Women, Weightlifting, and Schwarzenegger (by Jenny Gordon)

I’m thin.  I’m not a stick but I fit squarely in the thin category.  And yet it bothers me when I gain 10-15 pounds and my clothes no longer fit.  When that happens, I usually join Weight Watchers and use their app to count points and lose the ten pounds.  I add in a little cardio as well for good measure.  Two years later I’m back up to where I was and the process repeats itself. 

Everything changed when my boyfriend joined a CrossFit/Strength training gym six months ago, Crossfit Retribution.  He was introduced to the world of weightlifting.  For months he begged me to check it out.  In my mind, if I started weightlifting, my thighs (my problem area) would get even bigger.  And I was worried I’d look like this:

I was completely wrong.  I joined the gym and now I love it.  Here is what I’ve learned from two short months of doing a strength training program:

1.)    Lift weights!  My trainer (a toned and feminine looking woman I might add) introduced me to the world of dead lifts, shoulder press, bench press, and squats.  I started out by lifting lighter weights and we focused on form.  The first night I attempted a 30 pound squat and just about fell over because I was so weak.  I didn’t give up and the next week I squatted 35 pounds.  After two months I successfully did an 80 pound squat.

2.)    Follow a macronutrient plan!  Download the free app My Fitness Pal so you can track your macronutrients (or macros) each day.  My trainer, Nicole, tells me what level of macros to consume but you can also find an online Macro calculator.   It will tell you how many calories to eat, as well as how many grams of fat, proteins and carbs to consume.  All are essential for building lean muscle.  I’m allowed 1800 calories per day which isn’t restrictive at all.  

3.)    Buy a good protein powder!  Many women do not eat enough protein and I was one of them.  Unless you like eating meat all day long, you will probably want to supplement your protein goal using a powder.  I put a scoop in my green smoothie every morning and another scoop in a protein shake in the afternoon.  Here is one of my favorites – MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder Chocolate Milk.

As I followed this plan, I started noticing even though I worked out very hard, I wasn’t very sore the next day.  Consuming the proper amount of protein can help with soreness.  One night in the shower I lifted my arm and saw a muscle that wasn’t there before.  Then I saw a new muscle in my leg.  One month into the program I moved in with my boyfriend.  I was lifting heavy moving boxes and I wasn’t in pain.  Next I started feeling thinner and more toned.  I measured my waist and thighs and they were smaller.  My midsection was flatter and starting to get definition.  After two months of staying on the same macro eating plan, I started getting very hungry.  Nicole told me that’s because I had built so much muscle and now needed more calories to sustain my body.  So she increased my macros and I’m now eating almost 2000 calories per day.  Oh and I’m down 5 pounds and have hit my goal weight.  What's more fun than eating MORE and still losing weight? 

Nicole showing me proper squat positioning

Weightlifting has many more benefits, which you can read about here.  Ladies are you strong enough? It’s written by the guy who owns my gym.  He knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.

Now that I’ve experienced the joys of weightlifting, I know that a more realistic image of a woman who strength trains is this:

Weight training has changed my body more than restrictive dieting and cardio has ever done.  Since I’ve started I’ve made huge gains in the gym:  

• Bench press - up 22.5 pounds 
  

• Squats – up 50 pounds

• Dead lift - up 45 pounds (I’m only 10 pounds away from dead lifting my body weight)

• Shoulder press – up 17.5 pounds

And those jiggly thighs I had?  They’re practically gone.  So the next time someone says you’re going to look like Schwarzenegger if you weight lift, you can tell them how wrong they are!