[TheInformer]

(Original post by Ezekiella)
Yeah personally lifting has made me slimmer (went from a size 8 to a size 6 since I started again recently), I have a very healthy diet though so guess that helps. Am planning to continue lifting for a while however and TBH I would hate it if I ever "bulked up" (I guess it comes down to wanting to look athletic but still femiinine).

And I guess somebody has to use the 5kg dumbbells, they are useless even for wrist curls unless you're recovering from an injury or something.

That's the best look in my opinion - athletic. Plus it shows you have other qualities like hard word, dedication, not lazy and so on.

Yeah they have some 2kg dumbells at my gym who know what people use them for.

[Nomes89]

(Original post by McHumpy92)
I do think females can get thick and strong legs quite easy. Lots of females with naturally thick legs, upper body I agree they won't put on decent mass unless with good genetics or extreme dedication.

That's me...I never used to like it but now I kinda appreciate that I don't really have to put to much effort into them. In any case I apparently can't lift with weights - started doing my legs again for the first time in months and my knee has gone dodgy again which is why I stopped doing them in the first place. Can't do any running for a lil while now which makes me so

But yeah I love lifting lol.

[EonBlueApocalypse]

False conceptions about what will happen I guess, like many above have said. No ladies, you won't turn into the hulk if you use a weight heavier than 5kg. Women just don't have the hormones for it, what ladies get from lifting weights is a lean athletic appearance with the muscle mass creating a greater look of body tone.

[Elissabeth]

I'd love to do it.

But I'm a bit intimidated, and wouldn't know where to start!

I'd feel like such a fool and I don't understand what any of the terms related mean.

So if a gym instructor said, 'bench press' or 'deadlift', I wouldn't know what I was meant to do.

Also, I don't believe it makes you bulk up, because to do that you'd also have to eat like a horse, train like a demon and even when MEN do this, its very hard to builld big muscles.

[TheInformer]

(Original post by Elissabeth)
I'd love to do it.

But I'm a bit intimidated, and wouldn't know where to start!

I'd feel like such a fool and I don't understand what any of the terms related mean.

So if a gym instructor said, 'bench press' or 'deadlift', I wouldn't know what I was meant to do.

Why not look them up? do you think everyone in the weights section knew what to do first time?

[boba]

because the men in the weights section are scary

[Arturo Bandini]

(Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo)

Spoiler:

Show

tbf I think you just dun proved their point

[Elissabeth]

(Original post by TheInformer)
Why not look them up? do you think everyone in the weights section knew what to do first time?

Well, I'm incredibly weak and would be worried that I'd just drop the weight on myself the first time! lol!

Does this happen much??

[Emielle]

I lift when I go to the gym, but I'm terrified of barbell anything's. I'll use freeweights till the cows come home, even though I'm pretty weak and tend to use 6kg for 12 reps. If you asked me to deadlift I wouldn't know what you meant other than the fact that I'd need to use a barbell. And I have no clue how to go about that.

Also, bulky men are intimidating when you're a round 17 year old lady.

[aspirinpharmacist]

Because every time I stray away from my beloved rowing machine or treadmill, my heart cries. No really. Cardio's just more fun for me. Put on some chase-scene music from a film/TV series and it's great. I don't go to the gym to lose weight, I go (and don't tell my parents because they'll just look smug and say I told you so) because I kind of enjoy it. I plan to go more often this summer (let's hope I stick to that resolution) because I'll have more free time and it will give me something to do. Also, I want to be healthy. If I have lost weight it's just a side effect. Quite fancy trying to do the London marathon next year if I get a place, it would give me something to aim for. So basically, I don't lift because I don't want to, and also, it's usually surrounded by a group of guys pretending to flex their muscles but really they just text their friends (even though they're already with their friends ) so I'd rather stay on the treadmill because although that usually means I end up next to a couple of middle-aged guys, at least they are there for the same reason as me, to get fit, not pretend to be masculine but really chat like a group of ladies in a coffee house. That's not to say I wouldn't have a chat over a cup of coffee, but I wouldn't do that at the gym.

Edit: Should clarify, the teenage boys get in the way so you can't get access to the weights, and if you politely ask them to let you use them, they respond less-than-politely in return.

[andrea (:]

Most girls who are serious about getting fit, do though.

I mean the kind of serious where you're like 'screw this, i'm going to do my research, get some help, and get working properly'

I've personally always found it beneficial to get some kind of guidance from a PT, even if its just once in a while, get yourself some actual reachable goals, and not to be scared off by the 'scary guys in the weight section'. Most people in the gym WILL help you when you ask and also, after a while you start to feel really pumped about going/happy when you can handle more and more weight.

I think its just a case of having the right mentality about the whole thing and being determined enough. If you want it enough, you will go out there and get it. Lifting produces results.

[Dark Horse]

(Original post by aspirinpharmacist)
Because every time I stray away from my beloved rowing machine or treadmill, my heart cries. No really. Cardio's just more fun for me. Put on some chase-scene music from a film/TV series and it's great. I don't go to the gym to lose weight, I go (and don't tell my parents because they'll just look smug and say I told you so) because I kind of enjoy it. I plan to go more often this summer (let's hope I stick to that resolution) because I'll have more free time and it will give me something to do. Also, I want to be healthy. If I have lost weight it's just a side effect. Quite fancy trying to do the London marathon next year if I get a place, it would give me something to aim for. So basically, I don't lift because I don't want to, and also, it's usually surrounded by a group of guys pretending to flex their muscles but really they just text their friends (even though they're already with their friends ) so I'd rather stay on the treadmill because although that usually means I end up next to a couple of middle-aged guys, at least they are there for the same reason as me, to get fit, not pretend to be masculine but really chat like a group of ladies in a coffee house. That's not to say I wouldn't have a chat over a cup of coffee, but I wouldn't do that at the gym.

You wouldn't need to follow that particular workout model, you could just, say, NOT talk to anyone or text one anyone during your workout and just lift weights like you're supposed to.

At the end of the day, do whatever the **** you wanna do...but don't make crap excuses for it like you just did, lmao.

[MrHappy_J]

The media doesn't tend to promote women with muscles. Personally when I think of women lifitng I think of Madonna.

Also: lol. it seems like we can never get it right for you guys. You keep telling us to lose weight but now it's not enough to be slim, we have to look like those women in the photographs too? Fat chance (no pun intended).

Aren't you the one who also thinks women don't deserve respect?

[andrea (:]

I think this whole image of 'muscly' women is portrayed wrong.

There are some women at my gym who are in there daily, bench pressing insane amounts, uber fit ladies, but when you first saw them, you wouldn't really expect it?

Lifting isn't going to turn you into a macho uber muscly looking person, it'll give you definition sure but as im sure its been mentioned above, this portrayal of what women are going to look like if they pick up a dumbell or two is really off at times.

[Arekkusu]

A skinny or fat man hasn't put any effort in. So muscles are seen as desirable. But a skinny woman has had to put effort in, because women have more fat generally.

Still, for women being skinny is easier than getting muscles. Also muscles are already taken as a man's thing. So therefore being skinny is a badge of honour for their gender.

The ideal woman does have toned muscles, and high energy for the bedroom, but I think the one you've posted is a bit too much. There comes a point when muscles deform the female form and make it somewhat grotesque, I think for the majority of men

[Dark Horse]

(Original post by MrHappy_J)
The media doesn't tend to promote women with muscles. Personally when I think of women lifitng I think of Madonna.

Also: lol. it seems like we can never get it right for you guys. You keep telling us to lose weight but now it's not enough to be slim, we have to look like those women in the photographs too? Fat chance (no pun intended).

Aren't you the one who also thinks women don't deserve respect?

The media is no excuse. Why do people blame media and social conditioning for everything? Don't you have a mind of your own or something?

And no. I've honestly never seen a man encourage a woman to do zumba or low intensity cardio or salivate over the resulting physiques of such workouts. Face it...cardio is low stress, easy and it's easy to convince yourself that you're actually doing something and that one day you will "get there".

[Dark Horse]

(Original post by Arekkusu)
A skinny or fat man hasn't put any effort in. So muscles are seen as desirable. But a skinny woman has had to put effort in, because women have more fat generally.

Still, for women being skinny is easier than getting muscles. Also muscles are already taken as a man's thing. So therefore being skinny is a badge of honour for their gender.

The ideal woman does have toned muscles, and high energy for the bedroom, but I think the one you've posted is a bit too much. There comes a point when muscles deform the female form and make it somewhat grotesque, I think for the majority of men

The only thing that looks really masculine about her is the vascularity of her arms. Put her next to a man with a good physique and good amount of muscle mass and she won't look "masculine" then, I bet.

[andrea (:]

To be honest.

Anyone who is working out for any other reason than their own health or their own personal gain, won't get a whole lot out of the whole thing.

a HUGE percentage of topics that revolve around women hitting the gym/not shying away from the weights always end up right back at 'we're doing this for you guys'.

Defeats the purpose of it all really. You've got to be in it all the way. The gym is only 20% of it, the biggest part is nutrition/mental state and nothing but genuine motivation/drive is going to get you all the way.

[MrHappy_J]

(Original post by Dark Horse)
The media is no excuse. Why do people blame media and social conditioning for everything? Don't you have a mind of your own or something?

And no. I've honestly never seen a man encourage a woman to do zumba or low intensity cardio or salivate over the resulting physiques of such workouts. Face it...cardio is low stress, easy and it's easy to convince yourself that you're actually doing something and that one day you will "get there".

why does it bother you so much? lifting is just one of those things that are seen as being "male" unfortunately, like football or...well i cant think of another example. I think what you're really asking in this thread is "why don't more women look like this *cue photos*?" Then you accuse people of being too easily influenced by the media. Really?

what id like to know is why so many men get ripped. it's really not attractive.

and clearly women do lift, as it happens, so the point of this thread is rather lost

[*Thedreaming*]

too much men in that area.