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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Sep-03-11, 05:11
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
Default I'm A Woman, And I Love Powerlifting

Quote:
From AOL Healthy Living (Huffington Post)


I'm A Woman, And I Love Powerlifting

By Dana McMahan for Blisstree.com

I spend four days per week in a gym; on days off, I pine to be there. I lift hundreds of pounds, sport smeary chalk prints on my sweat-soaked clothes and listen to cacophonous music at dangerously loud levels when I train. I attack large, bloody-rare steaks like a caveman. Am I a 275-pound shaved-headed dude with my bench total dangling as a charm from a gold chain around my thick neck?

Nope. I’m a 100-pound, 30-something female food writer who has fallen in love with powerlifting.

How did I discover the allure of going under the bar? Blame the affair on my CrossFit coach, who started me as a total beginner -- without an athletic bone or urge in my body -- with chin-ups and push-ups. He saw my manic drive to do more, and started loading a barbell with weights. I quickly became hooked on going under the bar and finding out how much I could squat and stand up with, and bench press, or pull from the floor in a deadlift. He called me a powerlifter one day, and it clicked. This was what I wanted to do. This was what made my heart pound with excitement. The sound of heavy weights crashing back into the rack or to the ground caused a frisson even when it wasn’t from my own barbell. Searching for my body’s limits was an addictive pursuit and I couldn’t get enough.

As the callouses grew and I learned I could conquer more and more weight, I found myself sitting up straighter, walking with my head higher and shoulders back, and smiling more. The first time I squatted 180 pounds I found myself smiling hugely at passersby later that day in the suites at Churchill Downs, my local racetrack. A man returned my smile, perhaps automatically in response to a trim blonde in a hat and sundress. I had to contain the laughter welling up as I wondered what he’d think if he knew I was smiling because I could squat him!

Petty stresses and grievances rolled off me like so much water on a freshly-waxed car. I tried new adventures -- a Muay Thai lesson in Bangkok, clambering up onto an elephant in northern Thailand, taking on a job as the editor of a food magazine. Get a tattoo of the world on my back? Why not? I could do anything I wanted.

Why don’t more women do this? I pondered, to myself and to friends. If only they knew how amazing they would feel! If other women just knew what a stress reliever it is. (Being strong enough to sling a sledgehammer repeatedly into a tractor tire at my gym allowed for immediate relief when a weaselly blogger publicly disdained my selection as a food critic that would have otherwise called for an illegal activity or, at minimum, drinking unwise amounts of clear liquor.) And seriously, if they knew how fast and easily they would reach that great, shiny American goal of Losing Weight, wouldn’t they show up in hordes at the door to the gym, pleading for a turn at the squat rack?

Turns out, not so much. Aside from some other die-hards like me, most women shy away from heavy weights. Because seemingly, even in this era of snopes and the ability to research anything your little heart desires online, people, many women -- and trainers -- still believe lifting heavy weights will make them bulky or, thanks to perverse media claims, “too toned.” I can only surmise that the inventor of two-pound dumbbells started this misinformation campaign which has pervaded gyms across the country, where women with great fear of looking like a Russian heavyweight powerlifter cling to their tiny weights as they shuffle along on treadmills.

Bulky, my arse. My workouts rarely include more than five repetitions of any lift. They’re also, at least with the squat and deadlift, performed with weights well above my body weight. Does hanging a kettlebell from my foot while I perform unassisted chin-ups, or counting off handstand push-ups make my arms big? In a word: no. But it does allow me to haul industrial-sized bags of dog food without help. It means I can retrieve my suitcase from the overhead compartment without fear of crushing my skull (or someone else’s!). And it lets me grab the sleeveless, backless dress without hesitation while shopping. The women I met at a recent powerlifting competition had bodies most dieting women would starve themselves in hopes of achieving -- and many of them eat 3,000 or 4,000 (or more!) calories a day just to fuel their training.

That’s the bonus of a lifetime for me. Contending with heavy weights several times a week requires large infusions of fuel. That’s right. I have to eat. A lot. Studies may dispute the "muscle burns more calories than fat" theory, but to maintain my lower-than-ever weight, I know I need more calories than before. In my line of work, and with a passion for food that takes me to far-flung destinations to taste and cook, that’s the proverbial cherry on top of my love for powerlifting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/...e_n_934453.html
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  #2   ^
Old Mon, Sep-12-11, 14:58
oblong's Avatar
oblong oblong is offline
Paleo and proud!
Posts: 1,687
 
Plan: Paleo / Primal
Stats: 210/175.6/168 Female 70 inches
BF:40%/34.4%/30%
Progress: 82%
Location: Brighton, UK
Default

YESSSS!!!!!! This is exactly how I feel about my new discovery too!!!!
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  #3   ^
Old Mon, Sep-12-11, 18:59
Ilikemice's Avatar
Ilikemice Ilikemice is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 730
 
Plan: Paleo-ish general LC
Stats: 151/119/118 Female 64 in
BF:
Progress: 97%
Location: Middle Tennessee
Default

Quote:
That’s right. I have to eat. A lot.


Too true. When I was doing heavy weight workouts and achieved some muscle mass, I could EEAAATT (and I was just semi-LC!)
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Sep-27-11, 07:30
Equinox's Avatar
Equinox Equinox is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,919
 
Plan: dr. Boz Keto Continuum
Stats: 265/226/165 Female 175 centimeters
BF:53/46.8/21
Progress: 39%
Location: Oslo, Norway
Default

I love power lifting too... I'm not adding much muscle mass yet, because I'm mostly using the lifting as a "hack" to help me slim down, but I don't see myself stopping lifting when I reach goal. I know I'll get stronger once I start eating more. I'm going to lift over my body weight, too!
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, Nov-13-11, 15:44
Cilli's Avatar
Cilli Cilli is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 44
 
Plan: Adkins/General
Stats: 220/202.7/140 Female 5' 8"
BF:
Progress: 22%
Default

I must say this intruiges me. I always equated bulk with lifting......hmmm....I may have to try this.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Nov-14-11, 04:07
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cilli
I must say this intruiges me. I always equated bulk with lifting......hmmm....I may have to try this.
'Bulking' is a popular myth that persists despite the fact that women typically don't have the amount of hormones (namely, testosterone) necessary to build huge muscles. Those that do will very likely have had some pharmaceutical help!

Strength Training helps you to preserve the muscle you have as well as increase your lean mass...and the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn all day long. Muscle is more 'active' than fat. A pound of fat burns only 2-5 calories a day whereas a pound of muscle can burn anywhere from 10-20 calories a day. In addition, muscle is more dense than fat and will take up less space on your body frame. So when you lose fat and gain lean muscle, your body will become more defined and your physique will become 'reshaped'.
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Nov-21-11, 20:48
aj_cohn's Avatar
aj_cohn aj_cohn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,948
 
Plan: Protein Power
Stats: 213/167/165 Male 65 in.
BF:35%/23%/20%
Progress: 96%
Location: United States
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Demi
'A pound of fat burns only 2-5 calories a day whereas a pound of muscle can burn anywhere from 10-20 calories a day.


So, how can Gary Taubes back up the claim that the caloric output difference between 5 lbs of fat on a person and 5 lbs of muscle is just 24 calories (Why We Get Fat, ch. 3, "The Elusive Benefits of Exercise")?
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Nov-22-11, 01:25
Equinox's Avatar
Equinox Equinox is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,919
 
Plan: dr. Boz Keto Continuum
Stats: 265/226/165 Female 175 centimeters
BF:53/46.8/21
Progress: 39%
Location: Oslo, Norway
Default

By using the highest estimate for the fat and the lowest for the muscle? If fat burns 5 calories per pound and muscle burns 10, 5 pounds of fat would burn 25 calories and 5 punds of muscle would burn 50. The difference is only 25. Just a calorie off.
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Jan-31-12, 05:45
Equinox's Avatar
Equinox Equinox is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,919
 
Plan: dr. Boz Keto Continuum
Stats: 265/226/165 Female 175 centimeters
BF:53/46.8/21
Progress: 39%
Location: Oslo, Norway
Default

I read on her blog that Dana McMahan had to stop competitive powerlifting due to getting injured, herniated disk. It's a shame, and I feel for her!
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  #10   ^
Old Sat, Sep-01-12, 06:29
Lifter's Avatar
Lifter Lifter is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 31
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 191/188/150 Female 63 inches
BF:
Progress: 7%
Location: Wales, UK
Default

Great article, I am training to do my first power lift / strength comp in Dec and hope to go on to more next year.

Shame she got injured.

Regarding the fat burn v's muscle burn, I'd much sooner have the burn from LEAN muscle which takes up less space as it's denser, and also smoother..
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  #11   ^
Old Sat, Sep-01-12, 07:41
coachjeff's Avatar
coachjeff coachjeff is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 635
 
Plan: Very Low Carb
Stats: 211/212/210 Male 72
BF:
Progress: -100%
Location: Shreveport, LA
Default

As a personal trainer who knows and who has worked with quite a few former powerlifters and O-lifters over the years, I must say almost all of them have what I call "busted up weight-lifter syndrome. Busted up shoulders, knees and low back. Some hips as well. Lifting super heavy weights in low rep ranges is flirting with disaster in terms of your long-term orthopedic health IMO.

If we look at the sport of bodybuilding, we also see that a myopic focus on always lifting heavier and heavier tends to cause a lot of injuries. Guys like Ronnie Coleman and Dorain Yates sustained career ending injuries pushing the envelope in terms of how much weight they could hoist from point a to b.

Whereas guys like Serge Nubret and Scott Abel built great physiques with lighter weights by using a lot more volume than the "ultra super-duper heavy weights" folks. More of a "cumulative fatigue" approach to weight training, than a lift super heavy stuff approach. The famous Hollywood "trainer to the stars" Vince Gironda also used this approach with great success.

Serge Nubret seldom used more than 225 on the bench-press, which is rather light for a worldclass bodybuilder. But his pecs looked as good as the guys using over 400 pounds. And ole Serge still looked good, and was still pumping iron well into his 70's...until his recent death.

Gary Styrdom is another guy who still looks great in his 50's and attributes his injury-free career longevity to using lighter weights for higher reps and more overall volume.

I spent decades in the "lift super heavy" camp, but it eventually started causing me injuries. Even caused me a few in my youth.

I now prefer a higher rep/volume approach to training, with moderate-heavy weights instead.
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  #12   ^
Old Thu, Sep-13-12, 13:47
Daryl's Avatar
Daryl Daryl is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,427
 
Plan: ZC
Stats: 260/222/170 Male 5-10
BF:Huh?
Progress: 42%
Location: Texas
Default

I love women that lift.

There are numerous good posts on the 70s Big site for women, they usually dedicate a post each Monday to the lovelier sex:

http://70sbig.com/blog/category/content/females/

Ahh, just saw this is an older thread.... well, I still dig women that lift.
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  #13   ^
Old Thu, Sep-13-12, 14:04
sexym2's Avatar
sexym2 sexym2 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,850
 
Plan: Depends on the Day
Stats: 221/169.6/145 Female 5' 10"
BF:
Progress: 68%
Location: Southeastern, Iowa USA
Default

I have been lifting religousely for the past 3 weeks and it is becoming addictive. I have lifted to much weight working my shoulders yesterday and I'm paying for it now. I have to go see my chiro for that mistake, fewer reps+heavier weights, ouch. But it hasn't stopped me, I worked my core today, and tomorrow I have more toning and rebuilding to do. I do have to remember not to jump the gun and add to much weight, very important!

I to want to be able to carry my rabbit and horse feed sacks around unasisted. I can lift and toss bags all day, but carrying them around is another story. I want to be able to carry a hay bale across the pasture without setting it down half way there to catch my breath or give my arms and back a chance to rest, because I won't need it!! I want to be more assistance when something heavy needs to be pushed or pulled, not look for a man to do it for me. I don't want to get physically fatigued as quickly as I do.

I want to look great naked.
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  #14   ^
Old Thu, Sep-13-12, 14:34
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
Default

The calorie burning effects of muscle have been vastly inflated from what I've read. Even if we took Demi's numbers, which we don't have a source for:

Lets say you had 10 pounds of fat mysteriously replaced with 10 pounds of muscle, you'd burn an extra 150 calories a day. That's about an ounce extra of almonds you could eat.
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  #15   ^
Old Fri, Sep-14-12, 06:46
mfish mfish is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 510
 
Plan: general LC
Stats: 191/140/133 Female 5'3"
BF:
Progress: 88%
Location: USA
Default

I used to powerlift and absolutely loved it!! I think it is wonderful for making the body strong enough to do everyday tasks without tiring, needing assistance, or causing injury.
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