Should women strength train? Yup

[verdant monkai]

I probably am the cultural factor you are on about, but I'm not attracted to muscular women. That being said I'm also not a fan of really skinny women and definitely not fat women. I think most guys are the same, they'd like a girl somewhere in the middle, basically a girl who looks healthy. But not someone who could bench press them, some guys are into that but not most.

You could go down the path of not caring what men want and get fat or muscular, and have difficulty finding a guy. Or you could hit the gym once or twice a week, just to keep the weight off and stay fit.

It's just finding that balance.

 

[Pieturli]

I am ladyfolk and I approve this message. Not excessive muscle gain like some are imagining, but certainly more than is done.

Women are actively discouraged from doing any kind of heavier lifting or muscle training to avoid looking bulky. And therefore not attractive.

But the truth is a little of it keeps you (me) lean and very healthy, not to mention increased in stamina and have good metabolism. I was at my happiest when I kept up that regime and I'd like to reach a point in my life where I'm less busy and exhausted all the time and get back to it.

Please take what I say with a pinch of salt, everyone has different diets and work-outs that work best for them but for me, this really did help. Aerobics and Strength training were how I was healthiest, while some women favor Yoga and food diets of all kinds of wacky stuff. That just ain't me.

Good to see women here that aren't afraid of this stuff. Props to you!


I'd like to see less people telling people what to do with their bodies. I'd like to see more people giving other people good reasons to train. For me, the motivator has always been performance and health, not appearance. Although, well, I'd be lying if I claimed I don't care about the effect of lifting on my appearance, but I've never operated my training from the point of view of what it does to the way I look.


Lifting is healthy both mentally and physically, and it could be said that this is even more true for women than men. Women have a quadruple risk of osteoporosis compared to men, and lifting is the most effective way of strengthening your bones.


There are a handful of competitive female olympic weightlifters at my gym, and they are damn good at it too. Not one of them looks manly or bulky, they are beautiful as all hell and they look like fit, healthy and capable human beings.


Finnish weightlifter Anna Everi: http://www.urheilija.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AnnaEveri.jpg


Seriously girls, don't be afraid to lift.

 

[briankoontz]

It's more than a little curious when people speak about weight training as if it's something to be proud of. It's physical activity for no positive purpose in and of itself, and for reason which typically amounts to vanity ("looking good").

Only for people whose alternative is an irrelevant existence without lifting weights ought to prefer an irrelevant existence with lifting weights, but such people should become a lot more ambitious about their lives than looking to the gym.

As for "self esteem" - vain people always have high self esteem - they think very highly of themselves. Only twisted cultures celebrate such a thing.

Of the hundreds of people I most admire and look up to, not a single one has probably ever lifted weights. It's completely unnecessary.

 

[Jarsh82]

I probably am the cultural factor you are on about, but I'm not attracted to muscular women. That being said I'm also not a fan of really skinny women and definitely not fat women. I think most guys are the same, they'd like a girl somewhere in the middle, basically a girl who looks healthy. But not someone who could bench press them, some guys are into that but not most.

You could go down the path of not caring what men want and get fat or muscular, and have difficulty finding a guy. Or you could hit the gym once or twice a week, just to keep the weight off and stay fit.

It's just finding that balance.

Keeping the weight off is not the same thing as staying fit. Strength is at least as important as cardiovascular health. I would even say that it should be the foundation that cardiovascular health is built on. A woman who strength trains in not likely to get bulky and she certainly won't get bulky on accident. Its important to understand the hypertrophy is not directly correlated with strength though there is some carry over. Strength is as much a product of the central nervous system as it is muscle mass. A good portion of the girls at my gym are in the 130 or 140 pound range on the bunch press and none of them are bulky. I would say squatting does wonderful things for the female figure. A woman with a strong posterior chain looks a hell of a lot sexier than a woman who only does cardio (if I'm being shallow).

 

[Phasmal]

I probably am the cultural factor you are on about, but I'm not attracted to muscular women. That being said I'm also not a fan of really skinny women and definitely not fat women. I think most guys are the same, they'd like a girl somewhere in the middle, basically a girl who looks healthy. But not someone who could bench press them, some guys are into that but not most.

You could go down the path of not caring what men want and get fat or muscular, and have difficulty finding a guy. Or you could hit the gym once or twice a week, just to keep the weight off and stay fit.

It's just finding that balance.

I already got a guy- BEAT THE SYSTEM.
I kid, I kid. (But seriously if a lady wants to be muscled why would she care what a guy who didnt like muscular women thought? Anyway...)

You'd have to work quite hard to have noticably big muscles as a woman.
I dunno where this idea that if a lady goes weight lifting she's gonna have Hulk arms and scare away the peens.

I'd love to become stronger in the arm department. I have fairly strong legs but I have terribly weak arms, I can't even do a push-up. Maybe I should get some weights. Gym's not really an option around here.
Lift ALL THE THINGS!

 

[IronSkape]

It's more than a little curious when people speak about weight training as if it's something to be proud of. It's physical activity for no positive purpose in and of itself, and for reason which typically amounts to vanity ("looking good").

Only for people whose alternative is an irrelevant existence without lifting weights ought to prefer an irrelevant existence with lifting weights, but such people should become a lot more ambitious about their lives than looking to the gym.

As for "self esteem" - vain people always have high self esteem - they think very highly of themselves. Only twisted cultures celebrate such a thing.

Of the hundreds of people I most admire and look up to, not a single one has probably ever lifted weights. It's completely unnecessary.

I would definitely disagree with this. Strength training is an extremely valuable, life-enhancing activity that has far-reaching benefits outside of appearance.

I've been a personal trainer for two years, and my clientele consists mostly of ...well, broken people. People in the gym for health reasons, with physical appearance being an afterthought. I have a guy who, after dropping some bodyweight and building up his legs, can climb towers at work with much less pain and effort than he could have before. I have an 82 year old woman who can deadlift a 50lb kettlebell for reps, and not surprisingly she lives very independently. I'm training a stroke survivor to extend his elbow again. All of these people would be worse off if it wasn't for lifting.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but I would definitely argue that it's one of the less important benefits of a well-rounded strength program.


Sorry, that's a little off-topic! I can just say that I train my women exactly how I train my men: they deadlift (when appropriate), they squat, they get good at pushups and pullups, and they're making much faster and meaningful progress than the women who latch onto the elliptical and are afraid to let go.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Honestly in the past I've done some strength training back when I was in Army cadets to help with team building exercises but these days I'm more or less fine with using my personal treadmill and eating less junk foods, more healthier foods and drinking water.

With that said I also tend to prefer women who are either somewhat average or slim, not really into muscles on guys or women (Arnold is my only exception), just not me preference in taste.

 

[Pieturli]

http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/article/the_women_of_strength_at_ccsc#.Uwo4zPl_uJ0


Here's an excellent article written from the perspective of a LADYGIRL.

 

[verdant monkai]

I already got a guy- BEAT THE SYSTEM.
I kid, I kid. (But seriously if a lady wants to be muscled why would she care what a guy who didnt like muscular women thought? Anyway...)

You'd have to work quite hard to have noticably big muscles as a woman.
I dunno where this idea that if a lady goes weight lifting she's gonna have Hulk arms and scare away the peens.

I'd love to become stronger in the arm department. I have fairly strong legs but I have terribly weak arms, I can't even do a push-up. Maybe I should get some weights. Gym's not really an option around here.
Lift ALL THE THINGS!

I see.

Attaining huge status is hard for anyone (believe me I know), I think you just made up the myth that women instantly get huge from the gym. As everyone I talk to in my gym says it takes ages and hard work.

But as I said if you want to go down the muscular route then that fine, but if you do end up with Hulk arms most guys won't think its a good look. I won't pretend to know how muscular you are but you probably aren't built like a brick shit house.

Anyway thats just an opinion held by me and most of the guys I know.

Speedwagon withdraws coolly.

 

[Phasmal]

I see.

Attaining huge status is hard for anyone (believe me I know), I think you just made up the myth that women instantly get huge from the gym. As everyone I talk to in my gym says it takes ages and hard work.

But as I said if you want to go down the muscular route then that fine, but if you do end up with Hulk arms most guys won't think its a good look. I won't pretend to know how muscular you are but you probably aren't built like a brick shit house.

Anyway thats just an opinion held by me and most of the guys I know.

My point WAS that being huge is hard work.
Speaking to other ladies as to why they DON'T lift weights, the reason I always get is `I don't want to look all huge and disgusting`, as if that's gonna happen the second you pick up a dumbell.

I don't lift weights at all (hence the part of my quote saying I can't even do a push-up), but I'd like to have more strength.
I think that's overall a good thing.

I'm not saying you can't not like muslcey women, I'm just saying it's not going to be a factor in the majority of women who lift weights.

 

[Pieturli]

I see.

Attaining huge status is hard for anyone (believe me I know), I think you just made up the myth that women instantly get huge from the gym. As everyone I talk to in my gym says it takes ages and hard work.

But as I said if you want to go down the muscular route then that fine, but if you do end up with Hulk arms most guys won't think its a good look. I won't pretend to know how muscular you are but you probably aren't built like a brick shit house.

Anyway thats just an opinion held by me and most of the guys I know.

My point WAS that being huge is hard work.
Speaking to other ladies as to why they DON'T lift weights, the reason I always get is `I don't want to look all huge and disgusting`, as if that's gonna happen the second you pick up a dumbell.

I don't lift weights at all (hence the part of my quote saying I can't even do a push-up), but I'd like to have more strength.
I think that's overall a good thing.

I'm not saying you can't not like muslcey women, I'm just saying it's not going to be a factor in the majority of women who lift weights.

If time is an issue, there are a couple of very good two days a week routines floating around online, like Karl Schudt's 5/1 program.

If getting to the gym is the problem, check out Pavel Tsatsouline's book "The Naked Warrior" which is a bodyweight strength training book. Just remember that, as Pavel says in the book, the best results come from working with barbells, kettlebells and pull up bars. Bodyweight training is a sort of last result that will get you results, but it will be a bunch slower and the progress will peter out much more quickly.

 

[ILikeEggs]

For everyone who thinks strength training can't burn fat, go search for "Crossfit before and after". For those who think women who strength train end up with man-like musculature, google "Crossift girls". You don't even have to do Crossfit to see benefits like those, and while a lot of Crossfitters live primal/paleo lifestyles, you don't even have to be on a low carb diet to get something out of strength training.

To me, strength training is far and away more efficient(and healthier) than cardio. You spend less time on a single session, you see infinitely more strength gain, you burn more fat since you're building muscle(which burns fat more efficiently than fat cells) and you're not destroying your joints with repeated cardio sessions.

The way I see it, it's not that women can't lift heavy things because they're weak; they're weak because they're never allowed to, or are conditioned to not want to lift heavy things.

 

[Eamar]

I think you just made up the myth that women instantly get huge from the gym.

She didn't. It's something a lot of women actually believe (despite the fact it's bullshit), and it's often what keeps them away from the weights.

But as I said if you want to go down the muscular route then that fine, but if you do end up with Hulk arms most guys won't think its a good look. I won't pretend to know how muscular you are but you probably aren't built like a brick shit house.

Anyway thats just an opinion held by me and most of the guys I know.

*facepalm*

You're still acting as if what guys might think should be a major factor in a woman's thinking. It shouldn't be. Women don't have any sort of duty to be aesthetically pleasing to "most guys." Neither I nor any of the other women I know who actively try to be muscular give two hoots what "most guys" think about it. You're acting like "most guys" not considering their physique attractive should be considered a drawback to women who want to build muscle.

Basically: no one's asking you whether you find it attractive or not, that's between you and your internet history. If you don't, unless the woman in question is your girlfriend, it's no loss to the women who do train at all, so everyone's a winner, I guess?

 

[Yuuki]

I encourage women to use light weights! It's the best way to tone-up while saving time and getting the most out of any workout. For e.g. women who are into aerobics routines or jogging, try doing the same thing but while holding 0.5kg or 1kg. You'll get burned out a lot quicker.

But as I said if you want to go down the muscular route then that fine, but if you do end up with Hulk arms most guys won't think its a good look. I won't pretend to know how muscular you are but you probably aren't built like a brick shit house.

Not really dude, there are too many factors they first have to overcome:
1) 99.9% of girls are NOT going to get that obsessed with weights. It's just not a popular notion by any stretch of imagination.
2) Big muscles need heavy weights. True it's possible to get muscular with light weights, the the ridiculous amounts of repetition and time that has to be spent makes it not very viable.
3) Big muscles need a protein-rich diet.
4) Big muscles need a decent level of testosterone which most girls lack.

In order to become "muscular" a typical woman (average build, average hormones) would have to work against nature itself. I've seen some farm-girls go their entire lives doing physical labor...they still get nowhere in terms of muscle mass.

 

[lacktheknack]

Absolutely, they should.

Appearance: Women don't turn into She-hulk unless they're on intense regimens with supplements (and probably steroids), so the only thing strength training will do for women is tone muscle, which looks universally attractive (except to fat fetishists, I guess).

Ability: You won't have to ask people around you to help move heavy objects, which is always a plus.

Health: I don't think that lying in bed in your eighties, so frail you can barely move, is a particularly pleasant thing to imagine.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

It's more than a little curious when people speak about weight training as if it's something to be proud of. It's physical activity for no positive purpose in and of itself, and for reason which typically amounts to vanity ("looking good").

Only for people whose alternative is an irrelevant existence without lifting weights ought to prefer an irrelevant existence with lifting weights, but such people should become a lot more ambitious about their lives than looking to the gym.

As for "self esteem" - vain people always have high self esteem - they think very highly of themselves. Only twisted cultures celebrate such a thing.

Of the hundreds of people I most admire and look up to, not a single one has probably ever lifted weights. It's completely unnecessary.

I honestly can't tell if you're trolling here or not, but why in the world wouldn't you be proud of putting lots of hard work into something that then makes you better at that something than people who don't do it (or don't do it nearly enough)?

This sounds like those people who see others who are in really good shape, and need to make themselves feel better by telling themselves that those people are vain and have no social lives and live in a gym.

 

[Yuuki]

It's more than a little curious when people speak about weight training as if it's something to be proud of. It's physical activity for no positive purpose in and of itself, and for reason which typically amounts to vanity ("looking good").

Only for people whose alternative is an irrelevant existence without lifting weights ought to prefer an irrelevant existence with lifting weights, but such people should become a lot more ambitious about their lives than looking to the gym.

As for "self esteem" - vain people always have high self esteem - they think very highly of themselves. Only twisted cultures celebrate such a thing.

Of the hundreds of people I most admire and look up to, not a single one has probably ever lifted weights. It's completely unnecessary.

I highly doubt you know hundreds of people out of whom NONE have lifted weights, unless you personally asked every single one of them. Even if all of those hundreds of people happened to be only females.

We live in an era where people eat processed food and spend most of their years either sitting or sleeping. Compared to the last 10,000+ years of human existence, today we are less physically active and less "natural" than ever before.
I mean, why do people run and even bother with push-ups and sit-ups? You're using your own body weight to make yourself stronger & fitter - in your opinion, purely for "looking good". Have you considered that it FEELS good and has endless health benefits as well? Probably not since you're not a believer in exercise.

Also I hope you're not assuming that "weight training" = benching a goddamn car every day. There IS a middle ground, light-weights and routines must be customized to every person individually depending on their natural shape.

 

[ILikeEggs]

I mean, why do people run and even bother with push-ups and sit-ups? You're using your own body weight to make yourself stronger & fitter - in your opinion, purely for "looking good". Have you considered that it FEELS good and has endless health benefits as well? Probably not since you're not a believer in exercise.

There was a time when I saw people who strength trained as vain and self-centered, and hoped I'd never be like them. Of course, that was when I was younger and saw the world in black in white. You were either the poorly-muscled(or fat) but intelligent person, or the air-headed weight-lifter/size-zero model.

Now I realise that literally anyone, from a 60+ grandmother to a 15 year old chess prodigy can improve the quality of their life by lifting heavy things regularly. While looking in the mirror now certainly gives me a sense of pride, as opposed to my previous insecurities about my muscle-less, slim frame, it's not so much the appearance that drives me; it's the self-confidence, the little personal challenges I set for myself, like being so close to lifting my entire body-weight with one arm, and the knowledge of the fact that no matter how long I live, I will be independent and able-bodied.

 

[lacktheknack]

The problem is, I think people know this, but people just lack either the motivation (aka: are lazy ****s) or lack the discipline (aka: are spoiled brats).

I usually don't respond to other posts, but dont you think you are being needlessly offensive here? Not everyone who doesn't go to the gym is lazy or spoiled. Some of use just really don't enjoy their time there, and a balance of healthy diet and plenty of movement can allow you to be perfectly healhy without the gym.

I personally feel that everyone should get a university degree, but I understand that it's not for everyone. I don't go around calling those who don't study lazy or stupid though..

I'm talking about people who are generally unhealthy and thus kind of "need" to exercise. I don't care how you do it, though. If you don't like going to the gym, there's tons of different options which may suit you more.

The point I'm trying to convey is that if you're overweight/unhealthy, there's not really a good reason not to exercise.

Unfortunately I think your message is getting lost because of your needlessly hostile and judgmental tone. We all agree, everyone needs to exercise. The problem is, there are a lot of people out there who can't, and a lot more people who think they can't. You calling them "lazy shits" or "spoiled brats" isn't likely to make them re-evaluate their lives. All it's going to accomplish is making them feel bad about themselves and giving you the appearance of needing to abuse people in order to feel good about yourself.

I'm pretty much the only member of my family who regularly exercises. And I feel really bad, watching them go from slim as children to fit teens and obese adults. But when you work a 10-hour day, need 7 hours of sleep to be healthy, lose at least 2 hours a day commuting to/from work/picking up children from day care, an hour in the morning getting up and getting ready for work, an hour making dinner, an hour with various child-rearing duties (reading before bed, bathing them, brushing their teeth, etc) that leaves precious little time every day to exercise. And yes, I know you're going to say that still leaves time that people can exercise and people should make the time to exercise, but these people feel mentally exhausted, which tricks them into thinking they're physically exhausted. Throw in the cost in money of going to a gym or the cost in time of researching free ways to exercise without a gym, plus proper athletic wear and equipment, and it's really no wonder that a lot of people don't exercise.

They should. But they're not inferior people because they don't. I mean, if you can denigrate people who are unhealthy because they don't exercise, does that mean someone can denigrate you for not eating organic food? Or for not being vegetarian? Or for not being vegan? Or for smoking or drinking or eating chocolate? Or for not doing yoga? Or for not living in a toxin-free environment? Anyone could be doing more to be healthier. We can berate people who are less healthy than us and call them names and swear at them and generally act like dicks to them, and it's not going to magically make them figure out how to make exercise a part of their lifestyle.

The old "there's no time" argument.
Just another excuse people like to throw up to convince themselves that they're victims of circumstances far beyond their control and responsibility.
I'm not even going to bother with this same old discussion.
Some people can't be helped, and I don't know why I still bother.

I liked the part where you stopped reading part way into the second paragraph.

 

[Riot3000]

I am all for healthy weight but their are so many ways to go about it. Strength training is one venue but so is pure cardio, mixture and simple diet watching. I know people folks get off their "lazy asses" "no excuse" and get fit moments for no nonsense internet points but that is just pretentious.

Like some of the poster have mentioned strength training is out of the question or they want a healthy weight and strength training is optional.

I don't believe that pure cardio and proper nutrition on their own are just as good as strength training. Obviously proper nutrition is foundational to good health and cardio is great but cardio with out strength training to supplement it is problematic. Cardio doesn't help prevent injuries and while it can lower your current blood sugar it doesn't have the same effect on insulin sensitivity as having a healthy amount of muscle mass has. It also won't be as effective at improving and maintaining bone density which should be a huge concern for women. If you have a strength deficit, as most people do, them you simply aren't as healthy as if you had a healthy muscle mass. At any given time 80% of the running population (those who run as a part of there life style) is dealing with some sort of injury. This is in large part due to a lack of proper strength training in much of the population.

No one said anything about pure anything. Not everyone that runners is a hardcore runner not everyone that that some strength training is going for hardcore strength training. In fact I said a mixture in my response but you seem too focused on the cardio.

Maybe we are both jumbled up there is nothing wrong with women strength training but there is no reason to "bulk up" because you can only bulk up if that is the goal regular strength training won't do that.