Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

[julirama723]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

It really deflates their ego.

It's also fun to have the menfolk stare at you when you're doing squats. Up to a point. Then it just gets creepy...

[pamelainaustin]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

I just wanted to offer another suggestion to those who may be new to working with weights or need more help understanding the various exercises and muscles.

WAY BACK in the early 90's I saw a woman named Joyce Vedral on Oprah or somewhere and was amazed at how good she looked at 50. She was an "early" advocate for female weight training using free weights. I bought her book "Bottoms Up" and I STILL use it today (clearly not as much as I should.) It is really excellent with lots of pictures to help you do the exercises properly and explanations/cautions/alternatives for knee problems etc. You only need some dumbbells and a bench. You start with 3-5-8 pounds and go up from there.

Now, some of this might conflict with the newer philosophy of "more weight, less reps" which is what bodybuilders have always done but it is an excellent resource to learn and understand the exercises and how to do them.

There are alternate days for upper and (groan) lower body plus an ab section to be done every day and when I did this whole routine consistently for 6 months I saw and felt amazing changes. I still feel really good when I do this routine. She has a website (joycevedral.com) and her stuff is also available on eBay.

Pam

[ValidRouge]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Thanks, Pam. I'll have to check her out.

I did squats yesterday with 85 lbs of weight! Thought I'd be sore today, but I'm not. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel it.

[Alexa]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Wow Joy, that's some weight!

Thanks for all the ideas on here everyone - I can wait for my copy of 'Lift like a man...' to arrive! I need to think about shoehorning a bench into my house...

[chinadoll]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Good workout Joy! I need to work back up to those weights.

Thanks Pamela. This lady sounds like my kind of lifter. I like the old school approach.

[Lyssie]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Is she the one in a yellow bikini on the cover of her book?? I think I owned that when I was younger 'cause I was amazed by her.

Boys were funny when I would wait for them to get done with the weights they were doing open flyes with, so I could use them for the same thing. It was fantastic.

[TheDogAteMyName]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Ok started a new class today and I was surprised. I may be sore tomorrow - WOO HOO! I stayed over and the instructor helped me with form. I heard she was great with teaching form so I asked her for a few pointers. Ladies...some gyms aren't that great about form, make sure you are doing it right before lifting a lot of weight. Scratch that - make sure you're doing it right before lifting any weight. I was floored that I've been doing the kettlebell wrong. I was pretty saddened that none of my former instructors told me this. Umm...hello possible future back injury! I'm going to work with her on some other techniques and then I'll be heading to the weight room You gals rock...I found my confidence in you!

[Lyssie]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

It's only funny when you watch boys lifting with wrong form to be able to increase their weight. Well, funny in a sad kind of way since a lot of them don't realize how much damage they could do, and won't think about taking advice from a girl.

[liv]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

I think form is important too but the "Lift like a Man" book argues that women concentrate too much on form when they should try to lift like a man and go for heavier weights. I kind of thought that was food for (my) thoughts.

[chinadoll]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Well I believe in form AND heavy weights. But seriously, guys have greater upper body strength and that means less back strain on some moves. I still don't think it benefits you to use Body English or momentum to use heavier weights--you aren't really using the muscle group you are targeting then. I see guys going really quick with reps too. I think you get more out of a nice slow burn and proper form means you work your core and develop your balance more.

[Creek]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Hi everyone! I started working with free weights on Tuesday. It's shameful to admit that I've had the weights for at least two years, and there they sat in the box. I'm one of those unfortunate souls that buys an exercise DVD and sits down to watch it. I'm breaking out of my slouth as the weight is coming off, and I suspect that I'm gonna be one lean mean Granma machine in 2009.

In my freeweight set, the bars for the hand weights are 5 pounds alone, and I started with just the bars. The ankle weights increase in one pound increments, and I started with five pounds on each ankle.

The book I am using is called "Strong Women Stay Young" by Miriam E. Nelson, PhD. She suggests weight training twice a week with cardio on off days. In her program, eight reps make a set, and you do two sets, or sixteen reps for each exercise. Each lift should take four seconds to raise the weight, a one-second pause, and four seconds to lower the weight. She also wants a one pound increase each week, until you arrive at a weight that you can't easily lift eight times. At that point, she wants you to stay at that weight until it is no longer challenging.

The exercises are:
Chair stand
Standing leg curl
Knee extension
Side hip raise
Biceps curl
Overhead press
Upward Row
Toe Stand

I throw hay bales around on a daily basis, and I thought, no problem. I was really surprised!

I do think her program is good for a beginner, (like me), and I'm looking forward into checking out some of the other programs that have been discussed, for my future edification.

[chinadoll]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Sounds like a solid place to start.

[IrishMom82]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Today is day 2 of P90x. OUCH!!! haha. It's a good hurt and as the Marine's would say "pain is weakness leaving the body", haha!

Tony Horton (the creator of P90X) makes it a point that you need to have good form when you do your weight lifting. He also makes a point that it's about quality not quantity. I took that as it's more important to have good form and heavy weights and doing a few reps, than have light weights and a ton of reps.

Most of my reps were between 10 and 12 of the different excercises. I really felt my muscles working all over today! Not just my arms but I totally felt it in my core as well. Awesome!

[ValidRouge]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Creek, I think that sounds like a really good plan!

Irishmom, Rock on with yer bad self! LOL

[pamelainaustin]

Re: Strength Training for Women (and Men too)

Is she the one in a yellow bikini on the cover of her book?? I think I owned that when I was younger 'cause I was amazed by her.

Lyssie, she DOES have on a yellow bikini on the cover of the book I have. If you go to her website (Lordy, I sound like some kind of a shill) there is a more current picture of her still in a bikini except now she is 64 and she still looks pretty good.

Anyway, I have the book out and ready and I am going to start "Bottoms Up" tomorrow (so I can be crippled over the weekend). I just got inspired after reading this thread. Thanks everyone--ya'll are

Pam