Lifting enthusiasts -share your first experience

I started out at home with little dumbbells in the 90s (5-8 lbs) and Tami Lee Webb exercise videos (Buns of Steel). In the early 2000s, I joined a gym and was terrified but got a couple sessions with a personal trainer to get started. At that time, my gym had a women's only area, and I felt comfortable there (they since lost this ability in a lawsuit). I started with dumbbells and machines over 10 years ago and honestly started with "Weightlifting for Dummies" and Oxygen magazine. Off and on, I would quit and gain like 60 pounds. I was only exercising every other year and was deep into an eating disorder at that time. Again, I was just using 5-20 pound dumbbells for most exercises and using machines. I knew that when I used machines, I always had to increase the weight on them from the previous person.

Slightly more than a year ago I started working with barbells in Crossfit. On my first deadlift day, I DL'd 200 pounds. Since then, I have been a voracious lifter in CF, powerlifting, and olympic lifting. I have competed in a PL comp and have the state record in my federation in master's women in raw bench and raw DL. I also placed first in my olympic lifting events in my division in both of my Crossfit competitions last year. I lift 5x per week in some format and it is my favorite thing EVER! When I started CF, I weighed 175 with a BF of about 33%. Now I weigh 170-175 with a BF of 23-24% (this is the ideal "fitness"-non-body builder range for a 41 year old woman, according to many BF charts). I am the same pants size that I previously was at 145#. I love my body now. I love what it can do. Now I worry about the weight on the bar! I eat to fuel my workouts and maintain my body composition easily.

Changing my mindset from what my body looks like to what it can do (specifically, changing from body building to powerlifting/Crossfit competitions) has been instrumental in my 18 month recovery from a 30 year eating disorder. It is simply the best thing I've ever done for myself!

I usually notice changes after about a month.

I was 14 years old and it was the first day of football. The coach wanted us to max out on the bench, squat and deadlift so he could gauge our strength levels. First he weighed us and measured us. I was 5'6'', 215lbs and pudgy. He then briefly displayed how to perform the lifts and off we went. First we worked up to a max on the bench. I got 155lbs. Then we maxed on squat and I squatted 295lbs, it was a little high but depth isn't something football coaches are usually worried about so they gave it to me. I wound up deadlifting 305 after that. I have been addicted to strength ever since then and it has helped me to compete in a variety of different sports at a high level. I have won several competitions/meets/matches in powerlifting, strongman, the highland games, Judo and Muay Thai since that point.

At any given moment I am training, thinking about training or talking to someone about training. It is something that I live and breathe. A lot of people would say that this is obsessive behavior and that I have some sort of mental illness but I really feel like people who are not passionate about something the way that I am are the ones with mental illnesses. How boring and mediocre of a life would one have if they didn't have something that they absolutely lived for?

I'm not saying that everyone needs to be obsessed with lifting, fighting or competing. I am saying that everyone needs to be passionate about something productive. If it weren't for me joining the football team in 9th grade I may not have been introduced to what I am now so passionate about.

I started out reading all sorts of articles, pouring over form videos and doing bodyweight squats at home, trying to be super-conscious of pushing my hips back, resting my weight over my heels, etc, etc.

When I finally went, I ended up watching this one Asian dude do his squats out of the corner of my eye (looking back, I was probably blatantly staring - sorry, Asian dude). After working up my confidence, I went up and racked the bar and go ready to lift. I did a few warm ups with just the bar and felt okay.

Then I said "*kitten* it", walked over to the Asian dude (he'd moved on to OHP in a rack behind mine) and sheepishly asked him - after he was done his set - if he wouldn't mind giving my form a look. I told him I was new to this, it was my first time lifting and I wanted to make sure my squat form was okay. I said he looked like he knew what he was doing and I'd appreciate some pointers.

So he followed me back to my rack, I did a few sets of five with the bar, and he gave me a good critique. He noted I kept my knees from going in front of my toes, I seemed to have a good connection to the ground through my heels and told me to make sure my knees didn't bow inwards (I've since well-improved that). He gave me a smile, a thumbs up and we went our separate ways.

I wanted to lift because it looked cool. Hefting a barbell over my head? Squatting my bodyweight? As a chick, that sounded really neat! Also, I felt my performance in martial arts was weak and I, as I was approaching brown belt at the time, felt I needed to up my physical ability so as not to be pummeled by the men in my belt grade (still working on that one). After my first squat session, though, I was legit hooked. I find barbell lifting makes me feel powerful and confident. I love what it's done for my back, legs and arms. I love what it's done for my speed and power in sparring.

I find now, after lifting for about 8 months, I need it. I honestly go a bit crazy if I don't get a lift session in. I want to encourage all my female friends to lift and lift heavy because I feel it can be empowering.

Lofteren wrote: »

I was 14 years old and it was the first day of football. The coach wanted us to max out on the bench, squat and deadlift so he could gauge our strength levels. First he weighed us and measured us. I was 5'6'', 215lbs and pudgy. He then briefly displayed how to perform the lifts and off we went. First we worked up to a max on the bench. I got 155lbs. Then we maxed on squat and I squatted 295lbs, it was a little high but depth isn't something football coaches are usually worried about so they gave it to me. I wound up deadlifting 305 after that. I have been addicted to strength ever since then and it has helped me to compete in a variety of different sports at a high level. I have won several competitions/meets/matches in powerlifting, strongman, the highland games, Judo and Muay Thai since that point.

At any given moment I am training, thinking about training or talking to someone about training. It is something that I live and breathe. A lot of people would say that this is obsessive behavior and that I have some sort of mental illness but I really feel like people who are not passionate about something the way that I am are the ones with mental illnesses. How boring and mediocre of a life would one have if they didn't have something that they absolutely lived for?

I'm not saying that everyone needs to be obsessed with lifting, fighting or competing. I am saying that everyone needs to be passionate about something productive. If it weren't for me joining the football team in 9th grade I may not have been introduced to what I am now so passionate about.

You benched 155, squatted 295, and deadlifted 305 at the age of 14? Wow...

I've only been lifting for 2.5 months. I am 52 years old, and I have been maintaining my weight loss for a few years but wanted to become a stronger mountain bike rider. With winter coming, I figured this would be a way to gain strength while I'm not able to ride outdoors. So...I started with, and continue to use, a personal trainer. It's been great.

I feel like a weakling next to some of these incredible MFP lifters, but my one-rep max has gone (first day assessment to this past Monday, about 2.5 months in) from 50 to 80 on bench press; 50 to 105 on squats, 45 to 80 on overhead press, and 80 to 120 on deadlifts. Even today, since I had a slight pulled muscle and have been giving my deadlifts a bit of a break, I did four sets of 5 reps, then 15 reps (to failure) at 95 pounds, deadlifting. It may not be the best I could've been if I didn't pull this little muscle, but compared to my first one-rep max assessment 10 weeks ago, I'm pretty proud.

To answer some of your other questions, I started at 145 pounds, now weigh about 151, consciously on a slow gain so my muscles also grow. Plan on cutting come spring/bike season.

I probably would not have succeeded without a personal trainer. I'd be using the weight machines half-assedly and ellipticalling my time away. I supposed at some point I'll take it on my own, but it's likely I'll have some sort of periodic check-ins with my trainer as long as we're both alive and kicking...and lifting. Dude doesn't know what he got into....

And let me mention if you're not sick of reading this already...box jumps! Couldn't even fathom jumping on the "real" box at the gym, but I can jump on the 20" side now without a problem. Totally proud of myself since I was completely freaked out just jumping on one of the aerobic steps. I think with committing to weightlifting, you'll always be in for unanticipated surprises that build your confidence in unexpected ways. It's great, I love it, and wish I had started years ago.