BlogHer - Advantages of Working Out with Weights - Comments

I don't blame you!

Zandria — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:23:55 -0500

Even if I had a bodybuilder's physique, I can't see myself EVER getting up on stage in some tiny bikini! But yes, working out with weights "the old-school way" is quite great. :)

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

I'm Old School, Love those weights!

pkayfit — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:08:47 -0500

Newbee here and I thought I would just say a few words.

I used to bodybuild back in the days of the 80's. I only started workout out because I needed to lose some weight before I got married. I really started getting into it and my finance hooked up with a couple of people who were training to compete in a Bodybuilding contest. I got a taste of it and really liked how it started changing my body. I love working out. I never really went very far just the workout part of it. I am too shy to get on stage in some string.

Til this day, I have been on and off. When I really focus I really see the change. I love working out with the weights the old school way.

I blog at http://physiquealicious.com

www.myphysiqueinc.blogspot.com

www.myphysiqueinc.com

Pka

Thanks, Kathy!

Zandria — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:16:53 -0500

I know exactly what you mean. When I was in my too-thin stage, I thought that lifting weights would mean bulking up. Boy, was I wrong. I like my body shape so much better now than I did 20 pounds ago!

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

Great post!

Kathy333 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:27:29 -0500

Love your comments. I have been a runner for about 12 years now and for the beginning of that I always thought fit meant thin.

Then I began doing some weight lifting, and I love it! I feel I look more toned and healthy than I did when I didn't lift. I don't do a lot-just enough to maintain some muscles. I feel strong and beautiful when I am lifting. When I skip a few days, I can feel it! I really love to lift right before I go out and wear a sleeveless shirt/dress!

Great work! I'm glad i found your blog.

I don't think that's too much to ask, either!

Zandria — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:11:15 -0500

In fact, it sounds like a great goal. Go for it! :)

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

I love weights

Claudine — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:02:55 -0500

I love working out with weights, and you do lose fat quicker when you do a combination of weight training and cardio. Well, I'm not a doctor, but that's what I think. I have been starting and stopping. I even post every week on my blog about my progress with getting the coveted bikini body. I'm ready to start again. I want to have a six-pack and toned legs before I meet my maker. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Claudine Williams

Travel Editor

www.vacation-tip.com

Follow me at www.twitter.com/claudinew

That's for sure!

Zandria — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:00:09 -0500

I'm definitely going to be doing it more often. :)

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

Empowering

aunt_nancy — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:01:19 -0500

Everyone should compliment a women who is fit and toned! It takes a lot of hardwork to get there (some more than others) and then maintain it!! Thanks for the reminder. Now I need to hit the weights myself (love better than the cardio) and then find someone to pay a compliment too! Paying it forward. Cheers.

www.sparksprite.com

Singing muscles

Liz Rizzo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:14:28 -0500

Seriously, I feel like my back has been aching for me to start using weights again for years now! SO glad I'm *finally* getting back to it.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Good for you, Liz!

Zandria — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:07:34 -0500

I love how you said in your last BlogHer post that your muscles are "singing" now that you're lifting weights again. :)

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

I completely understand!

Zandria — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:06:37 -0500

When I went to Tampa for a few days back in April, I wasn't on my normal workout schedule...and it was really getting to me! I'm already trying to think ahead about the BlogHer conference next month. Is there a gym in the hotel...?

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

I'm the same way!

Zandria — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:05:22 -0500

I don't have nearly as much fun with cardio as I do with weights. After cardio I feel exhausted, whereas after weight-lifting I feel pumped up and energized. :)

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

Yay for weights!

Liz Rizzo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:36:42 -0500

I'm only just getting back into it, but nothing beats weight work and having STRENGTH!

Plus, muscles burn fat all by themselves. :)

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Love my weights!

debra roby — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:03:51 -0500

Zandria,

Yes I, too, am an advocate of weight-lifting for women. The positive effects are astounding to me.

I've noticed that when I go approach that 3rd day without working out, I get very antsy.. and find reasons to do something! Usually it's dropping for some pushups.. but anything that works the muscles will make me happy.

Thanks for pointing out my post; is it silly that I still cry every time I read it?

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

Great Topic

Blondie In Brazil — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:50:39 -0500

I enjoyed your post. You make some great points. I am sure you made that lady's day!

I've weight-lifted since I was about 15. I find it empowering as well. This is what led me to make a career in the field. The whole process is meditative for me. I love putting in the ipod and getting into my own world at the gym. I always view cardio as work, but I actually enjoy weight lifting.

My adventures living in Brazil: www.blondieinbrazil.blogspot.com

My thoughts as a Nutritionist: www.fakefoodfree.com

Advantages of Working Out with Weights

Zandria — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:48:35 -0500

I was washing my hands in a public restroom not long ago when I saw a woman standing at the row of sinks along the opposite wall. Her back was to me, but I noticed she was wearing a sleeveless shirt -- and what stood out to me were her toned arms. Her muscles weren’t immensely large, but they were well defined and I could tell she’d put in some effort to have them look that way. I made the split-second decision that I should tell her what I'd noticed: “You have nice arms,” I said. And you know what? By saying what I did, I made this woman’s day.

A huge smile appeared on her face and she walked over to stand next to me. She told me she’d always had muscular arms, but up until recently they were just thick -- she’d been putting some extra work into their appearance and she was proud of them. “As you should be,” I said. “You look great.” She must have thanked me two or three times.

I had a smile on my face when I left the restroom, too. It wasn’t just because I felt good about giving this woman a well-received compliment. It was because I knew how she felt. I know how awesome it is to receive a compliment when someone notices a positive change in your appearance; something you’ve worked so hard to achieve. I had a similar experience late last year, after I’d been working out regularly with weights for about six months. I had met up with a friend who I hadn’t seen since the previous summer, and her reaction (“You look great!”) made me feel like a superstar.

Sure, we work out for ourselves. But when people actually notice...and tell you so? We are human creatures and we tend to enjoy a good compliment. In addition to doing exercises for our arms (and chest, and shoulders) so we can easily lift heavy boxes, we also do it so our upper bodies will look good in a tank top. We do squats, leg presses, and lunges (among other things) to form shapely legs. And why else would we suffer through core exercises unless we cared about flattening our midsection?

Some people really love working out with weights. Some people hate it. Sometimes people think they hate it until they get someone (like a friend, or a personal trainer, or even a staff person at a gym) to show them how things are done. As for me, up until this time last June I’d simply never worked with weights at all (unless you count a few sporadic, half-hearted attempts at bicep curls with a 5-lb dumbbell).

Working out with weights has done more to transform my body than anything else I’ve ever done. I do cardio as well, but unless you’re specifically trying to lose a lot of weight by burning extra calories, you’re just not going to see the same kind of physical transformation that you will with regular weight training. I like being able to feel the muscles in my legs. I like being able to squeeze my arms and not have them go squish-squish -- there’s actual muscle there now, which I’ve never had before.

But in addition to the benefits on the outside, I’m absolutely certain that becoming physically stronger has made me mentally stronger as well. I feel more confident. It doesn’t bother me to be the only women in a weight room filled with grunting men. If someone tries to help me carry something heavy, I feel awesome when I'm able to say, “No, thank you. I’ve got it.”

Noel Figart agrees that we should do weight training to help us feel better on the inside, and to feel physically stronger -- not just because you’ll notice a positive difference in how you look on the outside.

When I see articles about how someone’s life has become so much better since they got thin and look great in a bikini I want to scream, “You’re missing the point!” I mean...of course I want to be found attractive. But ya know, that’s a lot of work to go to get approbation from the outside. And the idea of finding life validation in terms of how sexy I’m seen is kinda scary to me, because it puts my life worth in someone else’s hands. No thanks. See, when I work out, I do it to be stronger. Would I like to look hot in a bikini? Sure. But honestly that’s years away if it ever happens and isn’t much of a motivator to get my ass into the pool or a bar loaded across my shoulders. At this stage it’s the energy to do my day. It’s having physical options.

Kelly from Fitness Fixation says there are four types of commentary she generally gets about her (muscled, tattooed) arms -- some is positive, some not so much.

[M]ost of the people who disapprove of the guns are coincidentally not people I have even one tiny bit of interest in impressing. I mean, it’s uncanny how often it coincides. [...]

At the end of the day, I’m just glad I found the sporty life and it makes me happy. And I don’t care about the haters.

One of my all-time favorite quotes came from MizFit when she was interviewed by Workout Mommy.

When I was a personal trainer I would *always* try and talk my clients out of wanting to be skinny. “You want to be BIG” I’d admonished them. “Muscular. You want to take up SPACE in the world. Be noticed.” To me skinny is weak and I’m not about the weak woman.

Erin from Lose the Buddha lost a fair amount of weight, but it's weight training that she attributes to her increased feelings of self-confidence.

At some point I'm going to have to stop saying that I hate weight lifting because it's the majority of what I'm doing in the gym and I, well, I love it. Lifting weights, and seeing how it's transforming my body, is giving me an appreciation for what my body can do in a way that losing all that weight didn't do. [...]

Lifting weights has shown me something new to try and love about my body, as opposed to hating or feeling self-conscious or apologetic for not taking up as much room anymore.

I feel strong. I am strong.

Weight training: love it or hate it? If you've been working with weights on a regular basis, have you noticed a positive difference (either internally or externally)?

Related Reading:

BlogHer Contributing Editor Deb wrote a great post about how she got started at the gym -- and gained confidence in the process.

Taylor Ryan gives us 10 Reasons Every Woman Should Lift Weight, as well as tips for Weight Lifting for Beginners.

SparkPeople: Why strength training is a must for everyone

Fit Sugar: Five Reasons You Should Be Lifting Weights

(Contributing editor Zandria also blogs at Keep Up With Me.)