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The Real Reason: Why Women Fear Heavy Weights
Many a times when ladies in the gym etc. seek my advice on fat loss, it’s no brainer I’d tell them the not-so-secret way to success. I’m always happy to provide information on how to do certain exercises, or why we should focus on compounds/free weights > machines and so on. It’s like being iron santa for girls 101.
Then the notoriously familiar ‘but…’ drives right up my garage, which leads me to conclude that the underlying reason is usually not a know-how issue, but something else: The fear of losing their femininity.
However hard the message of ‘lifting heavy won’t make females bulky’ is being propagated, digested and understood, it is not the fear of bulkiness that holds most women back. Instead, it is the perception that being able to lift more than the male counterpart would make them less of a woman and thus relinquish their desirability and attractiveness.
I’m not going to lie. When I deadlift 120kg/265lbs, boys (and girls) stare, hard. In fact, if I weren’t so intensely focused on getting my barbell up my shins, I’d probably have noticed the shudder down the spine of the boy deadlifting next to me.
Pauline Nordin
But here’s a message to my ladies:
Just because you’re a beast in the iron garden, does not make you less of a woman. Your strength should be celebrated in your terms, and not defined and restricted by anyone else. When you lift heavy, you define a face of fearlessness, extreme focus and hard work. Those qualities are marks of a warrior, a champion, a beautiful being strong enough to fight for their best. And most certainly, those qualities aren’t limited to a certain gender.
Take pride in what can be, and shatter your limitations.
For after I’m done with my workout, I stroll out of the gym with nothing less than an obscene 1000 megawatt smile, with a heart still marked with kindness, and want-to-punch-me sweetness.
Being fierce, has nothing to do with masculinity.
Being intense, has everything to do with you, reaching out for your goals and seizing what’s yours to begin with.Be fearless.
"When you start to treat the light weights like heavy weights, the heavy weights will go up a lot easier."
Ed Coan, the immortal.
WOD - 05/10/2011 (WED)
Squat:
4 x 5 @ 65kg
5 x 5 @ 60kg
Bench Press:
5 x 5 @ 37.5kg
Deadlift:
5 x 60kg
5 x 70kg
5 x 80kg
5 x 90kg
5 x 100kg
3 x 110kg
1 x 120kg
0 x 125kg
Single-arm Tricep Pulldown:
2 x 8 @ 5kg (each)
Notes:
- Fast Time Lapse: 22Hrs (Unintended/Stuck @ school)
- Was doing heavier for squats and bench press (40kg) but form was all over the place. Everyday I learn to put aside my ego and drop the weights because my tail bone was screaming.
- Learnt that because I’m taller, plus my lack of hip flexibility (I can’t do full squats with my feet on the ground), I should go for low bar squats, not exceeding parallel.
- Benching was off as well. I took way too long to fix my bad wrist form. I used to balance the bar on my wrist (i.e. bar will be perpendicular to hand). My wrist would be aching so bad by then (even though I could crank higher weights out). I dropped the weights back down to 10kg and worked my way up with proper wrists.
- Couldn’t get past 120kg for DL. I was a little distracted (even with loud dub step blasting in my ears) with everyone around just stalling with their weights at half-rep levels, staring at me. This dude was snapping a video. I got people cheering me on. And just boys slapping each others shoulders with jaws dropping. My tail bone was hurting too bad by then. Decided to call it a day because I felt awkward being a show. Plus I didn’t want to risk an injury.
- Dips are extremely taxing on my shoulders on the assisted machine. Went for the tricep pulldowns instead.
- Injuries: 2 banged up nails, left knuckles slammed from plates.
- On appetite: Shrinking, and losing cravings for sweets.
Question:
- Should I start deloading and fix my forms? Even if it means starting from scratch - i.e. empty bars. #ohmyego
Lean Gains Progress: 2 Days/0.5% Fat Loss
05/10/2011
Fasted/Pre-workout
Weight: 81.4kg (-.9kg)
Fat Mass: 26.0kg (-.7kg)
Fat %: 31.9% (-.5%)
Muscle Mass: 51.9kg (~)
Bone Mass: 3.7kg
Metabolic Age: 29 (-1)
Visceral Fat Rating: 7
Notes: Fasting Frame
- Fasting is starting to get exceptionally easy
- Then again, I’m not going to lie that it may be a dangerous breeding ground for an eating disorder
- Fasting is much… much easier on a workout day > Rest day
- I’m not surprised. Exercise suppresses ghrelin, a hormone stimulating appetite.
- I also need to be conscious about cycling my macros +20% on workout days -20% on rest days
- Secret? This is working. And I’ve cut back my workout time by 100%
WOD - 03/10/2011 (MON)
Squats:
5 x 5 @ 60kg
Overhead Press:
5 x 5 @ 28kg
Pendlay Rows:
5 x 5 @ 40kg
Chin Ups:
3 x 8 @ 55kg (A)
Cardio:
25mins (Sprint/Walk)
Notes:
- Did workout sans BCAA
- Fast Time Lapse before workout: 18Hrs
- Will not include weight for warm up sets (too much recording)
- Pendlay done on stacks of double 5kg plates
- Remember to do Rotator Cuff warm ups before overhead presses
- Could have gone heavier for many but wanted to keep form
- Supposed to do 30mins for Cardio, but got too restless
- Plus, men at both ends were pestering me ;>
