I will fully admit that I own a set of pink dumbbells. Granted, mine are lime green, but they are pretty and rubber coated for my safety. They are 5 pounds each and now collect dust in my basement. It wasn’t long ago that I fell victim to the notion that women shouldn’t lift anything heavier than ten pounds and must never do less than 20 repetitions. I was brainwashed by the media and crappy women’s magazine fitness articles. People and Ok! should stick to gossip.
I am so fortunate to have re-discovered the wonders that lifting heavy weights can bring. I say re-discovered because I lifted with the boys in high school and loved it. I only wish I had never stopped. It all started with a little book called New Rules of Lifting for Women, by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Cassandra Forsythe. The concept that I could become smaller by lifting heavy was lost on me until I read that book. The notion that women will get bulky by lifting heavy is a myth . Ask any guy (who naturally has much more testosterone then us) how easy it is for them to bulk up and most will laugh. In order to put on lots of muscle you have to be eating a lot and of the right foods, along with an intense lifting program. I was able to lose over 20 pounds by cutting back on cardio and hitting the iron. How is this possible? Because my diet was in check (for the most part). More about that in a later post.
I am always on the lookout for more women who lift heavy and are trying to get the message out about its benefits and why women should lift more than 3 pounds. I am talking to you, Tracey Anderson. I was thrilled to have discovered a blog by Nia Shanks and her recent post about this very topic. She has a video of herself setting a record in the deadlift in a competition. It is amazing. If you think that woman is bulky, then I might call you crazy. She is just one of many examples of why lifting heavy will not make you bulky.
As for me, lifting heavy has done so much for my body and my health. I have better posture, I never have back pain anymore, and my running has improved. And while there are many women out there that can lift much heavier than me, I am proud to be able to deadlift my body weight and muster a few chin-ups. Not to mention how much easier day to day activities are. I can easily carry heavy groceries, move furniture, and carry with ease the 40 pound water cooler jugs at work. I have to admit I take some pleasure carrying them in and seeing the looks on my male co-workers faces.
So in the battle of the pink dumbbell and the loaded Olympic bar with 45’s, the iron wins for me every time. Trust me, it feels pretty damn good to be able to pick that thing up off the ground.
If you need some resources on where to get started, I suggest the following books:
New Rules of Lifting for Women
New Rules of Lifting
Starting Strength
Built for Show
Power Training
Men’s Health Home Workout Bible
And be sure to check out these blogs by some other ladies who love to lift:
http://www.cassandraforsythe.blogspot.com/
http://galyatalkington.blogspot.com/
http://thefatsolutions.com/
http://www.leighpeele.com/
http://blogs.experiencelifemag.com/survival-of-the-fittest/
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