For the ladies who are afraid to lift weights...

Yup the whole bulky thing is so dumb. Ladies wont get bulky even if they are deadlifting 135 for 10 reps. Serious. Takes a lot of prohormones to get to the freakish level some people think of.

1) Well, of course form is vital when you get up near your upper thresholds, so I would say drop down a bit and use a mirror (I do form drills with a dowel or just the bar, it's actually harder to get form right which makes it a better tool), do enough so that you find it comfortable before putting weight on.

2) Don't over train with power cleans, because of all the stabilizer muscles involved, many people don't recognize when they are fatigued, and that leads to injury. 3 or 4 set of 2 to 6 reps is about all you should ever do with any weight above 70% of your 1RM, if you're going for a heavy week, you could do 3 sets of 2 to 3 reps at like 90 or 95% 1RM.

3) before you make another pull, make sure you've learned how to miss correctly. Since you can't spot an Olympic lift (that's very dangerous), learn how to be comfortable dropping the bumpers behind you as well as in front. Many people try to hold a lift that is out of center, that's a mistake that can get you hurt, if you're not dead center perfect over your shoulders, drop it in what ever direction it's motion is flowing in. I would do this a few times on purpose with 1/4 or 1/3 weight for better control so you get the feel. It's REALLY important to miss correctly. Hey, we all miss sometimes, but the ones who get hurt are the ones who try to recover a bad pull.

thanks for the tips.
i think i need to drop the weight and work on my technique before i move up to a higher poundage.
i never thought about purposely practicing a miss, but that's a good idea. i forgot chalk one day and had the bar slip out of my hands at shoulder level. luckily it didn't go flying off in a crazy direction.
i've tried using the mirror and even turning sideways, but then it's awkward when your head is turned. maybe i'll have to go late one night when the gym is empty and get a friend to record a few reps.

I can tell by your avatar photo. You need to lead the crusade to stop people from lifting light to get toned lol. So many women think theyll turn into a shehulk by lifting heavy

Another lady lifter here. I LOVE weight training!!! Jamie Eason is my inspiration! I've been lifting heavy for years and I'm not bulky at all... in fact I'm a lean size 2 and I'm the strongest I've ever been!

on a side note, I just recently was certified by the US Olympic weight lifting team on Olympic lift coaching (I'm now a certified level 1 coach). I really always avoided these lifts because they are so technically challenging, but I forced myself to take the course because it is in SUPER high demand from athletes and that's what I like training, and nobody has this cert (like maybe 500 people have it in the whole country).

I'll tell ya what though, you want a FAST development, compound exercise that really works your core (I.E. abs and lower back), thighs, hami's, butt, traps, shoulders, and pectorals, this is the one for you. Yes, it's technically difficult to do right, but once you do, 3 sets of 4 twice a week and I guarantee that in 1 month you'll have strength increases in pretty much every other exercise you do, you will noticeably lift your butt, trim down your thighs, become faster, have better agility, better posture, and have better balance.

they are THAT good.

The two lifts I'm talking about are the clean and jerk and the snatch. And all the associated moves that go with them (they both have a 4 step technical progression, learning them takes 2 to 4 sessions before you really use weight and do it for real, form is really important).

side note, learning this will basically teach you the correct form for a lunge, back squat, front squat, overhead squat, Romanian dead lift, overhead press, all standard weight training techniques that should be part of your weight lifting anyway, and many people do them badly (which is dangerous).

The struggle is finding someone that can show you proper form, as you said they're quite technically challenging and you can hurt yourself too easily to be throwing around a ton of weight

Ironically, if you use correct form, it's very difficult to be hurt doing these lifts, it's far easier to hurt yourself with lighter weight actually, because people get lazy with light weight (or dumbbells and such), the incident of injury with Olympic weight lifting is really really low believe it or not. But yeah, if you don't do it right, it's easy to hurt your self, then again, that's true with any high weight lifting techniques. Course it's much easier to hurt yourself from endurance stuff than this, because the injuries are usually not sustained all at once, and are usually far more long term (I.E. chronic injuries, arthritis, bursitis...etc. that you get from cardio stuff, far more common and are actually not only harder to stop once started, but usually cannot be easily removed). Really it's all about perception. Because it LOOKS challenging, people think it's harder, but once you get the form down, it's really pretty simple, note, simple does NOT mean easy.

if you use correct form, <--- my point. How are you going to learn it? It's not the easiest to find someone who knows the proper technique to begin with that didn't just google it and hope they got it right.

I'll chime in. I am not afraid of bulk. I know that it takes some serious hormones and protein shakes to look like a meathead. I work with some guys that look like that, so that is how I know. My husband lifts all the rods on the bowflex, and while he looks quite manly, he does not look like a bodybuilder. (He is pretty hot though.)

Anyway, here's why I am afraid of the weights:

1. I don't feel welcome. When I had a gym membership, if I were to walk into the free weight area, I would have been a token for sure. There were no other women there. Not only that, but the dudes were dropping the weights, and making the floor shake. They also were making lots of grunty noises, and it was just plain uncomfortable. It felt like they were there to make a show more than they were there to work out.

2. Again, I don't feel comfortable. When I asked my husband to show me how to use the bowflex, I set the weight at an amount I felt comfortable with, and he literally laughed at me. He compared my abilities to his, and I haven't tried to use it since.

3. I am afraid of getting hurt. Sure, if you use proper form, you'll be fine, but I don't know what proper form looks like on my flabby, womanly body. I also have certain injuries and surgeries that I'm not sure how to deal with, and to be honest, neither the trainer nor the doctor seemed prepared to answer my questions about it.

So, there you go. If it was just me and the weights, I'd be fine. However, I am never alone, except in the car and in the bathroom. Someone is always looking and making fun of me, even when I'm at home. My husband has gotten a lot better about his doofus comments, but I still have confidence issues.

If all the guys were cool like you guys seem to be, I'd give it another shot. However, that's not the case. It would also be easier if I knew other women who were into it, but alas, other than my internet friends, I don't know a soul who has ovaries AND a set of weights.

I will probably pick up some 10lb dumbbells this weekend, but when it comes to heavy lifting, I'm just not there yet. Maybe someday I will be, but until then, I'm just too intimidated.

Holy cow! If I looked like that I would walk around naked.

It's not that I'm scared to lift weights.. I like it a lot actually and do it with my trainer twice a month, and at least 2 times a week when I'm not seeing my trainer.

I'm just a bit freaky about lifting around other people...esp when the weight room is crowded at my gym. Makes me feel like all eyes are on me and that someone is going to come over and yell at me... but now that I have my trusty Ipod, some of that anxiety has gone down a bit.

This is EXACTLY my problem. I don't know what the heck I'm doing and (pathetically) I'm really scared of doing something wrong and looking like a *kitten*. Logically, I know that people aren't going to be standing there staring at me, but I can't even work up the guts to test that theory. I can happily use the weight machines, but I'm really intimidated by the free weight areas of the gym and the gentlemen that occupy them.

I've gone 16 pounds past my initial weight loss goal, only to realize that I'm pleased with that accomplishment, but still wanting. I WANT to lift weights. I want to look like Stephanie (or even a fraction as good!), but I don't know where to start. Someone suggested NROL for women, so I ordered that tonight and I'll start reading, but then what? Get a trainer? I can do that, but what do I look for in a trainer? Qualifications? Certifications?

My other issue right now is that I'm having a form of breast reduction surgery in three weeks, so I don't know whether to wait until I have the clearance from my surgeon after that or start now and have to take off a few weeks while I recover. Apparently, I won't be able to raise my arms for a while, which sounds like it will be slightly problematic LOL

I know I'm making this more complicated than I need to. I do that a lot.

This is EXACTLY my problem. I don't know what the heck I'm doing and (pathetically) I'm really scared of doing something wrong and looking like a *kitten*. Logically, I know that people aren't going to be standing there staring at me, but I can't even work up the guts to test that theory. I can happily use the weight machines, but I'm really intimidated by the free weight areas of the gym and the gentlemen that occupy them.

I've gone 16 pounds past my initial weight loss goal, only to realize that I'm pleased with that accomplishment, but still wanting. I WANT to lift weights. I want to look like Stephanie (or even a fraction as good!), but I don't know where to start. Someone suggested NROL for women, so I ordered that tonight and I'll start reading, but then what? Get a trainer? I can do that, but what do I look for in a trainer? Qualifications? Certifications?

My other issue right now is that I'm having a form of breast reduction surgery in three weeks, so I don't know whether to wait until I have the clearance from my surgeon after that or start now and have to take off a few weeks while I recover. Apparently, I won't be able to raise my arms for a while, which sounds like it will be slightly problematic LOL

I know I'm making this more complicated than I need to. I do that a lot.

As to what to look for in a trainer, qualifications are always good, but experience is also very important, as well as whether you are comfortable with them and their methods. it's important to feel comfortable around your trainer. If they creep you out, or make you feel uncomfortable in any way, they aren't for you. Likewise, young kids right out of school can be a problem too, not all are bad, but in general, life experience usually helps with trainers. NASM, ACE, ACSM, Cooper Institute, NCSF are all good certifications to hold for Personal Trainers, many will have more than one. This only means they understand the techniques to be a good trainer though, not that their personality meshes with yours, nor does it mean they are experienced with the nuances of training clients, so the big 3 are qualifications (certifications), experience (a few years in the Biz usually is fine), and personality. Before you hire any trainer, ask for a 1/2 hour with them to talk, this is important, vet them like you would any other professional.

This is EXACTLY my problem. I don't know what the heck I'm doing and (pathetically) I'm really scared of doing something wrong and looking like a *kitten*. Logically, I know that people aren't going to be standing there staring at me, but I can't even work up the guts to test that theory. I can happily use the weight machines, but I'm really intimidated by the free weight areas of the gym and the gentlemen that occupy them.

I've gone 16 pounds past my initial weight loss goal, only to realize that I'm pleased with that accomplishment, but still wanting. I WANT to lift weights. I want to look like Stephanie (or even a fraction as good!), but I don't know where to start. Someone suggested NROL for women, so I ordered that tonight and I'll start reading, but then what? Get a trainer? I can do that, but what do I look for in a trainer? Qualifications? Certifications?

My other issue right now is that I'm having a form of breast reduction surgery in three weeks, so I don't know whether to wait until I have the clearance from my surgeon after that or start now and have to take off a few weeks while I recover. Apparently, I won't be able to raise my arms for a while, which sounds like it will be slightly problematic LOL

I know I'm making this more complicated than I need to. I do that a lot.

As to what to look for in a trainer, qualifications are always good, but experience is also very important, as well as whether you are comfortable with them and their methods. it's important to feel comfortable around your trainer. If they creep you out, or make you feel uncomfortable in any way, they aren't for you. Likewise, young kids right out of school can be a problem too, not all are bad, but in general, life experience usually helps with trainers. NASM, ACE, ACSM, Cooper Institute, NCSF are all good certifications to hold for Personal Trainers, many will have more than one. This only means they understand the techniques to be a good trainer though, not that their personality meshes with yours, nor does it mean they are experienced with the nuances of training clients, so the big 3 are qualifications (certifications), experience (a few years in the Biz usually is fine), and personality. Before you hire any trainer, ask for a 1/2 hour with them to talk, this is important, vet them like you would any other professional.

Thank you, thank you. A place to start makes me feel much more confident.

My most absolute favorite class I've been taking is my Olympic weightlifting class. I love it. I'm still just learning (I've gone 5 times now, I think) but every class I'm lifting more and more, and I'm getting better.

I walk out feeling exhausted, like I've done a really hard bootcamp or CrossFit workout, but I've just lifted a bar from the floor to over my head a few dozen times. I always sleep really well afterward.

Our trainer is lithe and beautiful. She's not huge and bulky at all.

all three of the women in my coaches class were gorgeous as well, none were bulky at all, and all 3 had excellent form. Most of the women you watch in events are pretty lithe too. If you youtube womens olympic weight lifting you'll see, very few are really huge. Most have defined muscles, but that's because they all wear spandex (even the men, there's a reason for that) but not really all that big, not body builder big at least.