One year of being a bad@$$: A review
 

I realized that this September marks a year since I started lifting heavier :) I thought I would post this here, because I still see so many women afraid to pick up a heavy set of weights.

I've been weight training since '09. Nothing serious, I lifted maybe 40lbs max. I remember STRUGGLING to lift that and ending up with back pain. Not cool. I wasn't really making all that much progress, but I did lift once a week from the summer of '09 to May of 2011, when I started watching my portions. I kept lifting as my weight dropped.

A year ago—September 2011—I said to myself: "what would happen if I started challenging myself?"

So I started adding weight to the end of my bar in the class. Within a few weeks I was lifting heavier than anyone else taking the class. Within a few months I was lifting twice as much (or more) as most people. After those few months I had enough courage to add another lifting day outside the confines of the class and began lifting even heavier on those days. Soon my weight training class was no longer the day I lifted the heaviest.

A year ago I made one of the best decisions of my life, and because of lifting heavy:

And now, the most important ones:

Lifting heavy has changed my life, and I hope that I can inspire at least one woman to look past the wrong information she's been fed and pick up a set of heavy weights. As it is I've managed to get other women at my gym picking up slightly heavier weights...now to get them to lift even heavier!

Not only has lifting shaped my body—it's shaped my mind too. I feel strong and confident, and that's an awesome way to live.

LOVE this. So proud of you!

You have achieved so much! I hope that one day I can overcome my fear and self consciousness and walk into the weight room at the gym! You are an inspiration.

I can't tell you how much I love this thread! I love reading about strong, confident women who speak well of themselves and their bodies.

Congratulations! I plan on having an anniversary too. In about 9 months!

Thank you for the inspiration. I am planning on getting a personal trainer at the gym to teach me about lifting and hope next year to have a similar post!

Great write up sontaikle! I wonder if you can cross post it in the regular exercise forum so that more people will see it. Heavy lifting evangelism!

Love this, btw. It's so true:

Amazing! Congrats. I'm where you were a year ago... I'm now more focused on body re-composition than losing weight.

When you say, "Lifting in class". What class?

I'm inspired. Thanks for the post.

Lifting For The Win!!!!

Your progress has been very inspiring.

You are awesome. Thanks for the inspiration!

Love it! Happy Anniversary!

This is by far my favorite part of lifting heavy:

Thanks so much everyone! :hug: This site has really been such a big motivator for me. So many wonderful ladies lifting heavy on this site :) I push myself just to keep up!

Great idea! I think I'll do that :)


There is a heavy weight training class at my gym. Well, it's not really "heavy" in that most lift 40lbs at the most, but we use a lighter set of barbells. I just pile on more plates to compensate and adjust the class to my level, but I still love it.

Haha yes! Each of my lifting days includes heavy squats because I love the results ;)

I looked at your pictures, and I agree about all of those things! You look amazing- who would have thought weight lifting would do so much?

Congratulations. This is so inspirational. I've planned to add weight training to my routine and this just solidifies what a great idea it is.

Congrats, one down and the rest of your life to go! :D

You're one of my main inspirations from 3FC who convinced me to stop talking about starting and start.

Such an awesome post! I've been lifting "heavy" for a month or two now, but reading your post has convinced me that I can certainly be challenging myself with more weight and different exercises. You rock.

You are inspiring! I take a weight lifting class too, and I think I'll up my weight now ;) thanks!

Wow, I had no idea that weight lifting could make one smaller like that. I really need to think about strength training as well as cardio. I've had such a hard, hard time getting into running. It might be a lot better for me if I try something totally different.

Btw, your results are amazing, as are your pictures! Thank you for sharing!

Yup, that is the joyous wonder of weight lifting! You get smaller but your scale number is higher. That means that you get to eat to support the higher number while LOOKING ever tinier! It's the best!

And lifting weights really is a totally different approach to exercise than running or steady state cardio. Check out one of the New Rules of Lifting books. Lots of info and fabulous work out plans.

Woo hoo, rock on @sskicker, rock on! :)

You inspired me to do it! At the beginning of this year I spent a long time kicking the idea around to try lifting heavy. I had so many questions and reservations about it, some of them were the typical others were less so. I wasn't convinced it was something that I could do, do regularly, and enjoy. I read up and educated myself about it, but I still just wasn't ready to pull the trigger.

Well, your enthusiasm and results prompted me to jump in with both feet this May. Turns out, I LOVE it! All of my hemming and hawing, all of my fears were for naught. I love how I feel and I love how I'm looking. And this is the perfect opportunity to thank you for being an inspiration and getting me started. Thank you!!

Love this! You rock so freaking hard! You always inspire me when I start falling off the workout wagon. I SO needed to read this today. Thank you!

Sontaikle, what is your max weight? And may we have a sample routine--a typical day at the gym? Better yet, if you only have half an hour to lift, three times a week--what would you focus on? I have to start incorporating more lifting!! Advice is much appreciated!

Congrats sontaikle you are so motivating!

I'm sure you've said this somewhere before, but what plan did you use when you were starting out? Are there are specific exercises you'd recommend?

I'm trying to go from lifting relatively light (squats 50lbs - most arm stuff around 12lbs) to lifting heavy. Thanks!

I just keep re-reading this! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

I don't know how someone could read this post and not want to immediately go out and lift like a hot beast!