Here are super powerful and clever ways to end your intimidation over lifting weights.
Turn your intimidation into excitement and eagerness — you’ll be looking forward to every weight workout!
To fight the feeling of intimidation about going into a weightlifting gym, remind yourself that strength training dramatically strengthens the joints; slashes risk of cancer and heart disease; helps with weight management; and lowers risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and dementia.
Quite frankly, you should be more terrified of type 2 diabetes, for instance, then of what other people might think of your struggle to lift a certain amount of weight.
This disease can result in amputation of your legs. I’ve never heard of anybody having to have their legs amputated because they were strength training.
Still intimidated at the thought of lifting weights?
Then use a different phrase, such as “body sculpting,” “resistance training,” “strength training,” “muscle toning,” etc.
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You lift weights nearly every day, anyways: loads of laundry, garbage bags, babies, toddlers, maybe your sick dog, boxes of books – whatever has to be moved about in your house – a large potted plant, the computer, a big lamp, etc.
But if you haven’t been lifting weights in a structured, methodical way in the highly controlled environment of a gym, then the weightlifting you do around the house will be very tiring, maybe impossible for some items, and will leave you sore and aching the next day.
Perhaps your intimidation comes from feeling too old, but it’s never too late to lift weights!
Even 90-year-olds can gain muscle mass and strength, as demonstrated by experiments with nursing home residents.
Commit to lifting weights for 60 days. Then at the end of 60 days, even just 30 days, ask yourself if you’re still intimidated.
You may want to embark on this exciting endeavor in the comfort of your home; all you need are a few pairs of dumbbells, an exercise matt and instructions that you can print off from an online source; or, you can purchase a DVD or follow a cable TV program for using dumbbells.
Weightlifting will result in:
– Stronger, denser bones and reduced risk of brittle bones in both women and men
– Faster resting metabolic rate, which means more calories burned even when you sleep
– Tighter-looking, firmer legs and arms, plus a smaller waistline
– Reduced risk of some cancers, heart disease and stroke
– Lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol profile
– Feeling younger and looking younger
– Improved sports performance
There certainly isn’t anything intimidating about any of that.
So why, then, don’t more people strength-train?
Women who don’t use weights often cite fear of bulking up.
Men who don’t use weights…well, I honestly don’t know what’s holding them back.
But if you are afraid of bulking up, look at women at your health club who do rigorously lift weights.
Not the ones who are merely going through motions with the machines, but the ones who are clanging dumbbells.
Almost always, even when they appear to be in their 40s, they have tight, lean physiques.
Put your intimidation aside and start lifting weights three times a week for your healthiest, fittest body ever.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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