Why won't more people strength train?

Sparrow

Amen, sistah!!

And to think, the other day I was sooooooo excited because DH said he could feel and actually see muscle growth in my shoulders and arms. Happy dance:)

I also understand the feelings that Janice discussed. Having so far to go could be really discouraging and it is unfortunate that everyone doesn't have the internal motivation or a friend to encourage them along the way.
 
It is really bizarre. Although, if they've never done it before, it could be intimidating to get started. Typically the free weights side of the gym is full of hulky looking guys, and a woman who doesn't have a clue where or how to start might be WAY too nervous to just head in there and give it a shot, or heaven forbid, ask one of the guys for help. And the machines are often complicated. Hiring a trainer might feel like too much of a "big deal" to get started....

I actually think that The Firm does a GREAT job of introducing women to weight training. The weight selection they use can be found in the pretty neoprene covered dumbbells, which look less "manly" (what's funny is that I now find all of my coated dumbbells annoying, and am dying to swap them out for non-coated sets...), and if you are just starting out, I think they also do a great job of showing the results of weight training. They instructors are clearly strong and have well defined muscles, but aren't "scary looking" - they are beautiful, which would hopefully remove the "bulk fear." Once you get comfortable there, you can branch out to Cathe, the gym, P90X, etc.

I was lucky in that I never was intimidated - I used to go to the "man" side of the gym even when I was in high school, and I don't care if I'm the only woman in the weight room full of hulky guys. No biggie.

m.
 
Good morning Cindy,

I would love to be able to talk with someone about lifting weights, cardio, stretching, all that good stuff. But, no one here by that name. Only you educated crowd. Thank God for that!

I once was a yo yo dieter and no exerciser also. Trying to find the best pill that would suppress my eating habits. After many many years of such a way of life, and reading a lot about it, I finally realized exercises and cardio was the way to go. And then after learning this, it took me a couple of years to truly get into the right frame of mind. As I grew into this new way of life, I started to see a big difference between me and other women my age. Then I knew I was on the right track.

It takes a huge amount of commitment to do this, and even a greater amount when you work, and greater still when you have a job and children. To tell you the truth, I couldn't be completly commited until my child became old enough to leave home. Then to fill that void, I started working out consistently. And that's where I saw more improvement physicaly.

Now I work out with a passion, I guess. I keep a rotation going for a month, and look forward to a change the next. I'm very much considering to make one up for myself for my New Years resolution. I still need to learn more about rotations, but think I will be ready by then.

So, as most of you said, there is no pill to take, and even though my process was slow, I did get there. There's hope for people, if they know committment, never giving up and knowledge is key. It's hard!

Have a nice day,

Janie

"If you can't say anything nice about someone, then don't say anything at all."
-My mother, Mary Cooper-
 
mspina and Janie,

Good posts and mindsets.

mspina, I think the point about the firm and beginning with the "pretty" weights is valid and would make weights more approachable to a lot of women.

Janie, I think your posts would inspire any woman to workout.

Now what do we do about the men who refuse to lift weights or do cardio?
 
Occasionally, I'll get a potential client who refuses to weight train. A few weeks ago, I met a woman who wanted to train with me to "get skinny"(now mind you, she's probably a size 4). She told me, and I quote, "I'd rather be super skinny than have ANY muscle tone at all"!!!!!!! Not prepared for this sort of attitude, I was literally at a loss for words. She basically wanted me to make her run on a treadmill for hours on end, and then do it all again the next day! I could tell that she was disappointed in my expressions while she was talking and fortunately never called me to train her. I actually did attempt the "weight training is great for your bones and overall health" talk, but she was having none of it. I tell you, sometimes it's hard to not be rude and take offense at some comments people make. But, I was nice and kept thinking to myself that this woman probably has "issues" that I know nothing about....BUT STILL!!!!

Carolyn
 
Janice, I think you are correct. I don't think it's laziness either.

Most of the people I know are busy raising families, working jobs, balancing family needs and trying to make time for themselves can be extremely tough. Between the demands of husband, kids' schedules, housework and a full-time job, some women are utterly exhausted!

If "dabbling" here and there with weights would do the job, I'm sure more people would do it. But, as you know, a true fitness program takes commitment of time and of energy. Many women -- and men -- have little of either to spare!

I get up an hour before the rest of my family in order to get my workouts in. This means, of course, I have to sacrifice some evening time in order to get the rest my body needs. Most of you have, I'm sure, made similar concessions. You feel the benefits outweigh what you have given up, and I would agree with that!

I have been morbidly obese and intimidated by even the thought of doing what it takes to get fit. Now I am fit, and I worked hard to get here. I'm not going to judge those who have been where I was -- there is enough of people feeling superior to each other! There are lazy people around to be sure, but I don't have enough time on my hands to go around picking them out.

When it comes to weights or any fitness program, you either see the light or you don't. I'm glad I see it!
 
1. Because they are lazy.
2. Because they think they will look like a man.
3. They don't care what they look like.
4. They are watching fit tv eating Hagan Daz.
5. They are 5'5" and weigh 90 lbs without trying.
6. They don't care if their butts touch their ankles...

Hows that>>>

http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina
 
>Janice, I think you are correct. I don't think it's laziness
>either.
>
>Most of the people I know are busy raising families, working
>jobs, balancing family needs and trying to make time for
>themselves can be extremely tough. Between the demands of
>husband, kids' schedules, housework and a full-time job, some
>women are utterly exhausted!

I don't disagree with this (being a single mom with a demanding career that requires regular travel, two rambunctious youngsters, a house that always needs something, a bunch of needy animals that need to be squished, and of course the fiancee, who does expect occasional attentoin :) ), BUT I do think people could find the time to work out if they really wanted to. I mean, how many hours do people spend staring listlessly at the TV set? (Not knocking TV watching per se, I just think you can cut back on your viewing time and use it more productively.)

I also agree that people aren't in general lazy and that the gym can be a VERY intimidating place. My point was that I have personally had multitudes of conversations with people who automatically tune me out when we get to the part where there is no magical elixir. So I do think a large part of the issue is we are socialized to look for the easy fix.

Marie
 
Quote by DeanaMax

"Because they are uninformed".
------------------------------------
That's exactly what I was going to say.:)

Think of all we have learned by reading forums and books and doing workout videos, etc. Can you imagine how clueless we'd all be if we didn't know or weren't interested about all these avenues of knowledge. For most of us here, it (the knowledge) all started small(or some went in full force) and the knowledge just kept growing. Most of us here were probably at some point in our lifes..clueless.. as how to get fit and healthy. Maybe we are just more open minded to getting there. I'm not sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top