Women and Weights

KeithReilly

I'd like to open this thread up to women and their stories about how they got into fitness and weight training in particular.

I was just reading a few of the fitness logs and you can't help but be impressed with the training being done.

Its my experience that woman are afraid of weight training and no matter how intelligent the woman may be you cannot convince them that weight training will not have them looking like a man and is a great addition to any training programme.

So rather than post the reason that women should lift weights and train in general, I'd like how you started to train with weights? what convinced you and your general experiece so far?

I'd like to hear from from types of women: from the teen to the twenty something to the mothers to the grannies. The more different stories the better and if your story isn;t that different I'd like to hear it anyway. Maybe you'll be an inspiration here to someone that wouldn't read the logs.

TommyKnocker

I know a few of the ladies attended a series of workshops run by g'em and JayRoc (I think) in RAW gym where they were introuced to the compound lifts and were shown correct form etc. The purpose of the workshops was to help dispell the myth of ladies getting bulky if they lifted weights.

From reading the feedback, it appears these workshops were well received and beneficial to all who attended.

gymfreak

Well, you asked for a life story..so here it goes:D:D

Started a new job three years ago and it was really stressful. So I joined and went to a gym everyday after work as a pure stress relief. Mainly just ran and did lots of different gym based classes.

After a while I tried out those 'pump and tone' classes where you lift a barbell for a riciculous number of reps and I enjoyed them and the strength I was gaining. I started reading about strength training and continued wasting my time (after initial progress) for another year, got quite a few weights programmes written for me by the gym staff but the programmes weren't the best at all.

I then attended a workshop run by G'em and Jayroc last summer, for Ladies interested in Lifting..went to that and was immediately hooked. Jayroc wrote me a programme and I started doing it alongside all the running I was doing. Was making good progress, really enjoyed it but was lacking in a bit of confidence and afraid to up the weights at times...was playing it safe.

I then went to an open day in Informed Performance and was really impressed by a girl that I saw lifting 'heavy'. So I joined IP in October and never looked back:D

I'm really happy in IP, my strength has increased a lot since I joined and I suppose so has my confidence. I'm regularly amazed at myself when I see the weights I'm lifting. I tend to be a bit of a scaredy cat so it's great to be coached through all the lifts so I feel more confident and also, for me, I need someone to tell me when to up the weights as I sometimes would rather air on the side of caution.:o

Weight training has completely changed my body shape and also probably more importantly for females, my opinion of my body. I don't really tend to have a poor body image like a lot of girls my age instead I'm always proud of the work that I've put in to be 'in shape'.

So from the space of time of being introduced to weight training in August and learning how to squat and deadlift...I can now deadlift 115kg, Trap bar 125kg..not to sure about squat but I did a couple of sets at 75kg x 5 of box squats today AND I can do pullups..7 to be exact:D..not to bad in the space of a year and at a bodyweight of 54kg:D

I'm really grateful to G'em and Jayroc for starting me on this track and then to Informed Performance for everything else!

KeithReilly

gymfreak wrote: »

Well, you asked for a life story..so here it goes:D:D

Started a new job three years ago and it was really stressful. So I joined and went to a gym everyday after work as a pure stress relief. Mainly just ran and did lots of different gym based classes.

After a while I tried out those 'pump and tone' classes where you lift a barbell for a riciculous number of reps and I enjoyed them and the strength I was gaining. I started reading about strength training and continued wasting my time (after initial progress) for another year, got quite a few weights programmes written for me by the gym staff but the programmes weren't the best at all.

I then attended a workshop run by G'em and Jayroc last summer, for Ladies interested in Lifting..went to that and was immediately hooked. Jayroc wrote me a programme and I started doing it alongside all the running I was doing. Was making good progress, really enjoyed it but was lacking in a bit of confidence and afraid to up the weights at times...was playing it safe.

I then went to an open day in Informed Performance and was really impressed by a girl that I saw lifting 'heavy'. So I joined IP in October and never looked back:D

I'm really happy in IP, my strength has increased a lot since I joined and I suppose so has my confidence. I'm regularly amazed at myself when I see the weights I'm lifting. I tend to be a bit of a scaredy cat so it's great to be coached through all the lifts so I feel more confident and also, for me, I need someone to tell me when to up the weights as I sometimes would rather air on the side of caution.:o

Weight training has completely changed my body shape and also probably more importantly for females, my opinion of my body. I don't really tend to have a poor body image like a lot of girls my age instead I'm always proud of the work that I've put in to be 'in shape'.

So from the space of time of being introduced to weight training in August and learning how to squat and deadlift...I can now deadlift 115kg, Trap bar 125kg..not to sure about squat but I did a couple of sets at 75kg x 5 of box squats today AND I can do pullups..7 to be exact:D..not to bad in the space of a year and at a bodyweight of 54kg:D

I'm really grateful to G'em and Jayroc for starting me on this track and then to Informed Performance for everything else!

Thanks for getting the ball rolling Gymfreak thats a great story and well done on all those lifts there something else at a bodyweight of 54kg!!

Did you ever think that training with weights would bulk you up?

You say you don't have the same body issues as others the same age as you,what age are you if you don't mind me asking?

Has the fact that you weight train and not turned into She-Man influenced any of your friends to follow your lead?

Larianne

I was only thinking about starting a thread somewhere on boards about women and weight lifting/strength training.

I'm currently not lifting due to a shoulder injury but I want to start a strength training/weight lifting club for women in college. I'm studying physio and know all about the importance, especially for women, with regards to strength training and fitness and overall health.

But how do you change peoples perception of women weight lifting? And I say people, its not just women. I have asked girls in my class would they be interested in doing something like what I've suggested and pretty much all of them that I asked laughed at me saying things like "only lesbians lift weights" and "I don't want to be butch" etc. ....these are girls studying Physiotherapy, who know the importance of strength training and fitness in general and also know about the body's Physiology and how its impossible for a woman to 'bulk up' like that. :cool:

I mentioned it today to a few lads in my class and one of them said "Oh never tell a guy that you lift weights. They'll run a mile".

I've done a little bit of lifting before and also attended the gym session run by G'em and JayRoc. I love it. I love pushing my body to lift more weight. I love seeing my muscles working in the mirror. I love how my arms and legs start to get toned from lifting. I want to get other ladies involved in it and enjoy it as much as I do - although the real reason is that I have no one to spot me and push me further with weights.

I don't know how to quash or change peoples attitudes to women lifting weights!

gymfreak

KeithReilly wrote: »

Did you ever think that training with weights would bulk you up?

Yup..I did many moons ago, sure I didn't even want to go to those 'pump and tone' classes at the start for the fear that I would 'bulk up'. When I realised that it simply didn't happen I was very open minded about weight training and trying anything out.

You say you don't have the same body issues as others the same age as you,what age are you if you don't mind me asking?

I'm 25. And when sitting around with a group of friends conversations regularly get dominated by body woes..especially when getting ready for a night out. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly things about my body that I would like to change..but there are far, far, far more things that I take pride in.

Has the fact that you weight train and not turned into She-Man influenced any of your friends to follow your lead?

Funnily enough my group of friends aren't really the sporty type..at all. But they do take great interest in what I do and they're always asking questions about training, The problem is they think that you have to be strong to strength train. They haven't realised that you get strong through strength training.

I do think that some of my friends will start lifting weights soon, and one of the girls has started doing a basic strength programme. But I never put any pressure on them at all..I'm just waiting because I can see that they're getting more and more interested..here's hoping anyways

KeithReilly

Larianne wrote: »

I was only thinking about starting a thread somewhere on boards about women and weight lifting/strength training.

I'm currently not lifting due to a shoulder injury but I want to start a strength training/weight lifting club for women in college. I'm studying physio and know all about the importance, especially for women, with regards to strength training and fitness and overall health.

But how do you change peoples perception of women weight lifting? And I say people, its not just women. I have asked girls in my class would they be interested in doing something like what I've suggested and pretty much all of them that I asked laughed at me saying things like "only lesbians lift weights" and "I don't want to be butch" etc. ....these are girls studying Physiotherapy, who know the importance of strength training and fitness in general and also know about the body's Physiology and how its impossible for a woman to 'bulk up' like that. :cool:

I mentioned it today to a few lads in my class and one of them said "Oh never tell a guy that you lift weights. They'll run a mile".

I've done a little bit of lifting before and also attended the gym session run by G'em and JayRoc. I love it. I love pushing my body to lift more weight. I love seeing my muscles working in the mirror. I love how my arms and legs start to get toned from lifting. I want to get other ladies involved in it and enjoy it as much as I do - although the real reason is that I have no one to spot me and push me further with weights.

I don't know how to quash or change peoples attitudes to women lifting weights!

Your story is exactly why I'm interested in the subject. Intelligent women who can;t see the benefits of resistance training and its made even more strange in your case considering that you are talking about people that should no better..its actually unbeliveable that they don't. Why is that, do you think considering there learning physiology?

Larianne

KeithReilly wrote: »

Your story is exactly why I'm interested in the subject. Intelligent women who can;t see the benefits of resistance training and its made even more strange in your case considering that you are talking about people that should no better..its actually unbeliveable that they don't. Why is that, do you think considering there learning physiology?

There is definitely a perception out there that girls who lift weights are all butch etc. It's there, no denying that.

Also, many women won't go into the weights area because its dominated by men (not their fault, I know) and if there is a weights area for women, its usually just a few small weighted dumbbells. So women aren't usually exposed to other women doing weights and thus don't know about the benefits. It is very daunting for a woman to go into a weights area in gyms because of this. Hence, why I want to set up a club for ladies so they can learn the basics, meet others and train with them.

I think if more 'celebs' spoke out about their strengthening programmes, more women would be interested in it.

howtomake

I've always been pretty active from when I was a kid.

Teenage years - The Firm videos
The first 6 videos were the biz at the time & the time in my life, although this may tell my age. This is when I first learned the importance of maintaining muscle, even though it didn't quite stick in my head.

Wasted years - Shape magazine & various PT
So many wasted years doing some pointless exercises.

Late teens - Weight lifting class
:mad: Really get mad at this one, as I was the only girl but I was given completely different exercises to the guys. This would've been a perfect intro to squats & deads but alas.

5 years ago - Cathe
I wanted her body! Followed her videos, for maybe less than a year but still didn't quite understand importance of lifting heavier. I would gain some muscle only to diet it off.

2 1/2 years ago - Intro to Heavy lifting
Yep was introduced to the concept of heavy lifting. I got some unwanted advice about it (how women shouldn't do this or that, and how we should just do exercises to TONE :mad::mad:, not make them bigger), so I started on my own from various internet sources, but with no clear direction so my gains were a bit weak & haphazard.

New Rules of Lifting
Haha, was so mad when I found this book. Why-TF didn't anyone tell me this in the first place years ago!!!! Finally I had some direction but struggled with the right equipment set up (well I still do) like not having a barbell, but made some gains. Did my first chin up because of it. Unfortunately I hurt myself 6 months into the program, wasting practically another year. But here I am again struggling my way through.

Oh yeah and the pivotal point of heavy lifting for me, was when I got my first dopamine/endorphin release from doing a heavy set. I was flying, I'm somewhat of a chemical junkie (prefer natural of course) which is also why I love the buzz from cheese & chocolate, oh and wine of course.

Larianne

Larianne wrote: »

There is definitely a perception out there that girls who lift weights are all butch etc. It's there, no denying that.

Also, many women won't go into the weights area because its dominated by men (not their fault, I know) and if there is a weights area for women, its usually just a few small weighted dumbbells. So women aren't usually exposed to other women doing weights and thus don't know about the benefits. It is very daunting for a woman to go into a weights area in gyms because of this. Hence, why I want to set up a club for ladies so they can learn the basics, meet others and train with them.

I think if more 'celebs' spoke out about their strengthening programmes, more women would be interested in it.

That's definitely true 100% men taking over those areas

Red Cortina

KeithReilly wrote: »

So rather than post the reason that women should lift weights and train in general, I'd like how you started to train with weights? what convinced you and your general experiece so far?

I started going to a PT about 2 years ago as I was getting married and thought that I looked a bit blobby:) His programs involved lifting weights so it was through him that I started training with weights.

I am now training at IP and loving it. Was chatting to gymfreak about it and was saying that my personality has changed somewhat since I started resistance training, that I have become more assertive. My husband reckons I have changed too. I guess that the confidence gained from accomplishing so much in the gym can't help but transfer over to other parts of your life:pac:

g'em

I've told this stroy many times in here, I'm sure people are quite bored of it now

Went back to University to do my Postgrad in 2004 and used the opportunity to join the student gym and try and lose some weight. A friend gave me a helping hand with the basics and I sort of pottered around with it doing a lot of cardio and a little bit of weights. One day one of the gym instructors came over to me and said "eh, I hope this doesn't sound really dodgy but you're a bit of a freak. You're strong like". I took it as a compliment and he helped put together a proper program for me.

After a few months I was getting pretty good and through this forum and a couple of other forums I met people who were interested in competitive lifting. Hanley was responsible for getting me into my first powerlifting competition and coached me through it - I did reasonable well for myself with a 158kg deadlift and 130kg squat @79kg. I'll always be grateful to him for helping me through that first competition.

After that I kept powerlifting for a while but found it hard to keep going without a coach. In 2008 another female lifter that I'd met here brought me to Hercs and introduced me to the weightlifting coach there, and I decided to give that a go too. It wasn't long before I was hooked and I did my first weightlifting competition about 5 months later, and I've since done 10-ish National comps and represented Ireland internationally. I've currently got two National records and can legitimately say that I have the strongest snatch in the country

I'm also on track to become the first Level 2 female weightlifting coach in the country and now train down in East Coast Barbell in Bray - I don't think it's out of line to say that it won't be long before we're one of (if not the) premier weightlifting club in the country, it's awesome

Throughout all this my bodyweight has fluctuated wildly - I started out at about 80kg and stuck at that for a while duirng my powerlifting days. In all honesty I was a little bulky, but it was nothing to do with muscle, it was that I was eating everything around me and had far too high bodyfat

In 2006 I dropped down to 67kg after a cut, had a six-pack for two days and loved it but went up to 83kg after a summer of indulgence and no training bar squatting my travel-mates after a heavy night on the beer

Once I started to weightlift my weight plummeted down to and has remained stable around 73-75kg since. I'm down at around 71kg now but that's because my training volume has reduced dramatically from injury and old age

I can honestly say I'm a hell of a lot more comfortable in my skin now at 31 than I ever was at 21 and I'm very proud of what my body is able to do. Lifting things is infinitely more fun that cardio ever was and while I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to get on the platform competitively I can't ever see a day when I'll give up throwing a bar over my head at speed just for the craic of it

howtomake

Larianne wrote: »

I'm currently not lifting due to a shoulder injury
Me and my right shoulder feel for ya

"only lesbians lift weights" and "I don't want to be butch"
Pfft, most women that I know (well mostly virtually know) that lift are actually straight.

I mentioned it today to a few lads in my class and one of them said "Oh never tell a guy that you lift weights. They'll run a mile".
Well I say let them run & they better run fast. Insecure about their own strength probably.

I don't know how to quash or change peoples attitudes to women lifting weights!

Little by little I guess, I don't really have any females, let alone any males even, in my "real-life" where I can talk about lifting.

SanoVitae

Larianne wrote: »

I think if more 'celebs' spoke out about their strengthening programmes, more women would be interested in it

It's a good job there are experts like Tracy Anderson to show the girls what to do. Follow her advice ladies and you might one day be as strong as Gwyneth....



P.S. I might get banned for making G'em's blood boil.

g'em

SanoVitae wrote: »

P.S. I might get banned for making G'em's blood boil.

Ah I'm not quite that bad... not quite :pac:

Anytime I see articles involving yer wan Tracey Anderson I die a little inside, high reps, low-weight and more than a little dubious dietary advice

G86

I was a fat kid... so when I hit 15 I joined a gym and cut the crap out of my diet. I became a bit of a cardio whore, and went down to from 74kg to 60kg in the next year. Looking back now, it was far too light, and I was basically just a smaller version of myself, I still had a belly and all the weight had come off my legs so they looked like 2 match sticks. I stayed at that weight for about 3 years till I started college and quit the gym, it gradually started to pile back on then, and by the time I was 20 I was up to 82kg. It was head wrecking as I still wasn't eating junk food so I thought I was eating 'healthily', but in reality I was carbing it up to the max with the likes of noodles, pasta etc. sometimes twice a day. I joined the gym again, got a cookie cutter programme, laid into the cardio and lost a bit of weight, but then I stalled.

I was so disheartened that I actually started looking into things like Lipodissolve and Liposuction, things that I was never ever consider now! But I honestly thought that I was doing everything I could, and I couldn't understand why the weight wasn't coming off. Then I came across a personal trainer poster in my gym, and decided to give that a go. The trainer was a bodybuilder though, and I found it was a mix that just didn't really work out for me, so after getting some feedback on the routines he gave me here I decided to move on. It had however, given me a taster of weight training, and I knew then I definitely wanted to learn more.

I started training with another PT after that, and kept it up for about 3 years; I'd get a session/programme every 6 weeks and work away myself during that time. I progressed well at the start, and got my weight down about 3/4kg again. The weight training I was doing was extremely light for the first 2 years, with very little in the way of compound lifts. Then, as I began to do more research and met more people into lifting I decided I wanted to step things up a bit and moved on from straight leg DLing to regular DLs. This was the turning point for me, I freaking loved deadlifting! I'd do it all day if I could:) I also had a look at weight lifting and G'em was a godsend in helping me nail an overhead squat after I'd struggled with it for months. I don't have the patience for Oly lifting though; I just didn't take to it. At that point, my training had also become fairly crossfit orientated, with little in the way of technique work, and since my focus had diverted more towards the weights I decided to go it on my own and try a few programmes myself. Thus came Stronglifts, Coan Phillippi, and Smolov.... I was also training in RAW at that stage, and COH was a massive help while I was there; making sure I did less bull**** and more training.

During the process of trying to combine CP and Smolov, I found myself heading out to an open day in IP. In that one day, I learned more about my squat and deadlift than I had in the past 3 years! It was a major light bulb moment and I signed up soon after. Since joining IP, my flexibility has increased and I've made major improvements with my deadlift technique, which was absolutely terrible and actually quite dangerous. I've gone from pulling 110kg with form that could have passed me for a hunchback, to pulling 130kg with decent form and a far less risk of any injury. I also know I have alot more in me now, and my form is improving every day thanks to the expert coaching I'm getting in IP. My squat has also improved so much, and is looking less and less like a good morning now, haha! As for my bench....I'm working on it:pac: And it's not just those 3 lifts, everything has improved bit y bit in my time here; sure I remember when I started IP I was doing less than 25 push ups a minute, 6 months later I've doubled that figure. I remember trying to do a pull up and just hanging off the bar when I started, thinking I'd never ever get one - 3 months later I had it in the bag.

I constantly see threads on here from girls just starting out, and it's so frustrating knowing that despite all of the advice they get on here, that they probably won't take it. I know, because I remember how I felt at the beginning too. The mens weights area was pretty daunting, and I hated not knowing what I was doing so I had a serious lack of confidence when I was training. I used worry people were looking at me thinking 'what's she doing here', which is hilarious, because now if I even just get a 1kg PR I make damn sure everyone knows about it!!!

I don't just train with the 'drop fat' mantra now, I train because I actually love it - much as I rant about it sometimes when things aren't going my way:o When people ask what I'm training for, I tell them it's simply because I enjoy it and it makes me feel better about myself - and that really is it! I'm competitive and I'm constantly trying to out do myself, that's what motivates me. That and the fact that I'd be a heifer if I sat on my arse all day. But a lot of people don't really get that. The thing is, my confidence has improved so much since starting training, and the way I think about my body has changed too.

My weight fluctuates a fair bit between 70-73kg, but I've learned not to read much into that, sure I even got annoyed the other day because I lost weight and thought I'd lost muscle - I never thought I'd get annoyed about losing weight! My skinfolds have come down from 154mm to 128mm since joining IP, and it's been a slow and steady road. I'm aiming to get them down to sub 110mm, but that goal is also on a par with my aim to get a 140kg deadlift and more than 1 pull up. I'm not going to sacrifice one for the other, and through training in IP, and doing what I'm told...I don't think I'll have to.

Overall, I get mixed reactions from people about it. I guess guys could be intimidated sometimes, but they're generally not the kind of guys I go for so it's never an issue. It's funny though when they try to show off, and start yapping away about training, when in reality it's pretty obvious that they don't have a clue what they're talking about:pac: The only thing that really riles me is when people straightaway assume you're a bodybuilder when you say you lift weights....:rolleyes: And then even when you explain your training, you can see that it's just not registering! It can be fairly frustrating alright. Girls are more of an issue than guys to be honest, a lot of them just don't get it and I guess that's fair enough - but it's a shame too as I'd love to see more ladies training. I used to work with a girl who point blank refused to do weights in case she got 'bulky', I've heard that line soo many times now that it just goes over my head. It's hilarious too, because most of the women who say it to me have enough 'bulk' on them already, and it's not from flipping weight training!

Even though I've been training for the past 4 years, I only feel like I've 'properly' started weight training in the past 6 months since joining IP. There's a lot to be said for listening to the right people and educating yourself more in the process. I love learning as I train, I'm constantly improving everday now and I've met some really sound likeminded people both on boards and out in IP. Going to the gym isn't a 'chore' for me anymore, it's a social thing now, and I really enjoy it. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere and its done wonders for my confidence too!

Anyways, the jist of it is I have bad days like all women, where I feel like a beached whale and want to give up. But the difference is that I'm in a training environment now where 1 bad day is just that - ONE DAY. It doesn't start a spiral of bad days, and it doesn't mean I give up and head over to McDonalds. I have support, encouragement, and excellent advice to see me through now and that makes a big big difference. Just the other day I was I a foul mood because I'd missed a pull up, and Hanley reminded me I had a good deadlift to make up for it Another day, I went in to do a conditioning block but just wasn't in the form at all for it, and Conor pushed me through it. Then there's Henners, who's always around to make sure I zip it whenever I start to moan about something:p


So umm...that's basically it!! (I've just realised how long this is so I figure I better shut up before I take over the whole thread!)

SanoVitae

G86 wrote: »

It was head wrecking as I still wasn't eating junk food so I thought I was eating 'healthily', but in reality I was carbing it up to the max with the likes of noodles, pasta etc. sometimes twice a day.

I was so disheartened that I actually started looking into things like Lipodissolve and Liposuction, things that I was never ever consider now!

Fantastic post G86

The above snippets I've quoted from your post sums up everything that is wrong with what we are raised to believe about nutrition.

I've spoken to hundreds of people over the last 13 years who are overweight yet swear they eat a "healthy diet". It's not that they are lying - it's just that they are not aware that what they have been eating their whole lives (almost always a high carb diet) is what is solely responsible for them being overweight.

Until people become aware of this, they will remain overweight and will attribute this to a number of erroneous causes e.g. "slow metabolism", "hormonal imbalances" and the ol' favourite "big bones". They will then resort to desperate measures like Slimming Pills and Liposuction because they believe there is no cure.

It's a terrible trap to be in, especially for women because there is SO much dangerous B.S. propogated by the media in women's magazines, which almost always involves the use of celebrities to advocate such nonsense e.g. celebrity diets.

Celebrities who endorse slimming pills in exchange for cash should be shot IMO.






No, seriously.

Inspector Coptoor

Wimmenz who lift more and moan less become awesomer day by day

Inspector Coptoor

SanoVitae wrote: »

it's just that they are not aware that what they have been eating their whole lives (almost always a high carb diet) is what is solely responsible for them being overweight.

Correct and right.

This kind of high carb diet is ok if you were a farmer in ireland in the 30's - 70's and doing loads of manual work.

It wasnt uncommon for a "dinner" to be 12 potatoes with scallions, buttermilk and butter.
The calories would be used up working in the fields.

Most of us dont work like that anymore.

I love teaching food to my 1st yrs and 5th yrs and saying "see that food pyramid there, it's a steaming pile of crap, cross it out".

The food pyramid has an awful lot to answer for

howtomake

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

Wimmenz who lift more and moan less become awesomer day by day

No you've got a bit wrong, one has just to take it & like it from women who moan AND lift.

Inspector Coptoor

howtomake wrote: »

No you've got a bit wrong, one has just to take it & like it from women who moan AND lift.

oh dear god, the inYOURendo!

SanoVitae

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

I love teaching food to my 1st yrs and 5th yrs and saying "see that food pyramid there, it's a steaming pile of crap, cross it out".

I have a 3 year old daughter and I'll be teaching her the exact same thing in the exact same way.

She can already deadlift more than Gwyneth Paltrow....

howtomake

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

oh dear god, the inYOURendo!

Ah yeah, um, erm... didn't quite mean it like that... but some how I've been known to say 'things', sometimes without meaning to. Anyway I'll stop there before I get into any kind of trouble.

Frogdog

This is one of the single most awesomest threads I've ever seen on the Fitness forum.

To the ladies who have shared their stories so far, thank you.

To the ladies who might be a bit hesitant to share their stories, no matter how big or small, please share it with us.

SanoVitae

Frogdog wrote: »

To the ladies who might be a bit hesitant to share their stories, no matter how big or small, please share it with us.

I agree. Let's hear some more stories from big or small women.

Dotcomdolly

The story begins in June 2009, I was overweight, unhappy and full of self-loathing, not so much because of how I looked (though I didn't like it) but because I felt such a failure because I had been "trying" to lose weight since after my daughter was born in Sept 06.
I resorted to celebrity slim, and then the real trigger pint - some "thermo" slimming pills. Whatever was in them (bitter orange I suspect) I got a severe allergic reaction too. My face puffed up, my hands...then my tongue & throat :eek: I thought I could possibly actually die. "Dying to be thin" eh? Thankfully a panicked drive to the chemist and 2 does of anti-histamine and I lived to tell the tale.

SO I joined weightwatchers, dropped weight in a, healthier than your average ww'er, way, and started running using the couch to 5k programme. By October I'd lost a stone and a half and run my first 5k race. That Christmas I asked for p.t session for my present and started using free weights too. Still not lifting heavy but it was a start, and even though I was only using 3's and 4's at least it wasn't 1's!

I don't know if it's because I'm older and just a bolshy aul Ma, the meatheads down the gym never bothered me. I have more an "I'll show you" attitude and luckily for me that are regular lifting women in my gym (Carlisle) most mornings too.

That summer I also had the privilege of attending G'ems workshop and from then on I was dying to give the big lifts a go. I started "Starting Strength" and did ok...made reasonable progress but I kinda stalled, got bored
doing the same stuff week after week and felt I was hitting a wall when it came to increasing the weights (got up to 90kg deadlift at 65kg). I got some great help from COH during this time too...

Since then I have tried Tom Venuto's (oh how I love him) supersets and am now back doing the original p.t superset programme but using 7.5's and 10's now.

I feel I have lost my way a bit when it comes to my lifting and would love to be able to do what G86 and Gymfreak do at I.P but it's not logistically possible for me to get there at present.....

I have really got any negative feedback. I love feeling strong. Last time I saw my Dad I was able to shock him my lifting all 6ft1 and 13+ stone of him off the ground

Before & after pics attached cos I'm bloody proud of myself
I've lost 32lbs and dropped 16 inches off bust-wast-hips combined. And most importantly, changed my life - as Tom V says "quitting is not an option, fitness is a lifestyle".

Larianne

bluewolf wrote: »

That's definitely true 100% men taking over those areas

It's not that men are taking over the areas, its that women don't go into them!!!

I first started doing weights when living in Melbourne, Australia and I could afford a PT twice a week. He got me into lifting weights. I found I much preferred it to cardio. There was a difference over in Oz compared to here in that way more girls lift weights.

Maybe if gyms started up lifting clubs/classes for women, some might get interested in it. Not knowing how to lift properly or what to lift is what I reckon a lot of ladies are afraid of. Like I said before, I want to start a ladies lifting club in college so I can talk weights with other girls and have someone to spot me and push me harder. (My usual spotter defected to RAW aaages ago. )

g'em wrote: »

Ah I'm not quite that bad... not quite :pac:

Anytime I see articles involving yer wan Tracey Anderson I die a little inside, high reps, low-weight and more than a little dubious dietary advice

Oh, the girls in my class were mentioning here while we were discussing weight lifting.

gymfreak

Larianne wrote: »

Maybe if gyms started up lifting clubs/classes for women, some might get interested in it. Not knowing how to lift properly or what to lift is what I reckon a lot of ladies are afraid of. Like I said before, I want to start a ladies lifting club in college so I can talk weights with other girls and have someone to spot me and push me harder. (My usual spotter defected to RAW aaages ago. )

I think the above point is very valid..for me anyway and also quite annoying. Before I joined IP I was always afraid I was doing something wrong..and always afraid of adding weights.

Dotcomdolly

gymfreak wrote: »

I think the above point is very valid..for me anyway and also quite annoying. Before I joined IP I was always afraid I was doing something wrong..and always afraid of adding weights.

re the adding weight what was a problem for me is that I wouldn't want to ask a guy to spot for me.
Ideally some excellent super knowledgeable lifter will just see me one morning at the gym, see my amazing potential! and offer to coach me 3 times a week for free. That's the dream plan

themandan6611

great trend, very inspiring

Sangre

Agreed, very good thread.

KeithReilly

Larianne wrote: »

There is definitely a perception out there that girls who lift weights are all butch etc. It's there, no denying that.

I think if more 'celebs' spoke out about their strengthening programmes, more women would be interested in it.

Your probably right if women did see how celebritys really got into shape it might create a more positive response from women to weightlifting.

But having said that all the ladies who replied here in my opinion are more realistic and postive role models to women who have been afraid to touch results for fear of adding weight.

I still hear the old statement "muscle turns to fat" and I believe that that is one huge misconception that would have to be changed before women would have the believe that weights can have a positive effect on their appearance, and also life in general...lets not forget that strength will help you in everyday tasks, prevention of osteoporosis and prevention of common injuries in general.

KeithReilly

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

The story begins in June 2009, I was overweight, unhappy and full of self-loathing, not so much because of how I looked (though I didn't like it) but because I felt such a failure because I had been "trying" to lose weight since after my daughter was born in Sept 06.
I resorted to celebrity slim, and then the real trigger pint - some "thermo" slimming pills. Whatever was in them (bitter orange I suspect) I got a severe allergic reaction too. My face puffed up, my hands...then my tongue & throat :eek: I thought I could possibly actually die. "Dying to be thin" eh? Thankfully a panicked drive to the chemist and 2 does of anti-histamine and I lived to tell the tale.

SO I joined weightwatchers, dropped weight in a, healthier than your average ww'er, way, and started running using the couch to 5k programme. By October I'd lost a stone and a half and run my first 5k race. That Christmas I asked for p.t session for my present and started using free weights too. Still not lifting heavy but it was a start, and even though I was only using 3's and 4's at least it wasn't 1's!

I don't know if it's because I'm older and just a bolshy aul Ma, the meatheads down the gym never bothered me. I have more an "I'll show you" attitude and luckily for me that are regular lifting women in my gym (Carlisle) most mornings too.

That summer I also had the privilege of attending G'ems workshop and from then on I was dying to give the big lifts a go. I started "Starting Strength" and did ok...made reasonable progress but I kinda stalled, got bored
doing the same stuff week after week and felt I was hitting a wall when it came to increasing the weights (got up to 90kg deadlift at 65kg). I got some great help from COH during this time too...

Since then I have tried Tom Venuto's (oh how I love him) supersets and am now back doing the original p.t superset programme but using 7.5's and 10's now.

I feel I have lost my way a bit when it comes to my lifting and would love to be able to do what G86 and Gymfreak do at I.P but it's not logistically possible for me to get there at present.....

I have really got any negative feedback. I love feeling strong. Last time I saw my Dad I was able to shock him my lifting all 6ft1 and 13+ stone of him off the ground

Before & after pics attached cos I'm bloody proud of myself
I've lost 32lbs and dropped 16 inches off bust-wast-hips combined. And most importantly, changed my life - as Tom V says "quitting is not an option, fitness is a lifestyle".

Your log was actually one of the reasons I created this thread. Its hard not to be impressed with your commitment to training when you also have kids to look after.

I don't mean this in a sexist way but most fellas I know can train because the women are looking after the kids, the poor women seem to get alot less time to spend with themselves and they generally don;t use that time to train.

KeithReilly

As a nation we probably don;t exercise enough full stop, our climate is probably the excuse for this, while a more active population won't solve the crisis in health care that we have I certainly believe it will help to whatever extent. Active people, generally, tend to drink less alcohol, smoke lesss and have a healtier diet while still knowing how to enjoy themselves.

What changes can happen to make women more interested in resistance training?

What do you think would make people, and I'm picking out women in particular for the sake of this thread, exercise more?

Dotcomdolly

KeithReilly wrote: »

Your log was actually one of the reasons I created this thread. Its hard not to be impressed with your commitment to training when you also have kids to look after.

I don't mean this in a sexist way but most fellas I know can train because the women are looking after the kids, the poor women seem to get alot less time to spend with themselves and they generally don;t use that time to train.

Thanks so much I know that the choice between going to the gym or going home to do housework is an easy one for me
But I am lucky (and bloody appreciate it) in that I'm a stay-at-home mum so have a few hours every weekday to myself after the school drop-off. I imagine for women with kids working full time it is a hell of a challenge to fit in training or any quality Me time.

banshee_bones

Was always into sports as a teenager, at one point I was doing indoor soccer,outdoor soccer, basketball, badminton and racquetball so was training for something 5 evenings a week. The only thing that stuck was the racquetball as I was in an active club so had coaching and lots of guys and girls to train with and attained an All Ireland Bronze medal in just under two years.

Then discos, alcohol and boys held my interest and the sports fell away and I dabbled in going to the gym once or twice a week, I was 16/17 at this point. Went to college and joined the college gym at 18/19 never stuck it out due to boredom! At the time I was working in a nightclub and managed to mess up my right shoulder. Started seeing a chiropractor and have been plauged with it ever since, would get fairly painful around study/exam time.

Moved to Dublin to do my Masters and the gym fee was built into the college fee so went a bit and was messing around, and during this time it was just last summer gone that I went to g'em and JayRoc's intro to lifting session.
I liked the buzz off lifting and Larianne and I who went to the same college started training together, but my shoulder got quite bad and it was around this time that Informed Performance had their open day.

So g'em brought me along and I met Will and cutting a long story short! Gave me a workout to do for shoulder rehab, I joined RAW, had help from COH and kept at the shoulder stuff, it meant alot of other lifts have been off the cards for me for some time but deadlifting wasnt so I stuck at it, it is by far my favourite lift. I ditched physio as Will's rehab stuff was working and after 5 months I went back to my physio and she was blown away at the progress I had made and the weight I had lost and said I was as good as it was going to be and left me off

The pain is still intermeittent so its something I will always have to be aware of and incorporate into my workout, I would also love to train down in East Coast Barbell or Informed performace but due to logistics and income its just not possible right now

All said though, I am very fortunate that I have had the very best advice and guidance possible starting out lifting. I have bad days, weeks even, but Iv been told its a long term game! So I hope to properly bury my shoulder problem, get a decent programme going and see how it goes!

howtomake

^^^Damn, I need to check into IP one of these days myself, maybe after diving season. No car and with diving club 3 times a week at the moment though. Definitely need some strength for lugging the diving gear all around the place without a car. As for educating women on strength training, I too don't think some women realise just how gaining some extra strength can help their day to day life.

Ditto Dotcomdolly, nice transformation:)

SanoVitae

I think this thread seriously deserves to be a permanent sticky :cool:

Remmy

SanoVitae wrote: »

I think this thread seriously deserves to be a permanent sticky :cool:

+1 if anything ever needed to be stickyed it's this.

Larianne

banshee_bones wrote: »

....I liked the buzz off lifting and Larianne and I who went to the same college started training together...

Miss you!

It definitely makes a difference if you have someone else to go lifting with or know will be around the gym that can help you out.

KeithReilly

Remmy wrote: »

+1 if anything ever needed to be stickyed it's this.

I don't know how stickying a thread works, does that mean the thread would be closed down and no one could post in it again? I think that would be ashame if that was the case because it wouldn;t allow new stories to be added.

But maybe the stories could be taken out and put in a thread of there own so that they would be inspiration for any lady that was to look up the fitness and health forum.

I think we all love a good story and even if people don't appreciate their own story they could be suprised how it could inspire others. I'm a sucker for body transformation stories and pictures myself. I particualry love when its Irish stories I hear, as the majority of stories on the TV and internet tend to be American, and I know we got our own hero's..we're just more modest!

Rovi

KeithReilly wrote: »

I don't know how stickying a thread works, does that mean the thread would be closed down and no one could post in it again? I think that would be ashame if that was the case because it wouldn;t allow new stories to be added.

'Stickying' means that the thread is permanently visible at the top of the forum, no matter when it was last posted to; have a look at the top of the forum and you'll see a few threads there with the prefix 'Sticky:'.
Sticky threads can still be posted to, unless they are 'Closed' by the moderators.

Back on topic:
This is indeed a terrific thread, thanks to the OP for posting it in the first place, and to the other contributors for telling their stories.

happyfeet2010

Ok, I don't really have a personal story as such.. However, I am a lady that is beginning with weights.

I went to the gym recently and the fitness instructor told me that I should do 20* 10kgs- 2 reps with the stationary weights. I was doing 15kg- 50 times and I wasn't really seeing any results, so that's why I wanted to speak with her

I have only been seeing small improvements since I had a chat with her.. I just feel like I should be lifting heavier and that I should see improvements fast. :rolleyes:

5'5, 10 and a half stone.. have recently really cleaned up my diet.. really trying to get a good protein/carb balance, eating clean, all of which has taken me some time to do..

How many days a week should I do cardio/ weights?
At the mo, I do 2 fitness classes a week. I go to the gym 4 times a week- at the gym I do 40mins cardio. 20mins weights. 5min warm up and 5min cool down..

headwise

For this problem away you know proper need of work for example exercise so on.

g'em

If more stories are put up here I'll be glad to tidy the thread and sticky it

Dixie Chick

Oh yeah, for years the weights section of the gym was just the Grunty Mans Section to me!!

Okay so my story is not half as interesting or informed as the gals previous but here goes

I was never a skinny child and developed quickly as a teenager. I remember my first diet being when i was about 11 and looking down on myself in the shower and hating myself. So i started step aerobics and serious calorie cutting when i was about 16/17. I probably got to about 9stone then and evnentually it creeped up to about 11stone when i went to college.

I always was into cardio and never did weights. I saved like a mofo and joined the Kingsley hotel gym in cork was i was about 19 and just did cardio and then one day a week I did a bout 10 reps of 5kgs biceps etc. I always was mad to "tone my arms"

Okay so then lets kick about 8 years or being in between 10-12 stone and then last year in Feb I decided i needed to change. I read so much info and all the while never even looked at lifting weights.

The one day I was looking into a programme called P90X and decided i wanted to do weights. I didnt actually buy that one, but one called Chalene Extreme instead and bascally it was a 90day programme of lifting heavy. And for the first time ever i felt like i could control what my body could look like.

So i finished that and now i take two kettlbell classes a week and also do two or three very high intensity interval dvds (programme called Insanity) and I really feel ANGRY that i killed myself for 18 years with calorie cuts and hour long boring as **** walks everynight.

Weights ROCK

Orla K

I don't have much of a story since I've barely begun to dip my toe into the weights, it's something I'd like to get more into but at this point I wouldn't know how to do most of it properly and would probably injure myself. I've always liked lifting heavy things, I was working in argos a few years ago, I loved it when someone bought weights, that ment I got to carry a few heavy compact boxes, the manager would always try get one of the guys to do it but alot of the time I just carried the boxes and let the guy carry the bar. I also shocked a customer one day by picking up a large punching bag and handing it to him. He had to carry it to the car with help. Basicly if it's heavy and I can lift it, I love it.

At the moment, I'm going to the gym but one of the guys there who takes his making sure people are lifting right has it in his head that lifting heavy means lots of muscle, which is grand for guys but he's hesitant to let me lift heavy. I think he might just be having a bit of trouble letting go of that thought. I might just tell him I want to be bulky:o and see what he thinks when I'm not getting there.

A few weeks ago I was in the weights area using the dumbbells and instead of me being intemidated by the guys, one of them wanted to do the same thing as I was and I completely put him off :rolleyes: he stopped and waited until I moved onto something else and then he started again. I guess he didn't want to be doing the same thing as a girl.

Remmy

Orla K wrote: »

A few weeks ago I was in the weights area using the dumbbells and instead of me being intemidated by the guys, one of them wanted to do the same thing as I was and I completely put him off :rolleyes: he stopped and waited until I moved onto something else and then he started again. I guess he didn't want to be doing the same thing as a girl.

Nice one great story!:).That guy sounded like a douche though.

hug0

Well done everyone, great stories. Dickie chick how much weight/body fat have you lost since starting the weights?

Dotcomdolly

Was down the gym this morning and noticed for the first time that in the little space allocated "womens weights area" there is actually a sign "no weights above 10kg allowed in this area" :rolleyes:
Tried to get a new programme today but the only (imo) experienced guy there was stuck behind the front desk...

Orla K

Remmy wrote: »

Nice one great story!:).That guy sounded like a douche though.

He looked like one too. In fairness there seems to be alot of guys (and women) that have a more 'traditional' view of women where I am now. It can drive me spare. I think most people view me in a kinda flippent 'oh, shes just weird' kinda way.