Women Lifting Heavy

perhaps he meant as someone who hasnt lifted weights before ( I assume you havnt?) that you need to START with low weights.

All this "lift heavy" talk on these forums is concerning. I hope you dont think that you just walk into a gym as a new lifter and start "lifiting heavy". Like the trainer said, thats a great way to hurt yourself.

As long as you do your research it's possible to do it without a trainer. I lift at home, using new rules of lifting program, which is a great introduction. There are lots of good youtube resources.

perhaps he meant as someone who hasnt lifted weights before ( I assume you havnt?) that you need to START with low weights.

All this "lift heavy" talk on these forums is concerning. I hope you dont think that you just walk into a gym as a new lifter and start "lifiting heavy". Like the trainer said, thats a great way to hurt yourself.

Of course I know I can't start out with really heavy weights, I wanted to learn the correct forms with lower weights until I get stronger; you know?

buy a book new rules of weight lifting for women, learn form from youtube videos, you can do this on your own.

perhaps he meant as someone who hasnt lifted weights before ( I assume you havnt?) that you need to START with low weights.

All this "lift heavy" talk on these forums is concerning. I hope you dont think that you just walk into a gym as a new lifter and start "lifiting heavy". Like the trainer said, thats a great way to hurt yourself.

Of course I know I can't start out with really heavy weights, I wanted to learn the correct forms with lower weights until I get stronger; you know?

The important part is whether he specified women or beginners, and it looks like he did.

Sounds like you just need to find a different trainer.

Mine teaches proper form with the lighter weights.. and then once I have that down, he goes heavier... hence the 20 pound dumbbells he had me working with last night and then the 180 pound leg press he was having me do.

Your trainer sounds like a jerk.

I've been doing New Rules of Lifting for Women, and I love it. I would strongly suggest it to any woman interested in weight lifting. Like others have said, it's really important not to lift so heavy that you're sacrificing form, but you can still push yourself.

Wow. He's dumb.

Check out this post. I think if you pay attention to form and start with low weights Stronglifts5x5 is a great program for beginners.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

perhaps he meant as someone who hasnt lifted weights before ( I assume you havnt?) that you need to START with low weights.

All this "lift heavy" talk on these forums is concerning. I hope you dont think that you just walk into a gym as a new lifter and start "lifiting heavy". Like the trainer said, thats a great way to hurt yourself.

Of course I know I can't start out with really heavy weights, I wanted to learn the correct forms with lower weights until I get stronger; you know?

Im glad to hear you say that. lifting heavy is great. But I see people at the gym every time I go that have no clue how dangerously they are lifting because they want to "lift heavy".

I think it should be "lift a little more each time" or something... for some it can mean going from 5 pounds to 8 pounds on dumbell shoulder presses...not heavy to some, but challenging to someone just developing upper body strength...that was me 10 months ago...now i use 15.

Same thing with squats etc...HEAVY means what is challenging to YOU doing a lower number of reps versus a ton.IMO

A trainer should be responding to what your needs/goals are! If you want to lift heavy, then the trainer's job is to get you there SAFELY.

Not to mention, you may want to focus on building muscle groups - and he/she is going to need to know how to train the assistor muscles too.

This BS of 'women do high reps/low weights' is the very very lazy way to train a client. S/He should have a plan for evey meeting and a long term plan of how to get you to YOUR goals, not his.

Yep, you need a new trainer....

Totally opposite to mine. I am going for a personal trainer and he gave me a session before that where he said women are afraid of lifting weights but if you are not then try heavy and he made me do it. I liked it.

1. New Rules of Lifting for Women, I'm starting it next week.
2. Talk to the trainer and maybe explain what you mean more, and if he still says no, ask for a new trainer, if you're paying them they should have the same views as you.
3. If you don't want to pay for a trainer ask around for someone to teach you proper form at the gym, most trainers/employees will help if you ask for free, and I don't know what your gym is like, but if there's someone who has good form ask them if they can help you out, or just get a few sessions for ja trainer to teach you proper form and follow the plan in NROL.

I would personally have someone teach me proper form and get NROL4W, its like $13 on amazon and has a full 6 month workout plan in it, and walks you through how to do each exercise, much cheaper than a trainer.

perhaps he meant as someone who hasnt lifted weights before ( I assume you havnt?) that you need to START with low weights.

All this "lift heavy" talk on these forums is concerning. I hope you dont think that you just walk into a gym as a new lifter and start "lifiting heavy". Like the trainer said, thats a great way to hurt yourself.

Honestly I think this, well, sort of a male thing? I have almost never seen women trying to rep heavier weight than they safely can, usually the opposite. Lou Schuler has a good rule of thumb - if you're male probably start 25% under what you think you should. Females, start 25% over.

That said, as other posters have pointed out, lifting heavy is a training paradigm as opposed to an actual concrete thing. This wouldn't have to be said for men, that you should life so as to really challenge your muscles, but it does to women. Thus, you see lift heavy advice.

I can also vouch for NROL4W. I am in stage 6 and though I started lifting heavy well before I started it I've seen strength gains and really enjoyed the overall programming. Starting Strength is incredible (pages and pages on a squat? yes!) but NROL is a little more accessible for women. Ask that trainer if he's read. He obviously hasn't. Tell him to and then never go back.

Also, I find it insulting that the simple of idea of women trying to be strong = women getting hurt. Don't want to damage our delicate female bodies.

or you can try Crossfit.