Women Should Not be Afraid to Get Strong
Improve Your Performance for a Better Body
If you’ve been reading my blog for anything length of time, I’m sure you knew this was coming eventually.
The truth of the matter is this: most women are terrified to lift anything remotely heavy because they are afraid they’ll be big and bulky. *Sigh*
I’ll start off by stating this fact. A woman I used to train competed in pageants. I’m not talking figure or bodybuilding pageants—think beauty pageants. She competed in the Mrs. Kentucky pageant and won. She later went on to place in the top 10 in the Mrs. Universe pageant.
I’m sure you know that women in those competitions are not big and bulky. They are lean, fit, and sexy. (Oh, and concerning women training like men, check out this article: Should Women Train Like Men).
When I first started training this woman she was a little timid about lifting anything heavy. She cut a few sets short and gave me a strange look when I insisted we increase the weight. If her muscles burned even in the least, she wanted to stop the set even if she could complete five more reps easy.
However, she stuck with it and she trusted me. I still remember the first time she did a tough set of squats. She took the weight out of the rack, and busted out a heavy set of six reps. I could tell she went past her comfort zone on rep three, but she kept going until she knew she had completed the last rep possible with good form.
After she put the weight back in the rack, I saw an amazing look in her eye. Something clicked. It’s like she got the itch to lift heavy and push herself.
Things in the weight room were different with her from that day forward. She wasn’t afraid to do heavy squats or deadlifts. She was able to knock out a perfect set of push-ups. She even started doing bodyweight chin-ups. She made every guy in that gym look bad because she worked harder than anyone.
So, she got stronger. She lifted hard and heavy. You know the rest of the story. She ended up winning the Mrs. Kentucky pageant and placing in the top 10 in the Mrs. Universe.
If lifting heavy and increasing strength helps a pageant winner build a lean and sexy body, what the hell are you afraid of?
If you’re still not convinced, I’ll share some of my personal story with you. A couple of years ago I finally quit training for fat loss. I decided I was going to focus on getting stronger.
I designed my workouts around that goal, and forced myself to have a completely different mindset. My time in the gym would be spent trying to get stronger and improve my performance. I didn’t give a damn how many calories I burned or how high I was elevating my metabolism.
That path was eye opening. I ended up shedding body fat without even trying. My physique has never looked better. I’m strong, lean, and confident. Before I began the quest for strength my bodyweight was about 140 pounds, and I have no clue what my body fat percentage was but it was probably in the high teens.
I ended up competing in my first powerlifting meet this past April and I weighed in at 122 pounds. I would guess my body fat was in the low teens because I had plenty of abdominal definition. Not only did I enter that meet in the best physical shape of my life, but I set the national record for the push/pull in my division. Here’s the video of my 300 pound deadlift.
If you think I am too big and bulky, I don’t know what to tell you. If I look too beasty and make you nauseated; oh well. If you don’t think women can or should get strong, then you may want to look somewhere else.
The point of the previous stories is this: women should not be afraid to get stronger. In fact, they will build the body they desire if they train to improve their performance. You don’t necessarily have to train to get stronger, but you should increase your performance in some way.
Ladies: get in the gym and start improving your performance. And for goodness sake, don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and lift heavy.
Men: the same thing goes for you. You’ll be much better off training for performance instead of worrying about how much your muscles will grow. If you improve your performance, you’ll get bigger and stronger.
Men: tell the ladies in your life what you just read. Tell them to put down the pink dumbbells once and for all.
Leave your questions and comments below.
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Comments for This Entry
Hey, following you on Twitter..just discovered your blog..I'll be back!
awesome job Nia~ Damn awesome JOB~ At almost 52 years of age I am finding my passion in life.. and I'm so damn lucky. You can't kick me out of the gym... no way.. I'm there to work hard, get stronger, get leaner.. and to show myself there is NOTHING I cannot accomplish with hard work and the willingness to keep trying. I teach 2 bodyscuplt classes at my gym now, too and I am forever trying to get them to not be afraid to pick up a heavier weight... LOL. I am finally training in the what I call the "big boy area"... oh man... and loving it... and just seeing how far I can go... Weight-wise... I met a woman a few weeks ago visiting from New Jersey (I live in Atlanta) 64 years old.. petite.. and squatting and deadlifting and bench pressing with weights that were incredible! She says she started training 7 years ago... that means she was 54 when she began~ WAKE UP.. I say to us women over '50' DO NOT USE age as an excuse... WE ARE STILL CAPABLE.... just DO IT and be amazed! Love this post... thanks for sharing... awesome DEADLIFT Nia.. damn straight~ Wish you lived in ATLANTA... you are definitely "My kind of girl" to train and work with.
xoLisa :)
Hi Nia
Anyone who thinks you are too big and bulky needs to get their head read.
Kristin-
I'm glad you liked the information! I hope to see you back here soon.
: )
Lisa-
That is absolutely awesome! I am so glad that you realize age is just a number and it shouldn't hold you back from anything.
My Mom is 49 and she is going to compete in her first powerlifting meet next month.
I'm damn impressed by your determination, and I know those around you do too.
Hopefully we can get more people to realize age is just a number and it shouldn't hold them back from anything.
Don-
Ha! I have had women tell me I am too bulky. But then again, they want to look like stick figure models . . . .
Great post and video! Your an inspiration to all of us that train for skill and performance, Keep up with the great work and pulls!
Great post and video! Your an inspiration to all of us that train for skill and performance, Keep up with the great work and pulls!
Jack-
Thank you! Like I said, training for performance is the only way to go. I plan on pulling more than 300 my next meet. We'll see how that goes. : )
That is so kewl about your mom... i really think my new passion is going to leading towards powerlifting... I just love watching it on YOUTUBE...LOL.. It gives me goosebumps.. I have recently begun training with the Barbell and JUST love IT... oh my gosh... If I could just get the 'snatch' move down.. It is my favorite..be it with a Barbell or a Kettlebell...but I will keep on trying to perfect it.
could you get your mom to email me..I would love to know her training regimen... and how to get started... I would be so greatful~
:) Lisa
lmybelle@bellsouth.net
Lisa-
Actually, I am the one that wrote up her training program. She can only train 3 days a week so we had to structure her training around that restriction.
Monday is a lower body day with an emphasis on the deadlift and then accessory work.
Wednesday is an upper body day with an emphasis on bench and then accessory work.
Friday is a total body day with exercises that supplement the main lifts.
If you have more questions, feel free to shoot me an email via the contact page.
Thanks!
-Nia
Nia
At the end of the day it comes down to health, mindset ... and genetics. The slinkiest folk are always the healthiest. A model with a BMI of 15 just looks empty, drained, sad. Someone who feels beautiful inside and takes care of themselves will radiate appeal. Good genes takes you far, but real appeal still comes from inside when the dust settles.
Whooo ha!!! Excellent advice and nice work on the DL! It is one thing to do it in the gym and an entirely different thing to do it in a meet on a set day at a set time. CONGRATS!!!!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
PhD(c),CSCS, RKC
Http://www.extremehumanperformance.com
Don-
I very much agree. Genetics can play an important part, but they can never replace hard work.
Thanks!
-Nia
Mike-
Thanks! I'm feel special having you comment on my information and performance. : )
Thank you very much,
Nia
You're right of course Nia ... sadly, much like talent. Another great intangible that is doled out without much heed to equity.
Wow, Nia, you are an awesome gal! 300 lbs deadlift! Amazing!
Not only you are strong, you also have a beautiful and feminine body!
You are a great inspiration for all the women (like me) who aren't afraid of lifting challenging weights...Keep posting, please! :)
Allie-
Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate it!
I'm so glad to hear of more and more women who aren't afraid to move some serious weight.
Keep me updated on your progress.
-Nia
Nia- found your vid on Tony's blog and found new inspiration! Started deadlifting 8 weeks ago and I LOVE it!. I'm built much like you are now and want to continue to increase my DL strength. Can do my BW now (120). It is so empowering! Plus, the butt and hams look great! Not too shabby for 47y/o! Love your blog. Keep up the great work!
Deb-
I so glad to hear that you are deadlifting. There is something very empowering about pulling a heavy bar off the ground. I'm also glad you realized it helps build a better body! Please spread the word to other women. ; )
Keep me informed on your deadlifting numbers. I love hearing about women getting stronger and loving it!
-Nia
Nia, I've just discovered your site and love it. I'm 50 and have spent a good deal of time during the last 20 years at the gym. I've never been afraid of training for strength, or of getting muscles, for that matter. But somehow, the deadlift has escaped me -- until now. Thanks for the information, and advice.
Kathy-
That's awesome that you've been lifting weights for 20 years. I'm especially glad to hear that you're not afraid of gaining some muscle!
The deadlift is a great exercise. If you're new to it, you may want to start pulling sumo at first. That's the stance I'm using in the video.
Keep me updated on your progress!
-Nia
Thanks, Nia. I had my first deadlift "lesson" at the gym yesterday, and I was shown how to do it sumo-style. I started with only 65 pounds, just to work on getting the form right, but I promise to keep you updated on my progress. And of course I'll keep referring back to that awesome video of you for inspiration!
Kathy-
That's awesome! I recommend you start out doing sets with low reps; no more than 6 reps per set. This doesn't mean you have to go real heavy, but you use so many muscles to deadlift that your smaller one fatigue quickly. If you do high rep sets, more than likely your form will break down because certain muscles will be dropping out of the movement.
Let me know if you have any questions, and yes, definitely keep me updated on your progress!
Thanks,
-Nia
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