To think some women could lift heavier in the gym?

I do agree OP - people in my pump class have never increased the weight in all the years we've both been attending.

Can't see the point of going tbh but I guess I'm not paying their membership so who cares really?

OP, I’m sure you could run a lot faster if you put some actual effort into training. You could probably up your distance too, if you weren’t wasting all your time fanning about on weights. I bet your flexibility isn’t as good as it could be if you focused on stretching properly. And I doubt your core is as strong as it could be.

There is always something to criticise. Tim’s really none of your business how other people choose to exercise.

I could always lift heavier - I don't understand this trend to have really overly muscular bodies - it's really not attractive in either men or women.

Oh dear - where do I start here..

Science first: lifting heavy all the time isn’t smart on so many levels - from ligament/tendon overload to cycle changes in females to plateauing. Lifting heavy without building up to increased weights by adjusting all the other levers such as good form, TUT in eccentric movement and increasing stability work you’ll most likely get injured or fatigue eventually. Muscles adjust quicker to heavier weights than ligaments and tendons.

Google DUP Training to get an idea of smarter training variations.

As PPs said: focus on your own workouts- you sound like you look down on people who lift less than you or put „less effort into their training“ (in your eyes - leave them alone! You’re not in their shoes, have no idea what’s going on in their lives. They made the effort to attend a class.

Pat yourself on the back and swim in your own lane.

Right? It's hard enough to go to the gym, especially when you're out of shape, without having to worry about people judging you for not doing enough.

I quite often go to the gym and don't push myself that much. Here are some reasons why:

• I haven't been for a week or two (normally go 2x a week but often have gaps) and I know if I do a lot I'll be sore
• The gym isn't the only exercise I do, I also do another sport, that I don't want to be too sore for
• I'm tired or otherwise cba and I know its better to half arse the gym than not go at all
• I've tweaked something somewhere and it hurts (this seems to happen fairly often - not from the gym itself but other parts of life!)
• I'm focusing on good form before adding weight

Fine but the op was slagging other women for lifting for tone. Any exercise will give tone. A light weight will aid that

Some of us have to lift heavy things (people!) in our daily lives and come to the gym knowing that if we don’t keep enough in the tank for later in the day life gets very difficult.

People like you are exactly why half the population thinks gyms are full of insufferable weirdos. Imagine paying money to attend a strength class and then spending the entire time conducting a psychological investigation into why strangers aren’t suffering theatrically enough for your approval ... grow up.

No, it's really not. Your example is more akin to them attending but sitting out and gossiping for half the class.

They're getting what they want out of it.

And why do you assume they have any more need or desire to lift to the outer extent of their range than you do to learn another language?

The idea that people are watching and judging what I do in the gym really really fucks me off to be honest. Just leave people alone.

Maybe……maybe they don’t want to look like you?

🤷‍♀️

A lot of women are not educated about weightlifting op - as some of the responses here show.

That’s not a criticism- I wasn’t myself until I started proper training a year or so ago with a decent coach. I used to go to the gym and do pointless exercise because I didn’t know any better. But When I’d spent a year going to the gym a couple of times a week and still gained a stone (!) I decided it was time to get a decent coach!

So there’s a lot of people underestimating what weights they are capable of using and what they need to do to actually build muscle and strength (“toning” is just losing fat and building muscle)

A lot of people don’t realise that building muscle is the best way to lose fat because the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns even at rest.

There’s a lot of fear about getting “bulky” but in reality a woman is highly unlikely to become really bulky unless they really really tried to get bulky ….. I’ve been lifting heavy weights (like 90kg deadlift) 3 times a week for the past year and I’m fit looking but still very feminine looking and not bulky at all!! I’ve lost a stone and gained muscle - nothing bulky but my arms look toned now.

(And if course there may be some people who are deliberately lifting light due to injury or various other reasons.)

I have rheumatoid arthritis and never push myself with weights because I know it would cause my joints to flare up, which could cause pain for days, which is very debilitating.
The purpose of doing any weight related exercise is to strengthen my muscles to support my joints. I can do that through more reps using lower weights.
However, I don't care if anyone is judging me. It doesn't cross my mind to do that in the gym, we're all there for our own reasons.

Most women are not actually in a gym. Or ‘lifting weights’. They’re living a life. Reading, working, walking the dog, watching tv, travelling, shopping, gaming, eating, scrolling, seeing friends.

Perhaps you should get a life too?

Yanbu
2kg is a waste of time. Might as well lift balloons.

again, why does it matter? You’ve been told by multiple people not to judge people at the gym and you’re still doing it - you’re a disgrace.

Ohhhhh. She’s that OP.

Judging other women for having more sexual partners than she approves of.

That was none of your business either, OP.

What do you gain from being such a judgy patronising pick me on an anonymous forum.
i used to train in a predominantly men’s spit and sawdust gym and I could lift heavy weights and loved seeing the impact it had on my body.
sadly my body has given in to a horrible genetic condition and I can no longer train how I want to, in fact I can’t train at all because I have so little capacity.
Your stealth boast post is unnecessary, just find a different gym where people are more on your level so you don’t waste your workout time distracted worrying about ‘lots of women seemingly not putting in half the amount of effort that they seem capable of and over a long period of time’.

🙄

you could ask that about any form of exercise. Or actually any activity at all.
If someone does parkrun, why don't they push themselves and run a marathon?
If they enjoy reading romantasy, why not read Russian literature?
If someone enjoys playing chess with friends why don't they enter tournaments and become a grand master?

Because they don't want to! and it's none of your business why.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't affect you.

Who cares? Who knows? Why do you care?

It's honestly none of your business. Stop judging.

Why are you watching other people OP? And lol at using 8s thinking it's a flex. It's not very nice to criticise, is it?

Some people do heavy weights low reps. Some light and high reps. Focus on your own training.

If you're doing 12 reps with an 8 you need to go up a weight or 2 though. Try some 10s.

And ffs in general we're not men. Stop being scared of heavy weights. You're not going to turn into the hulk.