Should women strength train? Yup

[Riot3000]

I think the reason the conversation about weight get really annoying is because while basic benefits are obvious you have to take into account that their our individual goals depending on the person.

Like me I am more focus slimming down and losing weight I am not looking for 6 pack or nothing like that just want to get a healthy weight. Due to how I am built when it comes to strength training I take it very lightly because lucky for me I don't really have to worry about that compared to say the next guy. But that next guy can keep a decent weight probably more easily than me.

Saying to the ladies yeah strength training is good you won't turn into a she-hulk is fine but as well intentioned as that can be it can come off as preachy and hostile for no reason so people will tune it out.

 

[Hazy]

SS should be mandatory for anyone looking to get into weightlifting, male or female.

This is your new master.

[sub]Lower, dammit[/sub]​

Also I'm really glad to see we have more weightlifters on this forum.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I would argue the opposite and I always encourage people to stop using the treadmill. Its a giant waste of time and mind numbingly boring. If some one genuinely enjoyed the treadmill I wouldn't say anything but I've never met this person.

I can't stand treadmills, but I enjoy using my exercise bike (at medium resistance). Is that cardio, strength, or both? I mean, I normally think of bikes as cardio, but I also have a lot of muscle on my legs (and my ass looks awesome) and I'm pretty sure I've gotten some metabolic benefits from it as well.

As for the boredom - since my hands are unoccupied, I combine exercise bike time with console gaming time. Skyrim, Saints Row (2, 3, or 4), and Just Cause 2 are some of my favorite "exercise games" because they all do a good job of taking my mind off of my workout.

 

[Pieturli]

I think one area that doesn't get enough discussion is the mindset of guys when it comes to training. There's a whole bunch of young guys who think that not only are six pack abs the pinnacle of the male human form, but that everyone needs to have them regardless of whether or not they are healthy or even attainable for everyone. They don't realize that the guys on the cover of Flex magazine or muscle and fiction are, first of all, almost certainly on drugs, and secondly they are in that condition for about a month out of the year, if that. They also don't get that those guys are all 240lbs plus, and no one gets that big by constantly worrying about having a 10% bodyfat level.


Again, not trying to say that wanting a six pack is wrong, but I don't really get the obsession. It's like girls and their eternal desire to get skinnier and skinnier. Weirds me out.


EDIT: I may have paraphrased Ol' Rip quite a lot there.

 

[Pieturli]

SS should be mandatory for anyone looking to get into weightlifting, male or female.

This is your new master.

[sub]Lower, dammit[/sub]​

Also I'm really glad to see we have more weightlifters on this forum.

I feel kinda bad for not posting about SS earlier.



HIP DRAAAHVE

 

[Jarsh82]

I think the reason the conversation about weight get really annoying is because while basic benefits are obvious you have to take into account that their our individual goals depending on the person.

Like me I am more focus slimming down and losing weight I am not looking for 6 pack or nothing like that just want to get a healthy weight. Due to how I am built when it comes to strength training I take it very lightly because lucky for me I don't really have to worry about that compared to say the next guy. But that next guy can keep a decent weight probably more easily than me.

Saying to the ladies yeah strength training is good you won't turn into a she-hulk is fine but as well intentioned as that can be it can come off as preachy and hostile for no reason so people will tune it out.

I would argue the opposite and I always encourage people to stop using the treadmill. Its a giant waste of time and mind numbingly boring. If some one genuinely enjoyed the treadmill I wouldn't say anything but I've never met this person.

I can't stand treadmills, but I enjoy using my exercise bike (at medium resistance). Is that cardio, strength, or both? I mean, I normally think of bikes as cardio, but I also have a lot of muscle on my legs (and my ass looks awesome) and I'm pretty sure I've gotten some metabolic benefits from it as well.

As for the boredom - since my hands are unoccupied, I combine exercise bike time with console gaming time. Skyrim, Saints Row (2, 3, or 4), and Just Cause 2 are some of my favorite "exercise games" because they all do a good job of taking my mind off of my workout.

I'm glad you found something that you enjoy. The exercise bike would be both cardiovascular and muscular endurance. When I talk about strength training I'm mostly referring to compound barbell movements though that is by no means the only way to strength train.

 

[Jarsh82]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lc5zgvD15-M
Not bulky but very strong

 

[Charli]

Is it because hurting people makes you feel good?

Yes.

It is a conspiracy actually.

I don't tell fat and unhealthy people to work out because I want them to be unfat and healthy, but because I want to hurt them.

Well, then if you want people to be healthy and not fat, perhaps in the future you might phrase your advice in a way that might not work against your intention.

How you take things said to you can be a factor I feel more people should take into account as well since there is literally a way to take anything the wrong way and feel offended. I don't think, reading this thread in it's entirety that anyone was being overly judgmental or hostile to people who aren't so eager about fitness or training.

I'm extremely unfit right now, compared to how I was at my peak, and I acknowledge the thread is talking mostly about myths and excuses that we as humans concoct to busy our minds and distract from things we really should take more into account.

I was never a gym goer. Ever. (I went like a couple of times to a yoga class and then decided it wasn't my cup of tea)I had a set of light weights and at one point I even had to make do with a large glass encased candle because stuff got tough and I just kind of did stretches and exercises with it while I was raiding in World of Warcraft. One handed, with arms when the group was moving, when we'd wipe, I'd take a minute to stand up and just do a few routines like that, and then I had a second hand DDR mat to mix it up alot (even normal while holding a thing can be tricky but fun)
I didn't keep in perfect shape, but I was much healthier than I would have been otherwise, and my life was and (is currently) quite hectic.

But I want to get back to that, just lifting...a thing, anything, grab something weighty and just do a few up and down slow movements with it, and voila that's day one. Then tomorrow grab it again and try to do it longer, even sitting while watching youtube if you really want. Then just progress slowly day by day, you'll be dancing around the room on a mat looking insane while you clutch a weighty jarred candle. (No but really I got the weights back at that point, but I did do this for a little while)

You can find ways to be healthier even in the smallest constraints of time, and I feel like anyone should take that advice with a smile. It's the truth, might not be nice to hear, but it is. We're more tired because we don't push our bodies like we've used to as a collective species... and that's been a large source of my recent lethargy. I never used to be this run down, but... life's many dramas overtook my mental space for awhile, but now it's simmered down somewhat... would be nice to hit the ground running so to speak again.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

I definitely like the looks of fit muscular women
So go for it!

The "beauty ideal" of being super skinny is something that's mostly found in women's heads imo. At least that's the impression I get when talking with my male peers...

 

[Charli]

How you take things said to you can be a factor I feel more people should take into account as well since there is literally a way to take anything the wrong way and feel offended.

While agree, I have yet to meet anyone who would not find being called a "lazy shit" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.843100-Should-women-strength-train-Yup#20749162] or a "spoiled brat" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.843100-Should-women-strength-train-Yup#20749162] offensive. Seems pretty likely to me that this degree of insult is offensive no matter who it's being said to.

I don't think, reading this thread in it's entirety that anyone was being overly judgmental or hostile to people who aren't so eager about fitness or training.

How exactly is calling someone a "lazy shit" or "spoiled brat" not judgmental?

You can find ways to be healthier even in the smallest constraints of time, and I feel like anyone should take that advice with a smile.

Well, yeah. If SimpleThunda' had come on here actually giving usable advice to people instead of calling them "lazy shits" I don't doubt anyone would take it with anything but a smile.

Words used were a bit excessive, but when used in his post... he wasn't really calling YOU those things was he? He was calling those making excuses and whining about it as those who exercise as some kind of privileged fops that they can't achieve in their wildest dreams.Which ...yeah I'd agree, that is being a lazy shit. But I can attest to currently being one of those said lazy shits. So what of it. I can choose to just...ignore it. I know, crazy on the internet.

Spoiled? Yep, that was used incorrectly. One post out of all the GOOD advice in here though? Not feeling that so much. It expands nicely on the gist of his overtly strong words on the matter. So why take what he said on board at all? You can choose to just not take his 'advice' (I'd struggle calling it that) and therefore not take offense nor legitimize his view on the matter by dignifying it with an answer.

Yeah he took the gist of the thread, packaged into a condensed cartridge and wielded it as a hand-grenade. But so the fuck what. Just don't respond. The thread has some good points, which shouldn't be painted over because you only want to read the cliff notes from the class clown.

 

[Bertylicious]

I dunno, most people I've met who were into personal fitness were insufferable narcisists banging on about how great they are.

This is the thing about fitness; it is impossible to be healthy without investing a proportion of your self worth in your appearence otherwise why would you bother? Your health? In that case you'd be best off doing something you enjoyed in and of itself that just happened to make you fit, like hiking or trampolining or getting into fights with the police.

It all just seems so vulgar and small, you know? If we're talking about self actualising then surely we should be focusing on the ability to set and achieve goals, the ability to produce stimulating and witty conversation, the ability to conceive of and articulate meaningful ideas. The ability to lift things and spend more time not dying looks pretty waff in comparison.

 

[Illesdan]

I've got no problem with muscular women, but that said, many women are afraid of strength training because it can and will make a woman look less feminine if done to excess. This is true, Secondly you don't do strength training to lose weight

I'm a large/tall (5' 10") female and I started lifting weights when I was 18. The reason I started? Desperation. I'm actually a very physically active person, but for some reason, I don't lose weight for nothing. It took over three years of weight-training, but eventually I lost 50lbs. Seriously, it's the only workout I've done in my life that has taken off weight instead of packing it on or just staying exactly the same.

It took you 3 years because you are adding weight not removing it, muscle training like that builds muscle mass... muscle is 3.78 times heavier than fat per volume. That said, congrats! But don't knock the ability to maintain a stable weight, any yone who's tried will tell you. Losing weight is easy....it's keeping it off long term thats the killer.

So my view is, strength train away ladies! If nothing else it'll give the fellow in your life a reason to keep up his own fitness.

I think I need to explain why I had to lose the weight.

When I was 18, for some reason I can't really pinpoint, I was nearly 300 lbs. My knees were starting to hurt, and walking just short distances was making me short of breath and feeling like I needed to sit down. Put bluntly, it was a frickin' wake-up call: I needed to do something, but since everything I had been doing most of my life wasn't working, I knew I needed to take a dramatic approach to my exercise routine. I didn't care that I wasn't losing weight right away, because within just two weeks of weights, I had already increased my stamina and my knees no longer hurt.

My reasons were strickly health based; I am not vain about my looks, and I'm totally cool about being around 250 lbs as long as I don't lose mobility or flexibility. By the way, for a woman to 'bulk up', you need half the testosterone level of a natural-born man to get that look, and if you go that far, you are probably not having your period anymore. In other words, this is just a myth and a cop-out excuse to stay away from weights.

 

[sky14kemea]

snip

snip

Could you two please back away from each other? I know I'm a few hours late, but I'd rather not lock a thread just because two people couldn't keep their cool and ended up derailing it with their argument.

 

[michael87cn]

It's also incredibly stressful on your heart. You can end up needing heart surgery by the age of 50ish from body building.

 

[grey_space]

Everyone should strength train.
Women should strength train
Men should strength train.
Young people should strength train.
Old people should strength train.

Of course this is coming from a man who spent the entirety of last weekend learning how to coach people in how to safely strength train, so I'd be willing to admit to a little bias on this subject.

 

[grey_space]

It's also incredibly stressful on your heart. You can end up needing heart surgery by the age of 50ish from body building.

You can do exactly the same damage to your heart by eating doughnuts and doing fuck all. You can also do exactly the same damage to your heart by running ultramarathons.

Everything done to an extreme degree on your body is bad for you.

But a systematic sensible course of productive strength training, focusing on the core movements necessary for you to live your life can only have a positive befit to you.

 

[Jarsh82]

I dunno, most people I've met who were into personal fitness were insufferable narcisists banging on about how great they are.

This is the thing about fitness; it is impossible to be healthy without investing a proportion of your self worth in your appearence otherwise why would you bother? Your health? In that case you'd be best off doing something you enjoyed in and of itself that just happened to make you fit, like hiking or trampolining or getting into fights with the police.

It all just seems so vulgar and small, you know? If we're talking about self actualising then surely we should be focusing on the ability to set and achieve goals, the ability to produce stimulating and witty conversation, the ability to conceive of and articulate meaningful ideas. The ability to lift things and spend more time not dying looks pretty waff in comparison.

Strength training can certainly be a means to self actualising. The ability to achieve and set goals is exactly what strength training incorporates. For a lot of people strength training can almost be a spiritual experience, pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do. Strength training isn't about how you look. Its not body building. I can understand the confusion but it really is spoken out of ignorance. There is room for personal growth in anything you do it just matters how much of yourself you put into it. And it certainly is small compared to some things but so is most everything else. So is being on this site. SO is watching TV. You can make a lot of progressive putting in less than 3 hours a week. Most people certainly waste more time than that. There are people in the fitness community who are narcissistic but there are a lot of doctors like that as well, especially surgeons. That doesn't mean that the medical field is a terrible thing, it just tends to draw a certain personality type. There have been all kinds of people who have been helped by a good strength training coach. I saw a video of a woman who was born with one arm and had not been athletic for most of her life. As a grown woman she wanted to get into better shape for her health. In the video she is doing one armed pull ups. That may be small to you but I promise you it wasn't to her or her coach or the people she befriended at her gym that many people may assume were narcissistic because they were in shape. There are numerous stories of veterans maimed by war finding support in a tight knit community of gym goers and ended up accomplishing more with a handicap then they ever thought they were able to do when they were full bodied. I've worked with women who have been self conscious about their weight their whole lives and then came alive with a barbell in their hands. Their self confidence grew so much and it stopped being about how their body looked and became about what their body could do. Once this shift in thinking took place the weight began to come off. It was the byproduct of goal oriented and purposeful training. They didn't just get stronger physically but mentally as well. It changed how they viewed themselves and made them realize how much they were capable of. The action of picking something up and putting it down is small but greatness is what we put into small things to become great.

 

[Jarsh82]

It's also incredibly stressful on your heart. You can end up needing heart surgery by the age of 50ish from body building.

nope but you will very likely have heart problems if you're obese. I don't know where you heard this but it is very silly.

 

[Riot3000]

I dunno, most people I've met who were into personal fitness were insufferable narcisists banging on about how great they are.

This is the thing about fitness; it is impossible to be healthy without investing a proportion of your self worth in your appearence otherwise why would you bother? Your health? In that case you'd be best off doing something you enjoyed in and of itself that just happened to make you fit, like hiking or trampolining or getting into fights with the police.

It all just seems so vulgar and small, you know? If we're talking about self actualising then surely we should be focusing on the ability to set and achieve goals, the ability to produce stimulating and witty conversation, the ability to conceive of and articulate meaningful ideas. The ability to lift things and spend more time not dying looks pretty waff in comparison.

Getting fights with the police is a fantastic weight burner also running from is great on the cardio especially when you cut through allies and the fence climbing will give you great strength training benefits. I mean its all the things people are suggest in this discussion all rolled into one.

 

[Bertylicious]

I dunno, most people I've met who were into personal fitness were insufferable narcisists banging on about how great they are.

This is the thing about fitness; it is impossible to be healthy without investing a proportion of your self worth in your appearence otherwise why would you bother? Your health? In that case you'd be best off doing something you enjoyed in and of itself that just happened to make you fit, like hiking or trampolining or getting into fights with the police.

It all just seems so vulgar and small, you know? If we're talking about self actualising then surely we should be focusing on the ability to set and achieve goals, the ability to produce stimulating and witty conversation, the ability to conceive of and articulate meaningful ideas. The ability to lift things and spend more time not dying looks pretty waff in comparison.

Getting fights with the police is a fantastic weight burner also running from is great on the cardio especially when you cut through allies and the fence climbing will give you great strength training benefits. I mean its all the things people are suggest in this discussion all rolled into one.

Exactly! If the people of Glasgow would stop killing themselves by adding Mars bars and deep frying to every single meal they eat then they would be the longest lived people in Europe.