TurquoiseEyes
Cathlete
My opinion? I suppose it's POSSIBLE that one could get a blocky midsection from very heavily-weighted squats and deadlifts. That would also require a genetic predisposition to putting on weight in the midsection and eating enough to allow such "block". However, considering that few exercises train the hamstrings - a seriously under-trained body part in many women who haven't lifted weights regularly - like the deadlift does, I'd personally be willing to take the gamble. (Who wants knee pain due to under-developed hamstrings?)
As for squats...This is the one movement all of us will need to be able to do well until the day we die, unless we'd like to be dependent upon others for constant assistance in our old age. I don't care how "blocky" I'd get, I won't give up doing squats. I do a few deep, unweighted squats daily on top of my other training.
For anyone who believes weight-training, squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc., are going to hurt everyone by creating an unappealing body type, I ask them to do just one thing. Go to a nursing home. See the poor people who can no longer go to the bathroom, walk down the hall, sit up in a wheelchair, or lift themselves up in bed. It's the most heartbreaking thing to view. Understand that muscle (and bone) loss is the reason why many of these people lost those abilities younger people can take for granted. Is it worth it? Ask yourself if becoming blocky, even assuming it was a sure thing to happen, is a worse fate than ending up helpless. I realize there are exceptions to every rule, and that weight-training does not automatically prevent the body's decay, but it sure doesn't hurt the odds. This isn't political, this is real life. Aging is beautiful. Frailty is not.
(Cathe, thank you for inspiring myself and many other women to lift weights and stay strong over a lifetime!)
http://bretcontreras.com/squats-and-deadlifts-wont-make-your-waist-blocky/
As for squats...This is the one movement all of us will need to be able to do well until the day we die, unless we'd like to be dependent upon others for constant assistance in our old age. I don't care how "blocky" I'd get, I won't give up doing squats. I do a few deep, unweighted squats daily on top of my other training.
For anyone who believes weight-training, squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc., are going to hurt everyone by creating an unappealing body type, I ask them to do just one thing. Go to a nursing home. See the poor people who can no longer go to the bathroom, walk down the hall, sit up in a wheelchair, or lift themselves up in bed. It's the most heartbreaking thing to view. Understand that muscle (and bone) loss is the reason why many of these people lost those abilities younger people can take for granted. Is it worth it? Ask yourself if becoming blocky, even assuming it was a sure thing to happen, is a worse fate than ending up helpless. I realize there are exceptions to every rule, and that weight-training does not automatically prevent the body's decay, but it sure doesn't hurt the odds. This isn't political, this is real life. Aging is beautiful. Frailty is not.
(Cathe, thank you for inspiring myself and many other women to lift weights and stay strong over a lifetime!)
http://bretcontreras.com/squats-and-deadlifts-wont-make-your-waist-blocky/