Disclaimer: I am not an expert nor do I claim to be. The following post is my personal experience as a female starting weight lifting. Your experience may differ.
I've bought into a lot of fitness myths in the past. Stay away from carbohydrates and fat, do tons of cardio to lose weight, high reps with low weight gets you toned...the list goes on and on.
Most of these mantras have turned out to be bullshit that wasted my time and energy. The latest one I have discovered to be bullshit is that lifting heavy makes women bulky.
A couple months ago my husband, who owns Antifragile Training brought Larry Lindenman to Pittsburgh to teach a workshop on starting a strength and nutrition program focused for sports. I'm a weakling and strength is one area of my jiu jitsu game that is definitely lacking.
Larry talked extensively on different myths and assured that women who lift heavy are physiologically incapable of getting bulky without performance enhancing drugs. Hell, it's hard enough for men to get bulky when they are deliberately trying to.
It took me a few weeks after the seminar to mustered up the courage to give it a try. I downloaded the StrongLifts 5x5 app and asked my husband to assist me the first time to ensure that I was doing everything right. That was 12 weeks ago.
So what has my experience been like so far? Have I turned into She Hulk yet? Of course not! Not that that would be a bad thing...she is pretty darn sexy...
That first day was hard. Even in the privacy of my own home with my totally non judgmental husband I was embarrassed by just how weak I was. I awkwardly struggled with that empty 45 pound bar. I was certain that I would not be able to put any weight on it. I couldn't even use the bar for the overhead press. I had to start out with a 20 pound dumbbell.
That first day was hard. Even in the privacy of my own home with my totally non judgmental husband I was embarrassed by just how weak I was. I awkwardly struggled with that empty 45 pound bar. I was certain that I would not be able to put any weight on it. I couldn't even use the bar for the overhead press. I had to start out with a 20 pound dumbbell.
My progress has been extremely slow, taking two steps forward then one back. I am constantly correcting and tweaking my program.
I started out lifting three times a week without cutting back on other activity. Quickly, I realized that I could not keep that up. I cut back to twice a week and ensured that I was taking at least one rest day with no other activity.
After only a few workouts I thought that I had proper form down and the weight started to feel "easy" until suddenly, it was not. After videoing my squats I saw that I was not going low enough. Apparently, it is common to start compromising form as the weight gets heavier. I had to back down the weight and now I use a box so that I am always going low enough. The same thing happened with the rows and I have had to start doing them bench supported. This brings up another good point. Five pound increases are typically too much for women.
It was frustrating when I would successfully complete a 5x5 and then not be able to get 1 rep of the next weight. Upon thoroughly reading the Strong Lifts 5x5 guide I learned that because women have much less muscle mass, especially in the upper body, we should only go up by 2 pounds on bench, row, and overhead press. Now that the weight is pretty heavy on the other lifts I'm only increasing them by 2 pounds as well.
The guide has been very helpful, I recommend reading it thoroughly before beginning and referring back to it frequently. It could save you some of the aggravation I've had with doing things wrong, like breathing. Who knew I could screw up the most basic human function?!
For example, at the top of my squats I was taking a big breath, holding it on the way down then exhaling on my way back up. This is all wrong. You are supposed to take a big breath at top and hold it all of the way down and back up, exhaling at the top. I kept wondering why I was losing momentum on the way back up and my lower back was hurting...
Visually, my body has changed minimally. I have gained about 5 pounds but my measurements have not changed at all. I do notice that I am significantly more toned and tight. When I run there is way less jiggle. If I look really really hard I can see the vague outlines of muscles that were never there before.
Physically, the results I've seen in this short span of time have been nothing short of amazing. I feel much more confident doing anything in bjj that requires a squat like position (standing in guard, crowding my hips in,) have gotten numerous compliments on my strong elbows in bottom side control (a position I find myself in a lot,) and my grip strength has improved dramatically.
OK. Now I'm going to talk about some stuff that only applies to us girls. I have had a few hormonal changes that I'm honestly not sure are related to lifting but feel need to be stated.
When I first started lifting I was hungry ALL OF THE TIME! I have regularly dreamed about blueberry pie and Cinnabon. While I didn't over indulge I did eat more but did my best to keep it healthy (which is probably why I gained 5 pounds...) Luckily, my appetite has recently returned to normal.
When I first started lifting I was hungry ALL OF THE TIME! I have regularly dreamed about blueberry pie and Cinnabon. While I didn't over indulge I did eat more but did my best to keep it healthy (which is probably why I gained 5 pounds...) Luckily, my appetite has recently returned to normal.
I sometimes get much more intense emotions right after lifting. I have actually broken down in tears or gotten really angry about stupid shit. I have also noticed feeling more aggressive at jiu jitsu and in life in general. I don't now if aggressive is the right word, maybe assertive? Whatever, I don't care, all I know is it feels good :)
My periods are much shorter. They used to last 5 to 7 days but are now just 2 or 3. I've read that this is common for females who are very active but you need to see a doctor if it stops completely.
Increased sex drive. Nuff said.
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