Do you guys have opinions on Wendler's "North of the V**" concept?

[zandry42]

@abhishek I've told people to " grow some ovaries " before.

 

[pajamasam777]

@abhishek Yep this is who I stole it from haha

 

[hovi]

@pajamasam777 ...I'm totally stealing this.

 

[catnaper]

@pajamasam777 I seriously love this.

 

[dynamitex]

@pajamasam777 Seriously, vaginas are ripped apart to create life and balls run away and hide at the first sign of a cool breeze.

 

[kuriosiesouschristos]

@cz1611

I would personally be really disappointed if the majority of men in the gym adopted a similar credo

I typically distrust the “majority” of any group; there’s a lot of privilege and group-think that goes into being in the majority of something (most of the time). Instead, I try to know individuals and if that individual is a dude who thinks or acts this way, then that is not a friendship I will be pursuing.

I sent a deadlifting form check to my older (sometimes misogynistic) brother today, and he wrote back that he thought it was great I had started lifting and that “chicks who lift are bosses.” I agree. And if and when I start dating again, I will be looking for a man who agrees with that philosophy as well, because I’m not on a crusade to change dudes’ minds. I just want to be strong and me, and if someone’s into that, then that’s great. In the meantime, I’m not going to spend too much time worrying about what the majority of men think about me in the weight room; I’m just gonna keep showing up and killing it.

 

[deep5507]

@kuriosiesouschristos I think you have a great attitude about this which I share myself. Well put!

 

[dawn16]

@fgibbs I understand you are a pro and all and there is a significant amount of work that goes into that. You also recognize why people tend to write it off - For a guy to even think about getting on stage for something like men's physique, you need years 2-3 of lifting to get good enough shoulders and enough of a V-taper to even come close to that.

I think the stigma more so comes from the fact that the a significant number of the girls on stage, particularly at less prestigious regional events, are probably 20 weeks out from the first time they ever stepped foot in the weight room, and some of them will still place on or near the podium. I literally witnessed it happen this spring with a close friend's future sister-in law, placing 5th in a decent sized show with zero background outside of a generally active lifestyle before she started prep.

I'm not going to hate on anyone for trying it, because prep and cutting sucks and is hard work. OTOH I think when you look at the difference in the minimum standards to not get laughed off the stage you'll see why some people think the way they do.

 

[fgibbs]

@dawn16 I agree that it happens more often in bikini than in the other divisions that girls with very little lifting experience get on stage. I have seen men's physique competitors who look pretty DYEL too though- just depends on the show and the federation. I have seen people in all divisions, male and female, who just competed once as a bucket list item and are nowhere close to where they should be. Either way I think it makes people disregard the hard work that most of us do put in- and it takes a lot of effort for a female to put on significant muscle naturally. Thank you for acknowledging that it does take a lot of effort to become a pro.

 

[godislove19933]

@cz1611

While some may see North of Vag as a misogynistic term, I can only shake my head and hope they were not publically educated; I’d hate to see tax dollars being wasted that way. It is simply a rallying cry to not be a pussy.

Yeah, this is fucking gross and misogynistic. Him saying it isn’t doesn’t mean a damn thing.

I’ve personally not had a ton of super negative experience with men and lifting, but I’ve certainly overheard men talking about how they’d be pissed if their girlfriends/wives started lifting because the weight room is “their space.” I hope they’re in the minority but I really don’t know.

 

[cheapwifey]

@godislove19933

I’ve certainly overheard men talking about how they’d be pissed if their girlfriends/wives started lifting because the weight room is “their space.” I hope they’re in the minority but I really don’t know.

I would hope so. I mean, I would expect most men to be smart enough to know that just because their wife starts lifting, she's not going to cling to him like a barnacle and never give him a moment's peace when he goes to the gym...

My personal experience with male lifters has been overwhelmingly good. Some of them have been surprised to discover I lift ( I don't look like I do), but all of them are supportive and enjoy talking about their favorite hobby with anyone who wants to join the conversation.

As an avid video gamer, I have a theory that the men who are against female lifters are the same types of men who are against female gamers in multiplayer video games - the insecure ones. The ones who know they can hold their own, whether in the video game or in the weight room, they welcome anyone who wants to join in the fun, man or woman. It the ones who are afraid we'll make them look bad by comparison, who don't want us there. And when they can't keep us out, they start the sexist and demeaning smack talk, and pretend to feel better about themselves.

 

[zandry42]

@cheapwifey People are shocked when I say I lift as well. I'm chubby and squishy.

 

[cheapwifey]

@zandry42 We re not "chubby"! We are curvaceous, womanly, hourglass shaped... take your pick. Just make sure it's a positive word that celebrates full hips and large cleavage, and the audacity to flaunt it while eating calorie rich foods in front of certain people who like making snarky comments about our full figures while they pick at their tiny salads in the break room at work.

(I may have certain coworkers in mind right now...)

Happy Cake Day!

 

[zandry42]

@cheapwifey I don't see chubby or fat as negative words. Just simply descriptive words.

 

[cheapwifey]

@zandry42 Fair point. They should be used that way more often than they are.

I will join in your view of these words, I think, since I like your perspective on them better than mine.