A week ago I went to her apartment gym. Not a single free weight, I ran out scared. I bought her The New Rules of Lifting for Women, and she got a membership at my gym.
I’m a regular at my gym. I don’t look like a new guy in the gym, but I am also not big at all. When we workout I feel like the douche-bag that brought his girlfriend to watch him work out. In reality, I am just showing her how to lift like she means it.
It’s probably all in my head, I’m sure no one sees us and thinks this. Anyone else have this problem?
I would say you are one lucky man. Don’t care what everyone else thinks; just keep teaching your girlfriend and hoping that she stays on the path of lifting.
I went through this with a previous girlfriend. She was into everything that the gym had to offer, except weights. If there was a cardio kickboxing class, she was there, if there was a spinning class, she was there and so on. But if you brought up weight training, she would gag and say she would look like those creatures she’s seen in magazines.
I convinced her that wouldn’t happen by pointing out the other females that trained with weights in the free weight area. It was funny that we had gone to the same exact gym for three years (actually I think she had been there a little longer than I was) and she never once went near the free weight area.
She had never even went by the machines. I had her talk with some of the woman I saw there regularly and they actually got her motivated to try it and even offered to help her out.
But after working with her at first, I did feel like I was one of those guys, and a few idiots would make some comments, but mostly would get chuckles. She is pretty hot and had a decent body anyway, so that got the attention of the dweebs that liked to “tone and talk” in the crossover cable section. I’d here them talk about how I’m showing her all the wrong things by putting her through squats, and all them barbell moves.
At first she did hate weight training, but as the weeks went by she started to love it. She did end up hanging out with the other females there that actually came to lift and she made great progress. Her body did respond very well, especially to my benefit ;).
Even though its been a few years since we broke up, we still are on friendly terms, she is still at it and looks great.
So just encourage her to keep at it and don’t worry about how you look. It would be the newbs and the dweebs do their ten pound dumbbell curls that would probably think it. The regulars that know you, I’m sure think it’s pretty awesome what you doing for her.
Most of the time, when I worked out, my gf would tag along and do treadmill, not lift. She would run for about an hr. When shes finished she would watch and follow me around until I was done.
It’s funny sometimes she bring her friends along to workout with her. When they finish, they would follow me around. I would have like a group of chicks as if they were my own entourage ;D .
I’m sure some guys thought I was a D-bag for having chicks following me around, and I’m sure they felt jealous at the same time. But you gotta do what you gotta do… LIFT!
Yea, she was the same way, scared of turning into a female hulk. I explained how that takes years and years of hard training. I also explained how easy it was to lose muscle if she actually got that big.
The other day we were doing Romanian DB dead lifts, and she was actually quietly making fun of these two 125 pounders doing 10 lb curls.
[quote]DOHCrazy wrote:
Yea, she was the same way, scared of turning into a female hulk. I explained how that takes years and years of hard training. I also explained how easy it was to lose muscle if she actually got that big.
The other day we were doing Romanian DB dead lifts, and she was actually quietly making fun of these two 125 pounders doing 10 lb curls.[/quote]
not just years and years of training but some AAS as well.
[quote]DOHCrazy wrote:
Yea, she was the same way, scared of turning into a female hulk. I explained how that takes years and years of hard training. I also explained how easy it was to lose muscle if she actually got that big.
[/quote]
A great analogy I read on here about this subject is this:
Saying you don’t want to lift weights because you’re afraid of “getting too big” is like saying you don’t want to go for a jog because you’re afraid you might set the new world record in the 400m sprint. It doesn’t work like that.
Imagine you could put on muscle fast enough for people to say “Man, I’m gaining lean mass wayyyy too fast.”
[quote]John S. wrote:
Pics or it didn’t happen![/quote]
You don’t know how bad I wanted to post this on the FBI/Kiddie porn thread. In the end I decided that was pretty poor taste and I never went back to that thread.
[quote]malonetd wrote:
John S. wrote:
Pics or it didn’t happen!
You don’t know how bad I wanted to post this on the FBI/Kiddie porn thread. In the end I decided that was pretty poor taste and I never went back to that thread.[/quote]
[quote]John S. wrote:
malonetd wrote:
John S. wrote:
Pics or it didn’t happen!
You don’t know how bad I wanted to post this on the FBI/Kiddie porn thread. In the end I decided that was pretty poor taste and I never went back to that thread.
[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
DOHCrazy wrote:
Yea, she was the same way, scared of turning into a female hulk. I explained how that takes years and years of hard training. I also explained how easy it was to lose muscle if she actually got that big.
A great analogy I read on here about this subject is this:
Saying you don’t want to lift weights because you’re afraid of “getting too big” is like saying you don’t want to go for a jog because you’re afraid you might set the new world record in the 400m sprint. It doesn’t work like that.
Imagine you could put on muscle fast enough for people to say “Man, I’m gaining lean mass wayyyy too fast.”
Fuck.[/quote]
I still worry about this a very small bit But your analogy is a good one and I know I’m mostly irrational.
Every once in a while I see some muscles in places they weren’t before and it freaks me out a little. And veins. I noticed some I hadn’t before today and I admit I was a bit troubled.
My point in saying that is though it’s not entirely crazy (well maybe it is a bit) for a woman to have this fear because we women get a lot of commentary from everyone CONSTANTLY about our bodies, too fat too thin too tall blah blah blah it is really hard not pay any attention to these things.
For me coming from a curvy hourglass shape it is very strange to see these ever so slight changes.
I have never heard a conversation about female athletes that didn’t turn into a commentary about how attractive or unattractive their bodies are, usually some comments about too masculine. I really noticed this a lot during the last Olympics.
I can’t really blame any woman just starting out and having no experience for worrying about this.
Ideally women should just do what they want and not give a shit, but that isn’t realistic.
I Couldnt stand my girl in the gym with me.
Thats my time to relax and do MY thing.I spent nearly all my time with her.I sure as hell dont want her following me to the gym.
Whats next, guys saying they love to go shopping with their girls?
I like my space and vice versa
BUT u got your girl to go to the gym,that is very good.Hope she sticks with it.
[quote]debraD wrote:
I still worry about this a very small bit But your analogy is a good one and I know I’m mostly irrational.
Every once in a while I see some muscles in places they weren’t before and it freaks me out a little. And veins. I noticed some I hadn’t before today and I admit I was a bit troubled.
[/quote]
Yes, exactly. You had to work your ass off to get to your level, though. I’m sure that includes a fairly strict diet and certain sacrifices that most women might not be willing to make.
For the record, I don’t blame them for thinking that way at first, either.
To the op! Who gives a fuck what people think! You’re a T-Nation deciple you know your shit. A king among peasants. Now show your girl how real chics workout. Who doesn’t want their g/f to have nice tight glutes, curvy quads/hams and a nice toned body.
I’m taking a girl from work with big ta-tas to the gym tomorrow. Her face is kind of hit though. I think I’ll make her do decline situps with a towel on her head and maybe some jumping jacks. Then squats and some glute/ham work cause I need to balance out her boobs-to-butt ratio.