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Post new topic   Reply to topic A New Perspective
Athilea Majiri



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 PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:22 pm Reply with quote        
So, about a month ago now my husband and I started strength training. That means we've been doing a lot of squats, dead lifts, bench presses, and overhead presses. It's all part of a proven 30 year old program called Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.

In this month we have added 60 pounds to the amount that we can squat. I'm only a couple of weeks away from squatting my own body weight. I squatted 145 pounds 5 times for 3 sets the last time we trained. We only train 3 times a week, but every time we add 5-10 pounds to each move we do. 5 pounds for me on the presses because I'm not good at them.

For the Dead Lifts I did 150 pounds for one set of 5. The bench press and overhead press alternate on the days we train. For bench presses I'm up to 80 and for overhead presses I'm up to 60. So I'm still doing pretty well.

Now, you may ask why I'm doing this or what the new perspective part of my title is about. Well, I'll tell you. I use to see fitness in an almost completely aesthetic way. I was borderline starving myself while working out for an hour a day 6 days a week. Even on my off day I was walking and doing other things to try to ensure that I wouldn't accidentally gain even an ounce. What use is looking good, though, if the workouts you are doing aren't functional?

When you strength train if gives helps in a lot of different areas. Squats help you run faster, dead lifts help you pick up heavy stuff (super useful for moving), and so on. So why do this random isolated workouts that don't actually have your body move in a way that is natural?

What changed my perspective was a little bit of Mark Rippetoe, but mostly it was a woman by the name of Gillian Mounsey and (link) a paper she wrote about her own change in perspective. It gave me a lot to think about, and in the end I agreed with her.

Of course, I'm short and stout so I have a build that lends itself well to this sort of training. It comes more naturally to me then anything else I've tried to do, and I LOVE it. I actually want to compete in Power Lifting eventually. It doesn't come so naturally to my husband. He is tall and lanky, though. However, everyone can do it and be awesome at it. Especially if you start doing it right as you hit puberty. There are actually less weight lifting related injuries then there are injuries (and even deaths) related to football when it's taught properly.

Why don't we have more people doing this? For women the answer is simple I think. We don't want to get 'bulky'. Well, go look up Gillian Mounsey. She does have large arms, but that was from her time body building, not from actually just weight training. Aside from her arms, though, she is not bulky. So, where did the idea that weight training would make you bulky come from? I believe it came exclusively from body builders.

Anyway, I hope this helps a few people out there the way it helped me. People that are trying to get fit, but just don't mesh well with whatever program they are currently on. It certainly helped me a great deal.

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neomattlac



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 PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:20 pm Reply with quote        
The issue with guys is that some of us have never lifted before, which makes us weak. When I bench pressed, I was just doing the barbell, and my arms were hurting after 2 sets of 10 reps.

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Athilea Majiri



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 PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:28 am Reply with quote        
Most women never lift either. It's not a feminine thing for us to do, or so we are brought up to believe. So, the first couple of times we did this training, my husband included, we were sore. Our bodies had to get accustomed to the weight, and we had to get our diet right to ensure we were taking in enough protein, as well as ensure we were getting enough sleep.

It was hard, yes. It's hard getting to parallel for squats, it's hard for me to push the weight for the presses, the dead lifts are difficult because my hands aren't that strong so, though everything else can lift the weight, sometimes I have to change my grip so that the weight doesn't slip from between my fingers. There's a score of difficulties that goes hand in hand with weight lifting. Don't give up just because the first couple of times you get sore. I promise that if you do it right it will not last. Neither my husband or I get sore after working out unless we do something wrong.

Starting Strength Homepage
This website has a lot of resources.

I do want to apologize if the post comes across as curt. These imagined differences between men and women annoy me, especially when it comes to strength training.

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