I’ll never forget it. Back before I’d heard of CrossFit or Kettlebells – before MOST ANYONE had heard of them – I worked out in a “Globo Gym.” I know, we all did. Some of us even liked it at one time or another. This gym was special though – because the girl I was dating at the time worked out there. AND her friend worked at the gym as a “trainer.” (You’re not sure where I’m going with this yet, but you know it won’t be good, right?)
Anyway, girlfriend wants to “get into better shape” and asks me to write her out a workout. Like a good boyfriend I do. She then takes the workout and shows it to her trainer friend and trainer-girl says: “OH NO! He has you working out like a guy! Don’t do squats, they’ll make your butt big!” Impassioned arguments ensue… Not pretty…
It’s funny now but it wasn’t then. Fast forward a bunch of years and I’ve spent a lot of time training women “like a guy.” In fact, there are very few things more gratifying to me than to teach a woman how to do the big power movements and to not be afraid of heavy weights. I trained my good friend Hope for quite a while and here’s what she said when I asked her:
“I like that, at the beginning, I never thought I would be able to do any of it – but I was. And you were always there cheering me on. Now, every time I finish a workout, I feel stronger, tougher and most importantly BETTER than the day before. You’ve really helped me stay focused and keep up a workout routine that I never thought I could!”
THAT’S what I’m talking about! And her butt didn’t even get big from all the squats 🙂
When women “train like a guy” they get into AWESOME shape, feel great AND look great!
I don’t even like the “train like a guy” thing. How about just TRAIN. Or TRAIN HARD? Even better: TRAIN RIGHT!
I just went through iPhoto and found EXACTLY what I was looking for! Now, remember kiddies, this was after a good bit of time working technique and refining form…
Here’s Hope working her form and getting warmed up:
NOW, HERE’S HOPE AS I TELL HER SHE’S GOING TO POWER CLEAN AND PRESS THAT WEIGHT 30 TIMES (Also known as Grace…)
And, here she is DOING IT!
And there it was. We argued for a while like we did before every workout (Hope used to call it negotiating) and then SHE KILLED IT! She didn’t think she could but she DID.
So, what’s the point?
A lot of women are now sold on training hard and training heavy. Training right. It’s not even an argument anyone needs to make anymore and that’s a GREAT thing. That wasn’t always the case. (I wonder if my ex ever saw the light. Probably not…) Other than telling a cool story, I thought it was worth saying that EVERYONE should take a good hard look at their limits – the ones they THINK they have – and challenge them.
Wherever you are in your training, take a look at the limits you think you have and then go after them. And with that, I’m going to go look at my own limits right now… (Wow, I can even inspire MYSELF. Go figure…)
And, let’s KILL the term “train like a guy” OK?
BTW, Hope makes AWESOME cakes. If you’re near CT and need the coolest cake in the world for an event, check her out! A Little Imagination Cakes
ttys
Adam
I stopped doing pushups in Jr. High School because I didn’t want to look like a man. I do them now.
As long as you started doing them again 🙂
I never think I can do the WODs, but I always can.
Now you have me thinking about cake.
Paleo cake 😛
I do a lot of squats…and it DID make my butt bigger. And better. I love it. So does my boyfriend.
Or that! LOL
Adam
This was great. I wish more women would read it. I started lifting weights 3 years ago, and it took a lot of convincing and promising on my trainer’s part that I wouldn’t “get big”. Now I couldn’t imagine life without lifting, and my ability to lift (and not only do it well, but with a lot of weight on the bar) is a point of pride in my life. And he was right. I didn’t get bigger. Well, maybe my butt did from all those squats, but I see it as an improvement 😉
Glad you had a good trainer to convince you to train right, Elle! There are a few of them out there…
Adam
Thanks for the article. I have been lifting weights for over 20 years. Started in college when i found it was ok to have muscles. Now it is celebrated. I am reaping the benefits at 46! Do not stop lifting! The combination of cardio and weightlifting does wonders for the metabolism, toned muscles and strong bones. Most women will not get large muschles from lifting. If you do go lighter but dont stop! Your health is more important than physical looks!
That’s great, Whitney! Thanks for the post!
Adam
I just started crossfit a few months ago after hearing about it for over a year from my husband who is always in the gym and now a trainer. Admittedly, I was severely intimidated by the idea of weightlifting and not being strong enough. Come to find out, I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was and I’m setting PRs every week. Lifting has left me feeling stronger not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I can’t imagine my life without now.
Oh, and I have my own blog with paleo recipes that taste amazing! http://www.meat-n-veggies.com.
Thanks for the great post!
Thanks, Amy! Glad you liked it!
Adam
I train like a guy! I LOVE IT! My trainer at the gym has me doing all kinds of things, including pull-ups, and after a looong 4 months of doing push-ups with a band, I can finally do them on my own! I lost 12 pounds and 2 sizes!! GET IT DONE!!!
@Katie – Nice work! Thanks for the post!
Adam
I love this post! My wife is a girl (could go without saying) and she loves nothing more than deadlifting, pullups and all of those lovely ‘Man maker’ lifts that I know most of her friends stare at her like she has two heads when she lifts or tells them about her PRs. She can lift heavy and work hard but still looks like a woman and most of all of her friends who only bounce around in the cardio theater always comment on what good shape she is in.
@James – You’re a lucky guy!
Adam
So can I ask the obvious (to me) question? What’s wrong with getting at least a little bit bigger? How many of these women scared of looking bigger are going around looking like sticks right now? That might have worked when you were, say, fourteen–but you’re an adult now, let your body develop to its potential. If you wind up not looking like Keira Knightley, that’s not the worst thing that could happen to you and I bet you didn’t look like her in the first place.
I’ve only heard of one woman having trouble because she looked muscular: my former stepmother. But unfortunately for her, she inherited her father’s looks, which made her look very masculine. And yet, she would have looked masculine *anyway*, muscles or not, because of her face. You can’t train that away. Gotta play the hand you’re dealt.
Great point, Dana!
Adam
Awesome..love it!!
Can I still say I burp like a guy though?:)
@Bridget – If you must LOL
Adam
I’ve been doing CrossFit for over a year now, and I DO have big muscles…and I LOVE IT! I look in the mirror and get so excited about the trapezius muscles I have now (from all the cleans I’ve been doing), my biceps that are visible, and the super strong leg muscles. Even if some parts of me have gotten bigger, it is bigger in a really good way. And when the furniture delivery guys who brought an armoire for our bedroom told me that if I decided to move it later I could have my husband help me, I was able to reply truthfully that I can lift more weight than my hubby. He’s a great husband, but I certainly don’t need his help to lift/move heavy objects. Hooray for muscles! 🙂
Great comment, Tracy! Hope your husband doesn’t see it! LOL
Adam
Step away from the Barbie weights and train heavy! Love it! Live it!
Barbie weights! LMFAO!
Adam
my favorite t-shirt to wear to my krav maga classes is “Fight like a Girl”.
and I would laugh in the face of anyone who would say I train like a guy. I train like someone who could kick the hindside of most people I meet in everyday life. And, my husband loves my crossfit figure.
That’s awesome, Diana!
Adam
I dunno, a lot of the guys where I train need to take off their skirt and start lifting heavy. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to wait to deadlift b/c some jackass is using the station for lunges or liek 10 sets of light-ass squats. I say, lift like a girl and you just might like it (if that girl is me).
LOL Nice, Jenn!
When I started CrossFit just over 3 years ago, I was a whopping 102# at 5’3″. I’ve since put on about 15#, most of it going to my butt and thighs (I’m hoping to break 120# this winter). My boyfriend definitely isn’t complaining (he might have even high-fived my trainer because of my butt). What’s even better is going to a local deadlifting competition, being the only one in the 114# division and having all the guys’ jaws drop when I picked up a 220# bar with no problem. I don’t have the look of someone who lifts heavy weights. My body just isn’t designed that way, but being deceptively strong has many, many perks (just not when it comes to wanting the boyfriend to carry heavy stuff up and down the stairs).
Oh yeah, favorite lifts: deadlifts and back squats. I can now do strict pullups. I’m proud of my callused hands, bruised collarbones (damn those power cleans!), and banged up everything else that comes with CrossFit and lifting.
Love lifting callouses on a woman! LOL
Adam