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

StefD78 · July 2011

Great post... Am going to join a body pump class when I reach a certain fitness and confidence level... I LONG for nice arms :-)

dont wait! I take a Les Mills body pump class and yeah,I hurt like he&& the next day but a nice toned pair of guns on a woman is SEXY! And a twice weekly date with the iron will send your confidence through the roof! Go for it!

dad106 · July 2011

i understand where some of you women are coming from as far as feeling a bit intimidated by the free weight area, but from my perspective i've never once looked at a women lifting weights and thought to myself "what's she doing in this part of the gym"
seeing a women doing core lifts in the free weights area is impressive and even inspiring because you don't see it often enough.

just my 2 cents....

It's not that I don't feel like I'm not supposed to be in the weight area, it's more that I feel like I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to free weights even tho I do. I have a tendency to over analyze things and if everything is not just so, then I go nuts.. and with weight lifting there are so many different lifts, forms etc that when it comes to doing to on my own without my trainer, I feel overwhelmed and fee like I'm not doing this right, so then I second guess myself and then I stop because I'm not sure and then it's just a disaster.

With the weight machines though, I feel like I'm a pro.. so maybe I just gotta get my butt in that area more often.

MellowGa · July 2011

or a lotof you women who wish to get into weight training, I really advise you to read the books New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, Also the book NROL for Abs the latest version of the series.

It will give you confidence and routines to follow specifically engineered for women.

stephanielynn76 · July 2011

Let me encourage you... don't let your fears stand in the way of your progress! EVERYTHING is intimidating the first time. You won't gain the confidence until you just get in there and do it! There are plenty of resources about weight training exercises out there... books, magazines... heck you can even google it and find some great info. Study up about it first if you think it will help.

...or if you are single you could do what I did... cozy up to the hottest guy in the weight room and get him to show you around. It worked out well for me cause I married him a year later!

MiNiMoNkI · July 2011

ok, so my earlier comments about me lifting the 2-5llb weight seems a little pathetic now! but im still a fan, i just havent lifted big weights, does that mean im a total washout, or just a begginner who has broadened her mind to using weights for weightloss? i do love weights and would deffo use bigger ones if i had access to them. keep lifting peeps! x

SHBoss1673 · July 2011

I guess I better browse that book, just to see what it says, I've heard snippets, so far it sounds *ahem* ... sound, but would like to see what they say. As a trainer who trains women as well, it's worthwhile and I can expense it (woo hoo!).

SHBoss1673 · July 2011

ok, so my earlier comments about me lifting the 2-5llb weight seems a little pathetic now! but im still a fan, i just havent lifted big weights, does that mean im a total washout, or just a begginner who has broadened her mind to using weights for weightloss? i do love weights and would deffo use bigger ones if i had access to them. keep lifting peeps! x

so, cowandmonkey

I love and hate training women in weight training. I love it because women, in general, come into it with a "cleaner slate". I.E. they mostly haven't tried much in the past, haven't picked up bad habits and forms, and I have less "pride" issues with learning how to "do it right" because lets face it, we men can be a bit stubborn when it comes to male testosteronie type stuff (yep, I said testosteronie).
Women don't usually have this problem, so they are easy to show the correct form, and take to it quicker because most of you ladies are inherently more flexible and don't need to stretch your muscles as much to have proper technique.

On the other side of that coin, once they achieve correct form, men are usually more aggressive in their progression, gaining strength faster because they are less afraid to lift to failure. Women tend to use less weight than they can handle and thus their strength and definition suffers because of it. So when I train women, I am far more adamant about the weight. The first time I hear "I can't lift that much" I add five pounds. Why? because I'm teaching them that you never say "I can't do it" before you try it. You guys would be surprised at how much you can do.

As to 5 and 10 lb weights, if you're strength training, there are very few adult women who need to go that low for most of their routines. I've trained women who have never picked up a weight before and we started their curls with 15 lb dumbbells and their chest presses with 20 lb dumbbells. They're terrified for some reason to try these, but once I help them over that fear they progress fast. Within a month of 2 times a week, most women have progressed 15 to 25% higher on weight with the same reps and sets (well, slightly different because of the programming but...).

AZackery · July 2011

I don't lift too heavy. I don't want muscular arms. I don't like that look.

And yes, women can bulk up just like men bulk up. There's a difference between bulking up and getting muscular arms. A lot of women may say they don't want to bulk up, but what they mean is that they don't want muscular arms.

Example of muscular arms on a woman: Jillian Michaels, Angela Bassett (Her arms has more muscles in them, when she played as Tina Turner),. Tina Turner, etc.

No, none of these women are bulk like the ex female wrestler China, but yet, they still have muscular arms.

It's not easy for a man or woman to bulk up like a bodybuilder. That takes time, supplements and high calorie eating.

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

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