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2003/04/18, 04:35 PM
If you're like alot of women, when you think of pumping iron, you visualize that corner of the gym where muscled men grunt and sweat trying to bench press huge amounts of weight. Its easy to understand why women are more likely to hit the treadmill or jump on a stair stepper before they will brave the weight area. But before you count out weights, you should know that achieving optimal physical fitness involves 3 fundamentals, cardiovascular workouts, flexibility training, and, yes strength training. Strength training/resistance training is the most effective way for women to fend off the loss of muscle...and the accompanying creep of flab...that comes with age. Not only does weight training strengthen muscles, it also increases bone density, elevates mood, stokes your metabolism, and burns calories. Whats more, it's never too late to start strength training, and you can continue to do it any age. So ladies, in a nutshell, don't be afraid of the weights. You will not get big and bulky as old wives tales seem to proliferate. If you want all the benefits of increased bone density, looking and feeling younger, and burning more calories by revving your metabolism even when you are not working out, then hit the weights! You will be happy with the results! Good luck to all of you, and hope this shatters a bit of myths out there.
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The one goal you will NEVER achieve is the one you never attempt.
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2003/04/18, 05:22 PM
Bingo, BB1!
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Michael
"Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!"
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2003/04/18, 05:41 PM
Awesome Post BB1, thanks for the encouragement!!
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Bettia.... When you feel like giving up, take it to the limit one more time!! You will SUCEED :-)
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2003/04/18, 06:22 PM
i agree with ravenbeauty awesome post as always ron! real inspiration to all!
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2003/04/18, 09:48 PM
Great post. I wish more women would realize it though. They still seem to be afraid even with all the advice.
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Lisa
Just laugh about it....
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2003/04/19, 02:37 AM
Oh but I like to be in between those "muscled men grunting and sweating"!!!! LOL
Great post Ron, thanks!!
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- Nina :o) Les Victoires éternelles sont celles du coeur.
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2003/04/19, 09:54 AM
Cmon wife READ THIS! This is what I'm trying to tell you!
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We must become the change we want to see.
Ivan Montreal Canada
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2003/04/19, 01:49 PM
Just a thought, it you wait too late, the flab of excess skin with the weight gain is so much harder to get rid of and as you age it is even more difficult. The proof is in the glutes and Abs. Good post Ron!
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I will lift my own weight someday!!!!!
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2003/04/21, 10:26 AM
I see more women in gyms now than I did 14 years ago when I first started weightlifting..and I think its great!!
I think that over the last years seeing women in fitness and sports have changed the alot women's view of the gym and strength training.
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2003/04/21, 11:59 AM
I work out at our local YMCA. It's a very nice one. However, they spend TONS of money on the cybex-cardio room and absolutely NONE on the downstairs weightroom. We call ourselves the "stepchildren" of the Y! Of course, the weightroom is where all the work is getting done. Sometimes I am the only woman down there, which is fine, but whenever another woman ventures downstairs, I always say hi and try to make her feel at home so she'll stay. So far it's been working...there's about five women now who work out with us regularly over the noon hour.
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2003/04/21, 12:39 PM
Great post! I have to admit, I'm one of those women who is uncomfortable in the weights area. But it isn't because I don't want to bulk up. I WANT muscle. :)
I'm insecure with the weight area. I don't know how to operate a lot of the machines, and I have no clue on proper form for some of the free weights. Even with the pictures here showing me how, I still feel self-conscious and unsure. :) I know it is just in my head though, and it's getting easier. :)
I consider myself extremely blessed to have a husband who is willing to go to the gym with me and walk me through my work outs and motivate me while I'm there to get that last rep in. :) He does his own workouts Monday - Friday, then goes back on Saturday/Sunday just for me. :) I feel so lucky.
Why do gyms separate the areas in the first place? Wouldn't it make it less intimidating to do weights if they were intermingled with the cardio? OR, put the cardio in the center of all of the weights. Or at least make it so you have to walk through the weight area to get to the cardio. :) This might make people more willing to try it out. At the very least, it would make it more likely that those who only do cardio get to know those doing weights. :)
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~Jennifer
http://www.gwindalyn.com
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2003/04/21, 01:01 PM
Me too Jennifer. I have a hard time really imagining that I can actually lift those weights and I also feel kind of stupid when I do exercises wrong. I get embarrassed and then I don't want to do it anymore. I myself, find that classes and cardios are my best way of keeping in shape.
But I guess this probably wouldn't be a bad thing to try.
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2003/04/21, 01:11 PM
Good Post Ron. More women need that type of encouragement and advice. Thanks
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Live life as if it is your last moment in time!
Ms. SIUC BB 2003
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2003/04/21, 02:04 PM
I agree BB1! I intend to be strength training well into my old age - lookin good at 75+ yrs is something I will strive to maintain - there are lots of seniors where I work out who exercise using the 3 fundamentals you mentioned and they are truly inspirational.
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2003/04/22, 11:07 AM
Graet post, bb1fit!
It is the biggest challenge to get female clients into the weight room, but when I explain the benefits and show them how to do things right, they get better results and really like it!
I really love to see shy, uncertain women transformed into grunting, aggressive lifters. Especially my 62 year old client who will always ask when she can go up in weight and never says 'I can't". When we get near the end of a grueling set, she will say 'let me try one more!'. This from a woman who came to me as a last resort because she had been doing machines on her own off and on for years and never gotten any real results. When I met her I thought, oh boy, tis woman is so pessimistic, she just wants to fail so she can quit.
She is now my inspiration! She has stuck with, despite artrhritis, old knee and ankle injuries which limit function (though she can climb stairs normally now and do lunges and heavy squats now, when she came to me we couldn't even get a swiis ball against the wall squat to work and she did stairs sideways).
Anyone who won't get to the free weights is making a huge mistake!
If you avopid it because you are unsure of form - hire a trainer with good credentials for 4 - 8 sessions and tell them specificalloy that you want a free weight routine and you want to be taught, not led. It is well worth the money spent to learn to do things right and your efforts will be rewarded with results!
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Challenge + Consistency = Results
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2003/04/22, 11:55 AM
Good post, bb1fit. Maybe something to share with some girlfriends so they'll reconsider a gym membership :)
Hmmm...I think Gwin brought up a good point.
Why are the machines/free weights/cardio areas always split up? I understand keeping the equipment together, but the seperation seems a little excessive when I think about it more.
Gym owners? Can you shed some light?
-Krb
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2003/04/23, 11:04 AM
Less damage to cardio equipment if the free weights aren't around to be dropped (people do some odd things with weight plates if allowed).
Keeping the equipment seperate may be part practicality, but part holdover from the days when women were expected to stay out of the free weights area and stick to the 'spa' equipment/machines.
I just read an add for a new golds gym opening around these parts that has gone backwards in time and reintroduced the 'ladies only' workout room. Guess what - looks like it only contains a machine circuit. Very discouraging.
Anyhow, there are a lot of things patrons complain about - people grunting too loud, smells, weight plates being left on the floor, etcetera, keeping the areas seperate probably boils down to making the members happy because they don't have to be mixd in with the 'animals' in the weight room. LOL.
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Challenge + Consistency = Results
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2003/04/23, 11:14 AM
At the gym where I go, it is still separate, but there are cardio machines right on the edge of the area. I would not have done the free weights without having a trainer. The equipment over there is intimidating!!!! Now that I have been working with a trainer, I am more used to that but I still don't do it on my own! Maybe in time I will. I know I "feel" it more after the free weights rather than the machines!
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Gramma
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2003/04/25, 11:38 AM
Okay, I have a dumb question.....I am also intimidated by the "free-weights section" But I find they put the weights stuff that I would be most likely to use, while exersizing alone, on the edges of it, not in the dead center. Which is nice. Now, I want to know if the machines that you have to put the disc weights on are better than the nautilis ones, or the same. I am also curious to know if they have weight already, I don't seem to be able to lift as much on them as I can on the cable ones.
Thank you
Katy
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2003/04/25, 11:55 AM
on personal preference, YES!! Free weight machines are always better for definition.
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Bettia.... When you feel like giving up, take it to the limit one more time!! You will SUCEED :-)
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2003/06/19, 04:28 PM
Thought that since I have been encouraging a few women lately to lift heavier that I would bump this up for some of the newer ones to read. I have conquered my fear of heavy weights....bring 'em on! Let's go girls.
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~Victoria~
...Some things have to be believed to be seen!
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2005/05/25, 11:26 AM
Hello,
Felt like this needed bumped up again, still seeing a few posts that think women get big naturally.
Leslie
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2005/05/25, 11:33 AM
lol still thinking of another post. It should say some posters still seem to fear the heavy weights.
I love em.
Leslie
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2005/06/02, 03:23 PM
good post bb1fit. The best part is the calorie burning even out of the gym from the added muscle. The 20:1 ratio in the lifting room is borderline depressing anyway, so ladies come on out of the cardio cocoon. I swear we don't bite. Well not too hard anyway.
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2005/06/03, 02:06 AM
Definitely.....
I think most people in my gym ...not just women ...are allergic to freeweights....especially squats...deadlifts...
Some women definitely get put off by images of huge men-like women whole resemble men in every aspect ...ie...MS OLYMPIA....I have seen pictures of some trully crazy looking women....however most women fail to realize it took lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of steroids to get those huge muscular women like that....because women naturally lack testosterone in their bodies to naturally get them to such state....
Funny about 2-3 years ago i walked into a ladies only area to use the dip station...I came witha friend into a new gym to see how it is(i didn't realize it was womens onyl area at the time)...it was hilarious...got so many weird looks then was asked to leave for violating club policy....what did that 'women's only' area consist of? few threadmills, stationary cycling units, few machines, couple dipping stations, and a few sets of 5/10 lb dumbells....eh...Fitness USA ...i believe....crappiest club in San Fran...no barbells....dumbells to 75s...no incline benches....they just recently I heard got a smith-machine and they claim it's equivalent to freeweights....it's one of the crappy gyms that make u sign 3 year deals...and try to bs u that after 3 years u'll only pay 3$ a month...
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2005/06/03, 08:38 PM
Menace that's too funny.
I tried to do a search on female powerlifters to see if/who they were and turned up mostly porn sites :( At first I thought I was looking at guys w/ 80's hair, and then I realised...ehh.....it's a bad mental..
Sorry they kicked you outta their ghetto gym. That's discrimination:big_smile:
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