is that I don't know what to have him do. What are you doing with your kids? What does their routine look like?
Thanks again for this!
With my daughter, she will only grow another inch if she isn't done already. But with my son, because he is only just hitting his stride, he absolutely has to do minimum 12 reps. If he can do 13 or more, then he is allowed to increase the weight. For him, since he just started this week, we are using the circuit machines, 4 for legs (calves, hams, quads, glutes), and 4 for arms (shoulders, chest, back), and then practicing wall push-ups. He currently does 10 minutes of warmup and then two circuits of each body part (legs first, then upper). Once he gets to a certain weight on the machines (to be determined), then we'll move into the weight room and start working on compound exercises with dumb bells like shoulder presses, chest presses, squats, etc, still making sure he hits 12 reps. Most important thing is the reps cannot be less than 12 so that he does not overload his growth plates. Also a good friend recommends especially for all active teenagers to take one of the bands and do the side walking, strengthening the hips to protect their ACLs that he sees too many of them rupturing in young kids due to overuse in sports.
As for my daughter, she now does my routine, side by side. We do legs 3 days, arms 2 days with 15 minutes of HIIT. It takes us about 90 minutes anymore and we are dripping in sweat. It's a blast!0 -
this is an awesome post. Your an inspiration to us mothers to motivate our kids. My daughter who's four currently lifts with me using 1lb weights and she loves it. We have fun together and she gets to see me doing what I love. Now I need to inspire my boys. thanks for your post.
That rocks. Four years old and already getting it done.0 -
Nice, love to see a lady lifting heavy.
Why?
Cause lifting heavy shows a good mindset and discipline. And also a lady won't get ''bulky'' from lifting heavy.0 -
So you'd celebrate the son weight-lifting too then?
Edit to add - So you'd say, "Great, I love to hear of people getting in to weight lifting"?0 -
Nice, love to see a lady lifting heavy.
Why?
The stigma, probably thanks to the fitness industry, that women think they will become supa'h bulky from lifting heavy weights, when that really isn't how it works.0 -
So you'd celebrate the son weight-lifting too then?
Edit to add - So you'd say, "Great, I love to hear of people getting in to weight lifting"?
It's not unusual, or socially "odd" for a man to lift. It is for a woman.
I think you're looking for a reason to be offended.0 -
So you'd celebrate the son weight-lifting too then?
Edit to add - So you'd say, "Great, I love to hear of people getting in to weight lifting"?
I personally took it as a compliment. It's like getting the nod of approval. I belong to a great gym where if we go in at a certain hour, say between 9 to 11 am, there are more women than men (meaning usually 3 women and one man). But any other time of the day (and we have been in all crazy hours), it is usually only men of all shapes and sizes. At first it can be intimidating I think. At least for me, I felt like I was being mentally critiqued. But now, some of these guys are my daily "buddies", and one trainer even asked me to spot him on chest presses the other day (he was pressing 235 lb) and I considered it a compliment that he felt like I knew enough of what I was doing and at least fit enough to assist him with say 40 lb if he had problems (which fortunately I only gave him about 10 lb assist).
So THANKS :drinker:0 -
Awesome!0
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When we changed our family diet, we changed our workouts too. We take our kids to the gym with us. Our son 10, doesnt really like weight lifting with us, so he rides the bikes. But our daughter 6, does weights. Her little muscles are poppin'! She can bench 40, pull down the same. We cut processed foods, sugar, & gluten. Now with eliminating those foods she has a 6 pack. No joke, lucky little bugger! I do not see her lifting a bad thing. We make sure she is watched, & has proper form. We also do not allow her to mac out. Curls, leg lifts, ect are all really light weights 3-5#. I believe we are setting our kids up for a healthy, love life future.0
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