[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
I think Snapper could go to 123 and still look great. She is super lean.[/quote]
Did we weigh in together at the last meet? I just remember being so mesmerized by Brute’s beautiful body art.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
I think Snapper could go to 123 and still look great. She is super lean.[/quote]
Did we weigh in together at the last meet? I just remember being so mesmerized by Brute’s beautiful body art. [/quote]
Yes, I hopped on the scale while everyone was distracted.
[quote]brute_fury wrote:
I am a believer in body set point idea too–that there is a certain wt that your body naturally genetically tends to go towards–without the factor of training involved. Training and diet being something you can control and tinker with. Everyone’s a different snowflake. some can crank it out much more efficiently when they cut and lean out, others the opposite.
[/quote]
This wasn’t what I was saying but maybe you were referring to someone else. I was talking about optimal weight for height, frame and sport, not natural weight. I naturally weigh 115 but that is certainly not optimal for football, bodybuilding and powerlifting. My optimal weight for these sports is closer to 165 so I have fought up and now weigh 135. I currently fight my body up for 17% of it’s weight. That’s the equivalent of a woman fighting down who naturally is 170 but walks around at 141.
It’s a lot of work to move outside of your natural weight - in either direction. Very few women naturally sit at the weight that is also optimal for their sport AND are happy with the way they look. Many female athletes struggle between their desire to look good and their desire to perform at their peak and I think that for most of us, we’re just trying to find that sweet spot in the middle.
hey bobbi! I kinda was referring to a general genetic size for no real specific function other then how you genetics play out. I get what you’re saying though-- i think… Optimal wt or size for a specific performance in whatever sport?
I wonder how that is determined… or if it even can be when there are so many variables. I guess for a specific sport like football, and a specific position like a line backer or whatever there are certain body size that just perfom the role better. …or i might be getting on a whole other island off topics…
Seems like an incredible struggle to fight between wanting to look good and wanting to perform well at a sport you’re choosing.
(said in natasha voice) In soviet russia, the sport chooses you.
I don’t see many of us PW making a living at powerlifting, or any other sport… except for you, bobbi. You’re the only full time PT around these parts (MIM is still part time/sometimes, i believe.)
So these are pursuits of whim. Passion varies as does diet choice and adherence, both in style and intensity.
I hear people say that females playing sports gives them confidence. reading this discussion makes me wonder if it’s real confidence, if you’re (collective) still so “struggling” between wanting to look good and perform well.
it’s something i’ve mulled over time and again. sure, self confidence is a plus, especially when it comes from physical sports related accomplishments rather than men or drugs or alcohol or anything else superficial.
maybe, just maybe, you as women should take a step back and seriously consider your priorities and your souls. come to peace with either looks, performance, or both, and let another stressor in your life die.
drawing from personal experience, i can say that when i reached a fashionable weight of 130 and an athletic bf of ~10-12% a few years ago, i’d achieved my goals. I was in great cardiovascular shape doing HIIT several times a week, my boyfriend thought i looked great, and the women at work hated me bc they’re morbidly obese.
I woke up that morning, saw how far i’d come, and cried. I didnt want to look like that. I wanted to be strong. I wanted slabs of muscle hanging off different parts of me. I wanted to be thicker, front to back and side to side.
I still do some tinkering here and there, 40ish lbs and 2+ years later. I think I look amazing naked, current boyfriend is a big fan, and the women at work still hate me bc they’re still morbidly obese.
I came to terms with what performance i wanted, how i wanted to look, and FUCK ALL if clothes don’t fit or the GP thinks im too manly or downright disgusting.
This has been a long way of saying, in a very sincere voice;
1)Dont bullshit yourself.
a) if you’re fat, you’re fat.
b) same with skinny or average.
2)fuck what the world thinks, outside of the people(person) who have to see you naked.
a) if its not your income, roll with your body comp or change it.
b) if it IS your income, roll with it or find another job.
3)life is too short to get hung up on whats outside.
a) be proud of yourself or find a better reason to be.
b) don’t fucking whine about it.
My interest is in strength-to-weight ratio for powerlifting. If I can lift the same amount of weight at 110 that I can at 120, I’m better at 110. I’m not talking about appearance. But I understand your point, CBear.
Also it’s not so easy for some of us to just gain weight for our sport. At least the right kind of weight (lean muscle mass).
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
My interest is in strength-to-weight ratio for powerlifting. If I can lift the same amount of weight at 110 that I can at 120, I’m better at 110. I’m not talking about appearance. But I understand your point, CBear.
Also it’s not so easy for some of us to just gain weight for our sport. At least the right kind of weight(lean muscle mass). [/quote]
How did you go about getting bigger in the past? I’m curious.
Diet (macros and cals, I don’t care about what exactly you ate), training…
Did you start training young or fairly late?
If you were around 135+ you would likely have an easier time gaining strength… At least with the right approach, due to better leverages and more potential/muscle mass… Even if you gained only fat, your bench and squat would probably go up, though I’m not saying that you should actually get fat.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
But I understand your point, CBear.[/quote]
glad someone did.
40lbs in over 2 years? you’ve seen how i eat. it’s like a part time job. I made it a priority.
Just caught up with this thread, interesting points all around. KP, from what I’ve seen you sit at 110 without much effort, you don’t need to cut for meets and I am assuming you feel good at this weight. Will you get stronger if you are heavier, for sure, but I think it’s more of a challenge to get stronger at the weight you are at. Of course there will be limits but there are limits at any weight class.
Julie’s gains to 132 were so needed, because she had to cut to get to 123 and that weightclass was killing her. LOL I hated the thought of her being in my weightclass, but I hated it more hearing about the aches and pains because she is a friend. I love this sport but it’s tough on the body and we have to do what is needed to minimize the damage that we can potentially do to ourselves. If weight gain can help you feel better, then that’s the ticket.
As for body image, man that’s a tough one. I’ve been pretty damn content with the way I look in the past few years, sure I have some flaws, I mean I’m almost 44 and this body has been used and abused by me but so far I’m holding up. I still love the big three lifts and practice them weekly, but moving away from competitive lifting has kind of left me with a hole to fill. I need a new goal, but the thought of physique competition is very unappealing to me, mostly because I don’t want to focus on how I look. It leads to problems for me, I’m old enough to know that of myself. So for now I’ll train just not to feel like a lazy ass LOL.
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
My interest is in strength-to-weight ratio for powerlifting. If I can lift the same amount of weight at 110 that I can at 120, I’m better at 110. I’m not talking about appearance. But I understand your point, CBear.
Also it’s not so easy for some of us to just gain weight for our sport. At least the right kind of weight (lean muscle mass). [/quote]
How did you go about getting bigger in the past? I’m curious.
Diet (macros and cals, I don’t care about what exactly you ate), training…
Did you start training young or fairly late?
If you were around 135+ you would likely have an easier time gaining strength… At least with the right approach, due to better leverages and more potential/muscle mass… Even if you gained only fat, your bench and squat would probably go up, though I’m not saying that you should actually get fat.
[/quote]
I didn’t start lifting weights until I was 40.
I have an extremely small frame. Tiny bones. Any more than 110 lb. on me manifests as fat(thighs and ass mostly). I eat a lot of animal protein, drink protein shakes, take creatine, and can put away a fair amount of calories. I don’t think gaining more weight would make me that much stronger. And if you know a way that I can gain lean muscle mass, please share.
[quote]dianab wrote:
I still love the big three lifts and practice them weekly, but moving away from competitive lifting has kind of left me with a hole to fill. I need a new goal, but the thought of physique competition is very unappealing to me, mostly because I don’t want to focus on how I look. It leads to problems for me, I’m old enough to know that of myself. So for now I’ll train just not to feel like a lazy ass LOL.[/quote]
Why, exactly, don’t you compete anymore?
It’s tough to find a new goal that satisfies as well.
And I’m with you on physique competitions. They would never work for me if for no other reason than because I’m flat chested and can’t walk in heels!
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]dianab wrote:
I still love the big three lifts and practice them weekly, but moving away from competitive lifting has kind of left me with a hole to fill. I need a new goal, but the thought of physique competition is very unappealing to me, mostly because I don’t want to focus on how I look. It leads to problems for me, I’m old enough to know that of myself. So for now I’ll train just not to feel like a lazy ass LOL.[/quote]
Why, exactly, don’t you compete anymore?
It’s tough to find a new goal that satisfies as well.
And I’m with you on physique competitions. They would never work for me if for no other reason than because I’m flat chested and can’t walk in heels![/quote]
and the activity where you’re on a stage in heels with your feet in the air is stripping I think…
I don’t think I’d be successful at that either although body building has piqued my interest. No heels either, I don’t think.
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]dianab wrote:
I still love the big three lifts and practice them weekly, but moving away from competitive lifting has kind of left me with a hole to fill. I need a new goal, but the thought of physique competition is very unappealing to me, mostly because I don’t want to focus on how I look. It leads to problems for me, I’m old enough to know that of myself. So for now I’ll train just not to feel like a lazy ass LOL.[/quote]
Why, exactly, don’t you compete anymore?
It’s tough to find a new goal that satisfies as well.
And I’m with you on physique competitions. They would never work for me if for no other reason than because I’m flat chested and can’t walk in heels![/quote]
and the activity where you’re on a stage in heels with your feet in the air is stripping I think…
I don’t think I’d be successful at that either although body building has piqued my interest. No heels either, I don’t think.[/quote]
Correct, although you do wear heavy makeup, and some of the women wear blingy suits for the night show.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]dianab wrote:
I still love the big three lifts and practice them weekly, but moving away from competitive lifting has kind of left me with a hole to fill. I need a new goal, but the thought of physique competition is very unappealing to me, mostly because I don’t want to focus on how I look. It leads to problems for me, I’m old enough to know that of myself. So for now I’ll train just not to feel like a lazy ass LOL.[/quote]
Why, exactly, don’t you compete anymore?
It’s tough to find a new goal that satisfies as well.
And I’m with you on physique competitions. They would never work for me if for no other reason than because I’m flat chested and can’t walk in heels![/quote]
So far I’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to injuries, however my right shoulder is chronically damaged and it has really started to make me think just how much longer I can push myself without losing a lot more mobility. I hurt it again right before Christmas and have had some PT, but the pain is still persistent. I know that in time it will heal up as much as it ever has, and in time I will re-injure it. Kinda really hit home when I was putting on my coat and had a hard time to get my arm in the sleeve, made me wonder where I will be in 20 years plus when I can’t reach a cup on a shelf.
I’m not 100% sure I won’t compete again, but it doesn’t look that way. If I do it will be raw, because I can’t stand gear anymore. Competition really appeals to me, but I think I need to find a new sport to be competitive in.
[quote]dianab wrote:
Will you get stronger if you are heavier, for sure, but I think it’s more of a challenge to get stronger at the weight you are at. [/quote]
This is my challenge right here. I’ve found a good weight for me, my body is exactly how I want it to look and feel, and the only thing left to challenge myself on is getting stronger.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
My interest is in strength-to-weight ratio for powerlifting. If I can lift the same amount of weight at 110 that I can at 120, I’m better at 110. I’m not talking about appearance. But I understand your point, CBear.
Also it’s not so easy for some of us to just gain weight for our sport. At least the right kind of weight (lean muscle mass). [/quote]
How did you go about getting bigger in the past? I’m curious.
Diet (macros and cals, I don’t care about what exactly you ate), training…
Did you start training young or fairly late?
If you were around 135+ you would likely have an easier time gaining strength… At least with the right approach, due to better leverages and more potential/muscle mass… Even if you gained only fat, your bench and squat would probably go up, though I’m not saying that you should actually get fat.
[/quote]
I didn’t start lifting weights until I was 40.
I have an extremely small frame. Tiny bones. Any more than 110 lb. on me manifests as fat(thighs and ass mostly). I eat a lot of animal protein, drink protein shakes, take creatine, and can put away a fair amount of calories. I don’t think gaining more weight would make me that much stronger. And if you know a way that I can gain lean muscle mass, please share.
[/quote]
I’ll see if I can help out… Your particular situation isn’t exactly ideal though (age, prior training experience). Still, can’t hurt to compare notes.
Can you give me a more exact number in regards to your daily protein intake, and what your training was like? What kind of strength increases did you make?
I’ll address the leanness issue after training…
I can’t afford to focus on how I look either dinahb. Do you have any idea what kinds of sport you might like to get into?
For me - moving away from worrying about how I looked and moving towards worrying about what I could do has resulted in improved body image. It still isn’t good - but it is better than it has ever been before.
I do weigh myself sometimes because I’m curious about what weight class I might end up in if I ever get good enough to compete in Oly Lifting. I also like to refer to % of bodyweight strength standards. I can no longer tell myself I’m 60kg + or -. I’m fairly reliably 63kg these days and (in my opinion) slightly amazonian looking in my upper body… This is something that I’ve been struggling with for a little while now… I’ve chosen to:
- Really keep the focus on % of bodyweight strength standards (to keep performance in check)
- Blame my not so great nutrition for the amazonian look. I’m sure if I had lower body fat I’d look less plump in the upper body
- Hit my lower body hard. Legs are weak. Perhaps going against what I said above about not focusing on how I look… Slightly higher reps to hopefully build up my lower body more so I look more even. I want one of them teardrop thingimies, I think
I guess I’m ambivalent… Shot up before most others did and have never managed to lose that ‘I’m a freaking elephant’ feeling - even around people who (objectively) are taller and bigger than me. The thing is… I don’t know what I’d need to do (weight-wise) to ever lose that feeling… If I follow that feeling then no good will come of it. I’m hoping that my ambivalence will morph into acceptance of whatever I look like for good performance. Eventually.
And… Part of the ambivalence… In some ways I’m freaking proud of what my upper body looks like. I’ve worked hard at the gym, dammit, and now it LOOKS like I’ve been working hard. But refocusing on performance…
(This stuff is hard for me)
I saw something on the Chinese women’s team. Interesting about the superheavyweight one, I thought. Would I choose to do that? Depends on performance (I like to think). I’ll never be that good. But I like to think I’d make the performance decision if it did ever come to that (though I’m not certain I would).
‘monotonous’ and ‘boring’ WTF???
[quote]dianab wrote:
Competition really appeals to me, but I think I need to find a new sport to be competitive in.[/quote]
So do I. I’ve always been performance oriented because I played team sports for a lot of my life. I was hoping to compete in PL’ing until surgery and old age set me back. I lift because I like it, but I need a specific goal to light a fire under my ass.
I’ve been told I have a good base for bodybuilding, but I’ve never been motivated to train for esthetics. It’s that body image thing, I guess, I’d rather be judged by performance than by what I look like. Besides, I’d piss myself laughing strutting onstage striking poses wearing a string while everybody stampedes out the exits. I get enough of that shit playing my bass.
I need something to train for and look forward to besides wheelchair racing in the old folk’s home.
[quote]Yo Momma wrote:
[quote]dianab wrote:
Competition really appeals to me, but I think I need to find a new sport to be competitive in.[/quote]
So do I. I’ve always been performance oriented because I played team sports for a lot of my life. I was hoping to compete in PL’ing until surgery and old age set me back. I lift because I like it, but I need a specific goal to light a fire under my ass.
I’ve been told I have a good base for bodybuilding, but I’ve never been motivated to train for esthetics. It’s that body image thing, I guess, I’d rather be judged by performance than by what I look like. Besides, I’d piss myself laughing strutting onstage striking poses wearing a string while everybody stampedes out the exits. I get enough of that shit playing my bass.
I need something to train for and look forward to besides wheelchair racing in the old folk’s home.
[/quote]
hahaha here the big sport in the old folk’s home is bacci.
I’m seriously looking at rowing. I have a river in my backyard and there is a rowing club close by. I know I have the power for it, and it would help with the conditioning too. Just have to wait for the ice to melt off the river, so we’ll see where things stand in the Spring. Until then, I’ll keep lifting heavy stuff.