That was a question I was asked last night when I told a gym friend that I was doing a heavy lifting program. She saw me at spinning and commented that she never saw me at BodyPump anymore. I explained that I'd been doing a free-weights program lifting heavy weights. She looked at me for a second or two and then said, "...why?"
I laughed. I mean, why the hell not? I told her I'd been taking BodyPump for two years and saw no results and she agreed that she hadn't either. I told her why I was doing it: I want muscle, I want upper body strength, I wanted good bone-density, I wanted powerful legs. I want to be STRONG.
I do it because I'm in search of the holy grail - chin-ups. I do it because I want babies to burst into tears and men to blush with shame when they see my arms. I do it because I want to lean out and look like the badass I've always carried in my heart. I do it because it's fun to walk into a weight room full of men and demand respect by refusing to conform to gender stereotypes and preconceived notions of strength.
And finally, I do it, because I one day dream of beating my boyfriend at arm wrestling.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Loved your story. I've got a "why" story too. It's not recent, but still memorable. I needed a spotter for a DB bench press but the people I'd regularly seek out for a spot were not at the gym. I asked someone who looked like he'd do a good job (and he did actually). When I finished he asked me, "Why are you lifting such heavy DBs?" I was just floored by the question. Kinda stopped in my tracks. I just said, "Uh. Because I can?! Because it's fun!" He thought that was funny. Turns out he was a great spotter and I called on his spotting ability a few more times over the next year or so. He was a good guy. It had just never occurred to him that a female would even want to be strong. He'd never given it any thought.
You GO Rixatrix!!!
Sorry, just felt like when I was reading that, I should stand up and holler or something!!! haha
I know you can do all of that, all of us have that inner bad ass anyway right!!?? Besides, the look your avatar is giving me right now, I am pretty sure you mean business! And that you quite possibly could kick my ass too! haha j/k
you give a lot of good input though, love your comments.
Nik~
I already mentioned that my friends think I'm nuts. I "preach" heavier weights to them, HIIT, etc - and they all say they "wish" they could do what I'm doing. Well, WHY NOT???? But when I suggest working out together, they come up with so many lame excuses. I did finally get one or two "converts", but it's not easy...
Why do I do it? Because I can is a good start.
Because I have been working on improving my body and my mind for the last 10+ years (after too many years of being fat and lazy). Because despite the past 10+ years, I'm still not where I want to be, and I believe that NRL4W can help me get there. It's all sweat equity, and I'm willing to do the work.
Because I AM WORTH IT
Every day, I put people through fitness assessments, and I want to scream. Women, much more than men, just plain quit. On the bike test, they give up. They don't want to sweat, they don't want to try. I've heard "I just don't care to push myself that hard" repeatedly. On a submax test, for Pete's sake! They are so afraid of getting a big muscle (ewwww! As if they could, doing what they do) that they only want to "tone" and nothing I say will convince the majority of them otherwise. And don't even get me started on their performance on strength measures!
What I don't understand is WHY other women DON'T want to do this!
I do it because I'm in search of the holy grail - chin-ups. I do it because I want babies to burst into tears and men to blush with shame when they see my arms. I do it because I want to lean out and look like the badass I've always carried in my heart. I do it because it's fun to walk into a weight room full of men and demand respect by refusing to conform to gender stereotypes and preconceived notions of strength.
And finally, I do it, because I one day dream of beating my boyfriend at arm wrestling.
Thats the best answer ever. Insert husband for boyfriend and you took my thoughts exactly.
My husband is the guy at the kids park that does chin ups on the monkeybars (I think to show off the the moms), He has said he doesn't think I will ever have the strenght to be able to do them. Soon I will be doing chin ups on the bars (to show off to all the dads!! haha)
It's all sweat equity, and I'm willing to do the work.
OH MY GOD - SWEAT EQUITY! We need t-shirts!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bytsi
Every day, I put people through fitness assessments, and I want to scream. Women, much more than men, just plain quit. On the bike test, they give up. They don't want to sweat, they don't want to try. I've heard "I just don't care to push myself that hard" repeatedly. On a submax test, for Pete's sake! They are so afraid of getting a big muscle (ewwww! As if they could, doing what they do) that they only want to "tone" and nothing I say will convince the majority of them otherwise. And don't even get me started on their performance on strength measures!
You know, it's really starting to dawn on me that this message board is truly full of above-average women, willing to work hard to reach their goals.
I mean, I guess that's why they call it "average", you know?
But nothing spectacular ever got done in the average way. It sucks that you have to be around people who just. don't. get it. But being reminded of those people, I'm infinitely grateful for all the fantastic ones here, supporting each other where so many of our friends fail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefever
He has said he doesn't think I will ever have the strength to be able to do them. Soon I will be doing chin ups on the bars (to show off to all the dads!! haha)
Oh man! Same here! My boyfriend thinks I'll never be able to beat him at arm-wrestling, but I KNOW THE TRUTH. Plus, only one of us is busting our ass under kilos of steel, sweating and cursing at 6am three days a week. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who's going to get stronger and who's staying the same...buah ha ha ha ha!
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
That was a question I was asked last night when I told a gym friend that I was doing a heavy lifting program. She saw me at spinning and commented that she never saw me at BodyPump anymore. I explained that I'd been doing a free-weights program lifting heavy weights. She looked at me for a second or two and then said, "...why?"
I laughed. I mean, why the hell not? I told her I'd been taking BodyPump for two years and saw no results and she agreed that she hadn't either. I told her why I was doing it: I want muscle, I want upper body strength, I wanted good bone-density, I wanted powerful legs. I want to be STRONG.
So tell me, why are you doing this?
Why, hell to kick ass....
To get buff....
To show off....
To know that I CAN....
Thats the best answer ever. Insert husband for boyfriend and you took my thoughts exactly.
My husband is the guy at the kids park that does chin ups on the monkeybars (I think to show off the the moms), He has said he doesn't think I will ever have the strenght to be able to do them. Soon I will be doing chin ups on the bars (to show off to all the dads!! haha)
Chin ups...Oh God
I tried my first one last night...it was not pretty, I think I made it up about two inches.
There's someone on this forum, who mentioned she hung on to the chin-up bar like a dead fish for a long time before she was able to one day pull herself up
While I was hanging there, I remebered her writing this, and lost my grip laughing...but that was about how I felt....dead fish hanging from a pole.
Got a ways to go before I manage one of those, but think of the power rush when you finally get there!!!!
My DH, however did 6 of them for me to....er....watch after my little attempt....grrrrrr
My "why" is kind of changing as I do this though. I'm REALLY competitive with myself (to a fault, sometimes), and now I want to see how much I can lift. I just want to know, what can I do? How far can I push myself?
I keep going because I know that if I'll quit, I won't know (and I hate not knowing things...).
And, because I want those drop-dead sexy arms that I'm starting to suspect are there (damn this extra body fat - go away!). Because I want to look at myself in the mirror and think, "whoa..." ... in a good way.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
There's someone on this forum, who mentioned she hung on to the chin-up bar like a dead fish for a long time before she was able to one day pull herself up
I think that was referring to Krista of Stumptuous: women stuff. Still a good visual, though
I started NROLFW to 1) change up my workout routine because I was stalling fast on my previous one and 2) get in shape for TKD.
Now I'm with DM: I want to see how much I can lift. I just want to know, what can I do? How far can I push myself?
Thanks Bytsi, thought you all might like that and since she already had her arms up ready to do some military presses--I figured I would add some weights! haha
You guys are allllll correct on why I am doing this too. I am very competitive (with myself) just like DM. Failing is just not really something I tolerate very well! It is also fun for me to see how much weight I can lift and improve each time
I wanted a new program though and as the book says "shake things up in my body" just a bit. My biggest challenge has never been the gym, it has always always been my diet. need to work on that.
I read through this though before going to the gym tonight and I just went with SO much confidence and felt like kickin *SS!!! I had a great workout so I am again grateful to all the "above average" women in here that are so motivating....to know there are other women out there like me that aren't sitting on the machines at my gym on their friggin' CELL PHONES!!!! haha ARGHHHHH! I mean, really???? Who do you think you are kidding that you are actually WORKING! hhahahahahahaha
Or is it just me that sees that allllllllll the time!????
Last edited by Nikster : 03-20-2008 at 07:10 PM.
Reason: to correct my dumb grammer errors and not sound like a moron!!!
Good answers. Love this thread. My answers may have changed, they seem to.
*To be as strong and healthy as I can
*To tranform my body, along with my mind. I feel like I have wasted a couple of good years, just trying to be a smaller version of myself and just be skinny and that has changed. I've tried every fad diet, done hours of cardio and really tortured my body. Now, I feel like I am doing my body good and seeing better results than ever.
*To be proud of myself.
*To set good examples for my kids, especially my daughter and hope that she doesn't grow up thinking the crazy stuff that I did and that she will treat her body good.
*And of course, to have some kick ass muscles to show.
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Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
1) to help with my ongoing weight loss
2) to find help with strength training (instead of feeling like I was playing with weights)
3) so when lifting in the next plant I work in I won't feel dead afterwards **
4) to keep myself strong as I grow older
** this is from my last job, in a plant making drive shafts. From time to time I would want to help load parts for a last minute shipment. The small ones were all I could handle and they pretty much wore me out. It won't be part of my job ever, but I'd like to know that I could do it.
Well first, to keep up with all of my fans' expectations))
Secondly, to be a role model for my future clients in the fitness industry. Everyone will agree that a PT has more credibility when he/she is fit.
Thirdly, my hubby and my kids say they are inspired by my dedication (actually, my hubby inspires me - he goes to the gym late at night after we put kids to sleep, and wakes up at 5am to go to work!)
4th, it's my drug of choice. If I don't do it, I get withdrawals
1. To kick obesity to the curb. I've known for almost 28 years that this works and did everything but.
2. I like to be strong. Period.
3. I ain't growin old without a fight and I grew old this past year.
4. Health. I am an older mom. I want to be around for my daughter. Later I might say, so the younger moms will be jealous LOL and I can say, there is no excuse, look at me, I am a lot older than you .
5. To justify all those years I preached weights and no one believed me.
6. To gross out the men in my family LOL! EWWW muscles.
Um let me lift that hon LOL!
Woah! I forgot that one Natalia!!!
...pretty much it is my drug of choice as well! I am completely addicted and actually (*as hubby would testify) I am not a happy person to be around when I don't go. If I go in the a.m. it just sets my day off better (*which again, my kiddos could testify!) haha
On both the half-marathons I've run, I've run past people chatting away on their cell phones. Why even bother showing up?
you have GOT to be kidding me!? That is insulting on SO many levels to me, mainly because the 1/2 marathon kicked my butt! haha but again, trained on a treadmill (hello???) and also because I am totally not a fan of long distance running But kudos to you for doing TWO!!! NICE!
Why? I want to be strong, healthy and stay sane. Working full time, volunteering 20 hours a month and doing my MBA may cause me to go crazy and working out is the drug I need to keep it all together.
I started because my weight loss stalled with just cardio. A co-worker recommended NROL4W, so I decided to try it. Now, I stick with it because, heck, lifting is FUN! And I love feeling stronger.
Why?
need to work on that.
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