Question for weightlifting women

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Replies

  • studiog608
    studiog608 Posts: 27 Member
    She gained quite a bit of muscle within a month, too, which led me to believe gear might have been helping her quick gains. But oh well, to each their own. I wish I would have kept my thoughts to myself on this post. Sorry to offend anyone. Not here to fight with anyone.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    studiog608 wrote: »
    She gained quite a bit of muscle within a month, too, which led me to believe gear might have been helping her quick gains. But oh well, to each their own. I wish I would have kept my thoughts to myself on this post. Sorry to offend anyone. Not here to fight with anyone.

    Chances are she probably lost some weight so her muscles became more defined and gave her the appearance of gaining muscle. Even with drugs, you don't gain muscle overnight, its a long hard process.
  • asbandr
    asbandr Posts: 39 Member
    Thank you everyone for your replies. I guess we all start somewhere. And just like when I originally lost weight, I knew it was going to be hard and take a long time, but every good day was a step closer to where I wanted to be. So I suppose that means every good lift is a step closer to where I want to be.

    I am taking before and after pics, measurements, and a workout log to track progress.

    I wish I could hire a personal trainer but my small town gym doesn't have any, and I have looked into one from a few towns away but I didn't feel like any of the ones I spoke to would help me properly. I had one that wanted me to spend my entire workout on a treadmill walking to "get my body used to working out." I'm 120 lbs and I ran 2 miles 4-5 days a week. I think that's starting off extremely slow. I would just like to have someone help me make sure I have proper form.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    No one who works at the gym is a trainer or can check your form? Can you get a workout buddy to watch you or take video/pictures of your lifts?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    asbandr wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for your replies. I guess we all start somewhere. And just like when I originally lost weight, I knew it was going to be hard and take a long time, but every good day was a step closer to where I wanted to be. So I suppose that means every good lift is a step closer to where I want to be.

    I am taking before and after pics, measurements, and a workout log to track progress.

    I wish I could hire a personal trainer but my small town gym doesn't have any, and I have looked into one from a few towns away but I didn't feel like any of the ones I spoke to would help me properly. I had one that wanted me to spend my entire workout on a treadmill walking to "get my body used to working out." I'm 120 lbs and I ran 2 miles 4-5 days a week. I think that's starting off extremely slow. I would just like to have someone help me make sure I have proper form.

    Join @SideSteel 's MFP Group Eat, Train, Progress. Not only is there a lot of good information there, they also have a "form check" thread where you can upload videos of your lifts and get critique from experienced trainers/lifters.
  • Pmagnanifit
    Pmagnanifit Posts: 665 Member
    There is a new rules of fitness for women group as well- very supportive.
  • amyinthetardis1231
    amyinthetardis1231 Posts: 571 Member
    Side Steel also does online/video training for distance clients, I believe.
  • Elegra2006
    Elegra2006 Posts: 144 Member
    I was also going to suggest finding someone to do an online/video consultation, if there's really no one that you can go to for a one-off session to check your form and give you more confidence with your lifts.

    Also, search for ladies lifting facebook groups, there are definitely some out there who would support you.

    Try not to compare yourself to those girls you mentioned, they are mostly fitness body builders who do some power lifting. Also, they do nothing else but eat/train/make a video/sleep. If you could spend all day, every day focusing on fitness then I've no doubt you'd make great progress but you've got a life to live as well, yes?

    Don't give up, keep lifting and enjoy yourself, the progress will come with consistency.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    Keep in mind that all the women you mentioned have been training for YEARS.
    I have goals in strength and aesthetics, I look at it as doing what I can to improve myself daily (doing my best with my workouts and diet), but knowing that the results I'm aiming for are going to take a long time to achieve. There's a reason you don't see a ton of women (and even men) looking like them or lifting super heavy. It takes a LONG time to get to that level.
    Let them inspire you, but don't compare to them!
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
    samchez0 wrote: »
    I can't even do one overhead press with an empty bar but I'm still amazing for pushing past my comfort zone and trying. I was honestly terrified of going and being judged by others because I'm sure my form sucks on some things and seriously, I can't even get the empty bar over my head for the overhead press hahaha.

    Just as a side point, try push press, instead of overhead press. Overhead press is my weakest lift, but if I do it as push press (google will explain if you don't know what that is), I can easily lift double the weight.
  • scg17
    scg17 Posts: 88 Member
    It all depends on your body, how you put on muscle, gain strength, etc. Don't compare yourself to other people, unless you are checking form (even then, maybe not, lol. My brother just hit 583lbs on his deadlift, and he mentions multiple times in his video that his form isn't flawless at those weights). I have had chronic illnesses and disabilities, so in the last two years I've had to restart with bar (or no weight at all) four times so far. When I'm able to progress though, I do very quickly, about 10 lbs a week until I'm in the 100's, then it slows a little. My gym partner has longer limbs than me, and she hasn't gotten further than me even without all the restarts. But, it's still doing good work for both of us and our bodies. Unless you are planning on competing, just focus on doing everything right and add weight as you are able. If you are planning on competing, get a coach :)
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    When I first started, I didn't even know that bodybuilding and power lifting were as popular as they are. I just wanted to be strong, to have the body I always wanted and to not have to be so hungry all the time. I went from eating 1,000 calories x day and running my butt off for 4-5 years, and finally when I was 95 lbs. and felt like I had "10 more lbs. to lose" that this wasn't the way to a fit body or flat stomach. When I got IG role models (Ana Cheri, Nikki Blackletter and Julia Gilas) I felt like I would never be as fit as them. I kept them on my feed for inspiration, but followed people with transformations that more closely resembled my starting point. I invested in a trainer and nutritionist for a month to get to know the ropes and figure out a system that worked well for me. Keep working at it. Customize your program and your diet for YOU. Now? I can lift more than my "idols" after only a year and a half because I stayed dedicated and I set goals constantly. Remember to never compare your start to someone else's middle. Remember that fitness is an ever-evolving journey and it's about making a maintainable plan, not a short-term goal that you can hit and then will fall off quickly. Take progress pictures, and compare you only to yourself, to YOUR starting point. Surround yourself with motivational people and images to keep you dedicated. Good luck on your journey!
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