Any major weightlifters?

[rachel]

Hey ladies!

I'm new around here, but lift weights 5-6 days a week and adore it--most women I know IRL think I'm crazy or just don't get it, so I'd love to find someone (female) who shares my hobby...the boys are great, but it's not the same.

I work 1-2 muscle groups a day for about 45 minutes, (attempt) yoga 1-2 times a week (I often fail to do this, bad Rachel) and get into jags of doing sprinting workouts once a week or so.

[kwith]

I'm a runner much more than a weight lifter, but try to implement weight lifting 2-3 times a week since I know it's crazy important. I find I enjoy it more and do better when following a program like NROL. I would say I'm more of a weight lifter now than I was a year ago. Does that count?

[FTL]

I'm all about group fitness. I love lifting heavy but since moving I have yet to find a friend to be my spotter. H is horrible about getting to the gym.. So lately it's just been BodyPump for my lifting purposes. sad... But I DO enjoy lifting. I love the burn and shaking. My favorite muscle groups to work are bi/tri and back. My least favorite is DEFINITELY all the legs... I do too much cardio to enjoy leg lifting days.. lol

[Michelle04]

I'm barely trying to get back into fitness (been a little down since this year about not being able to lose the weight)

I used to be a runner a long time ago so i'm going to start walking and eventually running and lifting. I've always lifted heavy; most girls don't get it. I keep getting the ignorant "I don't want to be bulky" response which annoys the heck out of me.

[GoneFishing]

I love weight lifting, and I believe in lifting heavy. I was really into it, lifting 3-4 times a week before I injured my neck in the spring (not related to weight lifting or working out). I hadn't been doing it for more than a couple of months at the time, and I had to give it up for rehab, then start back VERY slowly. Since life has sucked donkey balls for the last month, I'm only getting to lift once or twice a week instead of every couple of days, so it's taking me a lot longer to build back up. No lie, the day I got to use the big ol' 5lb dumbbells for lateral raises instead of going into the aerobic room for the 3lb ones, I was flat out giddy.

As for my workout, I do 2 to 3 major muscle groups at a time, and I tend to lift for 20 - 30 minutes depending on which group I'm doing.  Some groups like Bicepsor upper Back just go faster because I don't have to switch out different weights for different moves as often, whereas something like Legs means swapping out weights between pretty much every move just because of the moves I do and how I have them ordered. 

[rachel]

Oh, hooray it makes me so happy to hear about other women lifting heavy. I could deadlift all day long. Chest, back and legs are my favorite days, shoulders/bi/tri I just do because I have too.

I'm with you guys on the "bulky" comments... drives me crazy! It's like...do they not realize how hard it is for bodybuilders of either sex to look the way they do? It's not an accident. I am heavier AND smaller than I've ever been in my fully-grown life, and I adore it. I'm 5'6", 130-140ish pounds (it fluctuates, and I rarely weigh myself), and I'm a size 2. Bulky my ass.

[ptrose13]

I love lifting, I hate cardio, I love feeling like I can kick ass if I want to

[rachel]

That's pretty much my philosophy summed up, lol. I do sprinting and occasional HIIT, but long distance running (and by long I mean more than 120 yards) makes me completely miserable.

Aug 1, 2013 21:00:04 GMT -5 ptrose13 said:

I love lifting, I hate cardio, I love feeling like I can kick ass if I want to

[bmorebride6]

Crossfitter here!  I used to exclusively lift...hated cardio.  Then I started running marathons which I feel in love with...then crossfit happens and its the best of both worlds for me : )

[rachel]

Do any of you crossfit ladies fear injury? Obviously lots of people love it, but some of those repetitive jerking motions makes me fear for my shoulders! I don't think it's for me anyway, but I'm always interested in seeing what works for other people.

[bmorebride6]

In my opinion, find the correct coaches makes a world of difference.  I've heard of people working out at boxes and getting chronically hurt.  The coaches at my box are very form focused.  Before everyone workout, regardless of how long you've been going, they go through every move and the proper form, what muscle groups you should be engages, discussing importance of core, etc.  And they have no problem stopping you during a workout and getting you to readjust your form.  In the past months they have brought in both an OLY lifting coach and a gymnastics coach who have made my lifting SO much more comfortable and effective than when i was doing it on my own.  

[FTL]

We have a few Crossfit ladies here. I do Crossfit-inspired work outs a couple times a week, but I won't step into the box at my gym. I know good and bad form when I see it, and they are NOT safe. I think it's a great work out for people that are experienced lifters, so you would probably be safe and effective with it.. But all the beginners that make that their starting point.. *sigh* ouch for their joints..

[GoneFishing]

Aug 2, 2013 5:50:13 GMT -5 @xcalygrl said:

I do crossfit on my own. I have had a personal trainer before, so I was taught proper form on the stuff you do in crossfit. Crossfit in itself isn't dangerous (IMO). It's when people get tired, lazy, or are taught bad form that it becomes dangerous.

Crossfit is hard. You do get tired. When you get tired, you try to take shortcuts or you get sloppy. It's in those times that you end up hurt.

I think that's true of pretty much all heavy workouts, honestly. That's why I don't do Zumba, personally. The warm ups are always cardio based and getting the heart rate up instead of loosening the joints which is SO super important with any dance workout. If you're doing a dance workout challenging enough to get results and you don't limber up the joints, you are an injury waiting to happen.

[NonosG]

I love this topic! I used to lift a lot, like 4-5 times a week. I had a great personal trainer who really pushed me and was in support of women lifting heavy. When money got tight I had to stop training with him as often and I found my workouts slipping to 3 a week, then 2 a week, until eventually I had no personal trainer and no motivation to go to the gym. 

I started lifting again earlier this year with my FI. I had to teach him how to use his legs *giggle*. We were lifting about 3 days a week and running as well. We just started training for a half marathon and I feel like running is taking over my life! I'm not good at heavy lifting and running so until we get through the half marathon I think I'll be lifting moderate weights just twice a week. I told FI last night that as soon as the half is done I want to focus on lifting again. 

I love leg workouts! Makes me feel super strong. 

[FTL]

haha NonosG that's so funny about FI... What is it with men and legs?! I'm constantly snapping at my H with his squats, "KNEES BEHIND THE TOES BEHIIIIIND THE TOES YOU WONDER WHY YOUR KNEES ALWAYS HURT?!?! "
*le sigh*

[rachel]

Aug 2, 2013 7:49:18 GMT -5 FTL said:

haha NonosG that's so funny about FI... What is it with men and legs?! I'm constantly snapping at my H with his squats, "KNEES BEHIND THE TOES BEHIIIIIND THE TOES YOU WONDER WHY YOUR KNEES ALWAYS HURT?!?! "
*le sigh*

Lol this sounds familiar! H isn't really into the weights, sadly--I wish he was, and he'll do it sometimes to spend time with me, but he doesn't love it like I do. I mostly lift with my brothers and dad, which is awesome, but when we move in the next year or so I have noooo clue what I'm going to do about a spotter. It's actually got me a little freaked out--I've never paid for a personal trainer and don't want to start now, but if it's between that or giving up heavy lifts, I'll totally do it.

[NonosG]

I so totally prefer to lift by myself. It has been an adjustment lifting with FI. I'll generally ask a regular in my gym for a spot but no one spots like my former personal trainer.

I often miss him at the gym and hear him in my head. I started training with him right after I moved to MI all by myself. I literally knew one person who lived here. I trained with him for three days a week for almost 3 years and days I didn't have scheduled training I'd still see him at the gym. It sounds crazy but he was a big reason why I think I made it through the first year or so on my own in MI.