Very uplifting article I found about female strength training. Belief in yourself and your abilities is so important!!

[crazygirl01]

@bevinluvwithjesus Decrease of estrogen during menopause also leads to muscle loss. Also not a widely known fact that estrogen preserves and supports muscles. We basically should lift weights and strength train, an absolute opposite of what society tells us.

 

[kellip171]

@christi79 Wow 85%!?

I am honestly very surprised and happy to hear that. I thought it would be less.

I was training with my brother just as often as he was and it seemed he just kept getting stronger and stronger (visually and increase in his max) where I stagnated for longer and had much smaller gains. We kinda quit after 2 months..

I sort of gave up on strength training awhile ago but I do have some free weights and a bench in the basement I'm going to start using again now.

 

[lewisofthenorth]

@kellip171 The number rings true for me. In the CrossFit world, the prescribed weights for women are set at around 85% of the prescribed weights for men (I hate using such binary gender terms here - haven't figured out how to fix that.) Anyway, 95/65 for M/F is one common one. It's designed so that men and women are moving equal loads relative to their musculature.

 

[christi79]

@kellip171

1. were you eating enough? For me, I did a huge bulk in the first two months with over 100 g of protein and now I'm down to a leaner bulk. I was progressing with each workout.
2. This could also be related to women's socialization, who aren't really raised to be very ambitious or sporty. I'm a very ambitious person who loves challenges and I don't meet a lot of women like me. If you tried to approach strength training with the kind of raw ambition that men do, you'd be so much more successful! Like mentioned, you gotta believe in yourself!!

 

[kellip171]

@christi79 I was not eating an adequate amount of calories (I'm fat and always eating a deficit to continue losing weight,) but I was getting 120-160g of protein.

 

[dynamitex]

@kellip171 You can absolutely gain muscle in a deficit as a newb, but 2 months is nothing.

 

[christi79]

@kellip171 I believe you would have to be eating at least at maintenance level to be able to see strength gains, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't know if it's different based on starting %fat.

I started as a "skinny-fat" person so bulking seemed like the best option for me personally.

 

[spangeburb]

@christi79 It’s possible on a deficit. I’ve been lifting for 4.5 months and have increased overall strength by 43% (I have a Tonal Gym, so it keeps track of everything). I’ve only lost 4 lbs, but have lost 11 inches, so I’m recomping. I’m on a 200-400 calorie deficit 3 weeks a month, then try to eat a maintenance for one week to keep my body from adapting to the lower calorie intake. The fat loss is definitely slower than if I was doing a cut, but my muscle and strength gains have been fantastic.

 

[kellip171]

@christi79 I understand. Things get a little more complex when you're overweight like me. I'm also not sure if someone can expect to make *significant* gains while in a calorie deficit, but certainly small ones can be made- I know because I did have some very small slow moving gains.

I am still doing cardio and getting closer to my goal weight, adding in lifting can't hurt, even if I don't see many gains until I get to a better weight and eat more (I'm currently eating 1500 and burning 2300-2500.)

 

[christi79]

@kellip171

You could probably bump up your calories ro at least 1800. I'm 5'2" and overweight. I eat between 1600-1800 when I'm losing weight. If I'm not working out, I still eat at least 1400 for weight loss.

^From mad_libbz, who accidentally responded to me instead of you

 

[christi79]

@kellip171 1500?? That’s so little. I got exhausted and had constant headaches at that same calorie count. Are you short?

 

[kellip171]

@christi79 No, I'm average height. I struggle with hunger but as long as I get the nutrients and protein I need I don't feel exhausted.

 

[camiliatamarez]

@kellip171 Obviously things are different for every person, but I am about 5’7” and went from 215 lbs and deadlifting the bar in January to 145 lbs deadlifting 265 lbs in September of the same year when I first started lifting. I had an intense routine, weights six days a week, cardio 7 days a week, with 2 hours of cardio on some days when I wanted to do two different dance classes. I was eating about 2500 calories a day minimum, LOTS of it protein, and burning between 3k-4k a day. It is totally possible to lose weight and gain strength if you’re a beginner, even at a deficit, just gotta eat enough to support it. Noob gains are real.

 

[dawn16]

@christi79 Thank you for sharing this!

I've recently started going to the gym and lifting heavy. There have been days where I see myself lifting much more than some men (which internally makes me very proud). But in the beginning, I was very hesitant and I realised that the person holding me back was mostly me, I had very little expectation from myself. But seeing myself grow and get stronger has been immensely satisfying. This article definitely makes me feel that there is no reason to doubt oneself and one's own ability.

 

[christi79]

@dawn16 My mom told me "we have good genes, you'll build muscle fast" when I started weightlifting and lo and behold, within two months of consistency, I went from a noodly girl to this! That's when I realized that women can grow much faster than we think we can.

Was it really genes or was it the encouragement?

 

[teatimebabe28]

@christi79 Belief about your genes matters more in physical tests than your actual genes.

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/genetics-expectations/

 

[christi79]

@teatimebabe28 Cool! I love this!

 

[blackprophet]

@christi79 The encouragement is what got you to push yourself there, but the genetics piece is real. Some people (not just based on sex) build muscle size faster and earlier in the process than others.

 

[dawn16]

@christi79 I had this conversation with my mom yesterday. (I've also had it with my brother). Both of them told me how I've always been athletic and much stronger than most people.

And I genuinely see it in the gym as well. Maybe it's genetic, but that push to not limit yourself comes from the encouragement one gets. I know it should come from within, but in the beginning I think one gets it from other people.

 

[yeshuashomri]

@dawn16

that push to not limit yourself

I actually always thought it's hormones! Al least to me this is what it means when people say someone is "hormonal"

I think it was Lita Ford or someone else from the Runaways who said in an interview something like, "it doesn't have to be testosterone, we can be bitches too" - with a particularly telling grin...