To think some women could lift heavier in the gym?

So much misinformation on this thread. The “bulldyke” comment earlier on…offensive really. And upsetting.

I have lifted weights as heavy as I can manage consistently for years with a PT. I’ve lost about three stone, improved my posture, gained regular periods and balanced my PCOS hormones and my metabolisms sped up. Nothing “bulky” about me. It’s shrunk my waist significantly and I wear a smaller clothes size now. I feel wonderful.

Lifting a couple more kilos in an exercise class is not going to make a woman accidentally wake up looking like a body builder. It takes years of progressive lifting, strict diet and sleep routines to build substantial levels of muscle as a woman. It just doesn’t happen very easily or quickly. And a lot of women miss out on the benefits that heavy weight lifting brings for fear of looking “like a bulldyke”. Jesus Christ

That was kind of my point.

You could say that about anyonr doing any level of anyyhing. Why don't you push yourself to do the most you can do. Eg cooking, I cook but I don't attempt bigger and better recipes each time I do.
Because for most people they don't want to. They want to enjoy the activity at leisure, not push themselves.
I go to the gym but it's downtime, a space to chill my mind and move my body a bit.
Get a bit of light excercise amd move around after being at my desk and a biy of headspace from dealing with kids, school runs etc. I certainly don't go to build muscle or reach a fitness goal.

Then find something else to entertain you

I've been going to the gym for almost 40 years, on and off. I've been the fatty with the 2kg weights and I've been the toned, strong one, lifting it all... I don't care what others are doing, (although I do judge the performative grunters who drop their weights after every lift, but that's a different thing). Surely it's better for people's fitness that they are in the gym moving even a 1kg dumbell than doing nothing at all. (Although, sometimes, that's also the best thing for someone to be doing at that moment). I rarely even look at other people, much less note how much weight they are lifting. However, @Ilostallthepens , if you could let me have the name of your gym, I'll happily make and exception and come round and openly scoff at your 8kg curls and see how you like it. Genuinely, how would you feel? You know you are doing your best with those weights, and you are doing what you want to do whilst you have your time in the gym. How would you feel if I told you that you were a bit pathetic for not curling twice that much? Surely if you can do that many reps at 8kg, why aren't you doing a few less but at 10kg, 12kg..? C'mon now, surely you could be pushing a bit more? What you are doing would be a waste of MY time, and that's what you are judging others on, what YOU consider to be a waste of someone else's time...

It’s due to the belief that low weights high reps tones and heavy weights low reps bulks.
There’s little evidence for this, but it seems to be perpetuated in gyms.

The gym is really boring which is why you have had to resort to watching and thinking about other people's workouts.

Well it’s clear from this thread that women are part of the problem.

ETA - Why is it OTT to say you don’t feel comfortable going to the gym because of the number of people who clearly are judging?

So sadly no, I won’t be trying it out. Because I’m overweight and clumsy, I don’t want to give people the opportunity to make me feel even worse

And what is worse are the number of people agreeing with her. Like a PP, I would benefit from a gym greatly but I will always be expecting the type of sneering that is prevalent on here.

I hope it makes the OP and those who agree with her feel really good that they are preventing people from getting fit - because everyone has to start somewhere

She’s still creeping out on people at the gym. Watching and judging something that is none of her business

You're being very OTT. The OP herself has said she wouldn't ever say anything to anyone. And the vast majority of other women she sees are not lifting heavy so she is clearly in the minority. Gyms are generally quite supportive places, a lot has changed in 30 years, maybe go and see if it's different now. The only reason I ever left gyms was creepy men tbh - women were never a problem.

Seriously though, do you think making people avoid the gym due to attitudes like yours is a positive thing? I’m sure more of us would take the opportunity to be fitter and healthier but for lack of confidence

If it’s genuine curiosity then ask them.

Not everyone wants to build huge bulky muscles? Some people would prefer to tone in a way that gives a leaner muscled look, by doing more repetition of lower weights.
Not everyone is like you.... You sound so pushy and demanding about what other women are doing in the gym!!

She has said herself she knows it is offensive so wouldn’t ask someone in real life.

Exactly, but apparently this is in the name of feminism 🥱

And yet, by showing that attitude, it has the same effect - women are reluctant to avail themselves of the facilities to get fitter or stronger because of the attitude of their own sex.

Who needs the patriarchy when we have ‘feminists’ (which I would normally consider myself to be) commenting like that?

If the question is genuine then I can’t see why the Op can’t ask the people themselves. Presumably she realises it comes across as snarky.

How the fuck do you know what results I’m looking for?? You sound very judgmental. Equally you have absolutely no idea what health conditions I have that would make it very dangerous for me to lift heavier weights. How about you judge yourself and let other people work at the level they want.

How do you know they don’t do more difficult workouts on other days and use the class as their more relaxed day? I weightlift 5x a week, run 2x, dance 1x and am generally v active. I usually do a reformer class once a week too, which is my more relaxed day. I know there are others using heavier springs than me because we have different goals in that class.

As someone who lifts, I’ve got to say we really shouldn’t be paying this much attention to what others do in gyms/classes.

The only time we should be wondering if we can help is if they are doing something dangerous that could injure themselves, otherwise “let them” works well. It’s their life, their goals. If they believe 2kg is doing what they need or want, and they haven’t asked for advice or help, just let them. They have access to the same wealth of information that means they can find out about progressive overload, lifting heavy vs lifting light etc.

The only times I’ve stepped in have been when someone was either new and needed help with a piece of equipment or was doing something dangerous like locking their legs out on the leg press. Otherwise mind your business and focus on your workout, women are judged enough and this thread is further proof of that, not just by the OP but by some of the replies.

How rude are you.

im disabled. I take various drugs that have weight gain as a side effect (amongst others). I’m also suffering from depression and anxiety and with adhd and autism my executive function is poor.

im fed up with people on here judging other people and posting not so thinly veiled threads where they want validation for being perfect.

some people aren’t doing the same as you would do. End of. And none of your business. The fact that someone like you might be checking out what I’m doing at the gym and taking notice of what I’m doing is one of the things that stops me going to the gym.

Two things can be true at once. I totally agree with what you are saying about misinformation surrounding women’s fitness. However this OP in particular does appear to be ‘sneering’ at other women both in the op and her subsequent replies, even snidely commenting on the diet of a woman she knows nothing about. She was blatantly criticising women and looking down on them for exercising in a way that she perceives to be useless. I cannot see any ‘feminist analysis’ in the op/her replies.

Maybe they could. Maybe they don’t want to. It’s definitely no one else’s business, including yours.

Yeah sure, many women have a shoulder injury. Many women who use those 2kg weights don't. The issue is a broader patriarchal drive to keep women weak and to sell them useless crap that does nothing in the process. It's not about you personally.

Feminist analysis requires looking at things that women do that are counterproductive to their interests, and if we're not allowed to do that because some women interpret it as "sneering" and think it's about judging them personally rather than looking at broader trends and why they happen, then feminism is functionally dead in the water.

OP and those agreeing with her have a massive superiority complex and care way too much about what other people are doing.

i use ladder!! what team are you on?