@wallflower1104 Right, she’s a whole ass tree! One of the most impressive physiques I’ve seen on here
Very uplifting article I found about female strength training. Belief in yourself and your abilities is so important!!
- Thread starter christi79
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@christi79 Wow, this was a great read! I love it when people are seriously scientifically interested and curious!
iconoclast
New member
@christi79 This fucked me up:
“There are more men in sports, so at the elite level, the selection to get to the top level is stronger. Elite male athletes are likely the best the male race has to offer. For women there may be more potential world record holders that will never know it because they don’t try.”
“There are more men in sports, so at the elite level, the selection to get to the top level is stronger. Elite male athletes are likely the best the male race has to offer. For women there may be more potential world record holders that will never know it because they don’t try.”
@iconoclast
Men are not a race, it's a gender. Women and men aren't enemies or from different tribes.
Men are not a race, it's a gender. Women and men aren't enemies or from different tribes.
teatimebabe28
New member
@iconoclast If you check https://www.openpowerlifting.org/rankings/unlimited/women/by-total
Of the 11 women who have totalled 1700 or higher, 7 of those women did it within the past 3 years. Women have been joining strength sports in greater numbers, and in 10-15 years they'll be peak and be setting even bigger records. I expect over the next 10-20 years we will see these records fall and I'll be saying the same thing but about women's 2100+ totals.
Of the 11 women who have totalled 1700 or higher, 7 of those women did it within the past 3 years. Women have been joining strength sports in greater numbers, and in 10-15 years they'll be peak and be setting even bigger records. I expect over the next 10-20 years we will see these records fall and I'll be saying the same thing but about women's 2100+ totals.
@iconoclast Yeah -- in general, there are way many more potential amazing athletes than are identified; I was just reading an article about a bunch of US speed skaters who were all initially mentored by one (woman) inline speed skating coach at a roller rink in Florida -- she was the one who identified Erin Jackson (who just won gold), and others. And since there's more money/prestige in men's sports, there's more people scouting on that side.
@iconoclast It's so completely true. I'm a 3 time world champion powerlifter. Because my very first powerlifting competition ever was WABDL world championships. The only 2 women lifting in my weight class in the open were me and an 84 year old woman. I'd give good money there wasn't a single man at that event as inexperienced as I was. So whenever you see dudes on the internet compare elite female lifters to elite male lifters and assume that says something about the overall capacities of the sexes, laugh at them.
@iconoclast You only have to think about it for a couple seconds to realize how true it is too - look at who wins essentially all international women's sport competitions. The US dominates almost everything, and if they're not winning, they're still on the podium. Does the US just have better females than anywhere else?
No - it's just one of the only countries in the world that doesn't completely discourage women from participating in athletics from a young age, and/or doesn't exclusively funnel girls into more "feminine" sports like gymnastics, figure skating, and dance. And the US still has somewhat of a cultural bias of women participating in traditionally masculine sports like strength-based activities.
Part of the dominance comes from the fact that the US dedicates far more resources to a professionalized selection, coaching, and training infrastructure than most countries do, but that's only a small part of the difference IMO. If women's participation in sports was encouraged globally on the level that the US does, parity in international competition would undoubtedly improve.
No - it's just one of the only countries in the world that doesn't completely discourage women from participating in athletics from a young age, and/or doesn't exclusively funnel girls into more "feminine" sports like gymnastics, figure skating, and dance. And the US still has somewhat of a cultural bias of women participating in traditionally masculine sports like strength-based activities.
Part of the dominance comes from the fact that the US dedicates far more resources to a professionalized selection, coaching, and training infrastructure than most countries do, but that's only a small part of the difference IMO. If women's participation in sports was encouraged globally on the level that the US does, parity in international competition would undoubtedly improve.
@dawn16 We're also the third most populous country in the world, and the longest history of BEING a developed country among the top 10 most populous.
Those other factors still stand, but also our athletics as a country are just better established and the numbers are on our side.
https://www.census.gov/popclock/print.php?component=counter
Those other factors still stand, but also our athletics as a country are just better established and the numbers are on our side.
https://www.census.gov/popclock/print.php?component=counter
@dawn16 I COMPLETELY agree. I am American but I have now lived in France, Russia, and Turkey and I am always shocked at how low the athletic/fitness level of women in these countries generally is. I was considered not athletic at all when I was in school, even though I did play sports, because I generally was one of the slowest girls in my class and only really did sports for the social benefits (always JV/bench lifer lmao). When I first moved to France I joined a non competitive rugby group for fun and we went on a jog and I was literally the fastest person, and I was blown away at how slow/out of shape the other girls were. In Turkey now I am one of the only women that goes to my gym (this is in an upper class, European district of Istanbul) and the few women I do see there basically do nothing. Absolutely I can tell that from a young age girls are just not encouraged to play sports - it's not that you can't, but it's just not a thing people think to do. Then as you get older women are just less fit overall and it's very sad!
@berrybear Reminds me of my cousin in law in her 50s who regularly wins her age group marathons with ease. She discovered her talents around 40 after a friend asked if she wanted to go on a jog for fun (her first run ever). At the end, she was like "that was fun thanks!" Turns out it was 13 miles.
@bamedrano Title IX helps, but it starts earlier than that with youth and middle/high school sports IMO.
Random tangent - women's sports as a whole are hugely benefitting from Title IX now given the current bias towards revenue sports at the expense of everything else. We're slowly moving to a point where the only men's sports that will exist at the NCAA Varsity level are football, basketball, and maybe baseball and/or soccer on a regional basis. You can fill rosters for a good variety of women's sports with the 85 scholarships on a D1 football roster. OTOH, I think most other men's sports are probably only going to exist at the club level at some point in our lifetimes.
Random tangent - women's sports as a whole are hugely benefitting from Title IX now given the current bias towards revenue sports at the expense of everything else. We're slowly moving to a point where the only men's sports that will exist at the NCAA Varsity level are football, basketball, and maybe baseball and/or soccer on a regional basis. You can fill rosters for a good variety of women's sports with the 85 scholarships on a D1 football roster. OTOH, I think most other men's sports are probably only going to exist at the club level at some point in our lifetimes.
@dawn16 No, Title IX is the reason why American women are dominant in international sports.
https://www.history.com/news/title-nine-womens-sports#:~:text=The%20groundbreaking%20gender%20equity%20law,girls%20and%20women%20in%20athletics.&text=via%20Getty%20Images-,The%20groundbreaking%20gender%20equity%20law%20made%20a%20lasting%20impact%20by,girls%20and%20women%20in%20athletics.
https://www.history.com/news/title-nine-womens-sports#:~:text=The%20groundbreaking%20gender%20equity%20law,girls%20and%20women%20in%20athletics.&text=via%20Getty%20Images-,The%20groundbreaking%20gender%20equity%20law%20made%20a%20lasting%20impact%20by,girls%20and%20women%20in%20athletics.
bevinluvwithjesus
New member
@christi79 Also it is more important that we lift weights because we lose bone density during menopause, and are at higher risk of osteoporosis.