The New Rules of Lifting for Women - anyone done this?

[Mum2Lucian]

Hi all,

I decided it was time to change my weight lifting programme from the same ol' generic programme I was given by a PT at the student gym. I had a friend do the programme in 'The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess' book and she got great results from it (she didn't follow the diet, as she is also a vegan, but just continued eating what she was eating) and dropped a lot of body fat.

So I have her copy of the book, and I like the variety of exercises in it and how it builds up your strength levels.

So any thoughts/reviews on this?

TIA

[bronco]

I think it would be easier to say something if you would post the exercise program in question .

[Rach]

Hi there am getting this book in a week or two so will post my thoughts- the reviews on Amazon certainly look good.

[JP]

out of interest, why would women need to train differently?

[hardcore iv]

My sister used the program for a few months. I skimmed through it and it looked like a solid routine. The programs are designed by Alwyn Cosgrove.

out of interest, why would women need to train differently?

The sub-heading states, "Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess". Therefore women shouldn't lift any differently from men.

[BlueRose]

out of interest, why would women need to train differently?

A few things off the top of my head:

1) Center of gravity is different, affects balance/core work. We tend to carry our weight in our lower bodies, not upper. I think that this is an advantage in most cases IMHO.

2) Upper body is typically weaker and thus requires more work/effort to get up to snuff.

3) We tend to obsess over different body parts than men do, and unlike men we want to get smaller, not bigger.

These days my staples have been Oxygen and Muscle and Fitness Hers for training tips in addition to this forum.

[fredrikw]

1) Center of gravity is different, affects balance/core work. We tend to carry our weight in our lower bodies, not upper. I think that this is an advantage in most cases IMHO.

2) Upper body is typically weaker and thus requires more work/effort to get up to snuff.

3) We tend to obsess over different body parts than men do, and unlike men we want to get smaller, not bigger.

While these stereotypes might be true for many men and women, I hope you also see the problem in assigning these traits to a whole gender rather than taking the individual into account.

As for your enumeration, number 1 and 2 is true for most cyclist for example, both men and women. Number 3 is just about reinforcing sad gender stereotypes.

Sorry to give you a hard time on this, but I do think you're missing the point.

[BlueRose]

1) Center of gravity is different, affects balance/core work. We tend to carry our weight in our lower bodies, not upper. I think that this is an advantage in most cases IMHO.

2) Upper body is typically weaker and thus requires more work/effort to get up to snuff.

3) We tend to obsess over different body parts than men do, and unlike men we want to get smaller, not bigger.

While these stereotypes might be true for many men and women, I hope you also see the problem in assigning these traits to a whole gender rather than taking the individual into account.

As for your enumeration, number 1 and 2 is true for most cyclist for example, both men and women. Number 3 is just about reinforcing sad gender stereotypes.

I said "tend", and I find it hilarious you're telling a woman how to think about her gender....

Sorry to give you a hard time on this, but I do think you're missing the point.

Someone asked, I replied...I don't think I'm missing the point. There are obvious body differences, nothing wrong with that. Does it mean one can do better all the time than the other? No, it doesn't.

[fredrikw]

I said "tend", and I find it hilarious you're telling a woman how to think about her gender....

I'm just saying what I think about gender stereotyping, and you can't isolate one gender when you are putting them up against the other (in making a sweeping generalization about how women and men are). I don't see what's hilarious about that.

Someone asked, I replied...I don't think I'm missing the point. There are obvious body differences, nothing wrong with that. Does it mean one can do better all the time than the other? No, it doesn't.

The problem is when you ignore individual differences and instead generalise out of something which appears to be convenience.

Anyway, probably nothing to get worked up about, I just think there are enough beliefs within sports that women can't perform or shouldn't do this and that, and men should be a certain way, and I always think these expectations and stereotypes are much more limiting to our choices that our individual bodies will ever be.

[BlueRose]

I said "tend", and I find it hilarious you're telling a woman how to think about her gender....

I'm just saying what I think about gender stereotyping, and you can't isolate one gender when you are putting them up against the other (in making a sweeping generalization about how women and men are). I don't see what's hilarious about that.

"Tend" means generally, not all. I wouldn't say it was sweeping. Bear in mind I'm coming at it from my own perspective and comparing and contrasting with other bodybuilders both men and women. I have female friends who outbench the men in their gym.

And I was being sarcastic...

Anyway, probably nothing to get worked up about, I just think there are enough beliefs within sports that women can't perform or shouldn't do this and that, and men should be a certain way, and I always think these expectations and stereotypes are much more limiting to our choices that our individual bodies will ever be.

I am a raging feminist and the utter last person to say that women cannot perform as well as men. Hells bells, I am a software engineer in addition to being a fitness nut and can preach to you at all ends on gender discrimination first hand. That was NOT what I said. What I said was that there were differences, period. And there are. Know what it's like to discover you need a better sports bra after your D cup breasts are sore from jiggling up and down repeatedly during an Insanity workout? No, you don't, cause you're a man. There ARE physical differences to work through but it doesn't mean one gender is better than the other.

Sheesh, folks. *shakes head*

[ninearms]

Pulling this thread back on track, the whole point of the book is that women shouldn't train differently to men, and the reasons why they shouldn't. Other than pregnancy and a greater incidence of ACL injury, which means certain movements are riskier, there's no real reason why women shouldn't lift heavy stuff just like men should.

[BlueRose]

Pulling this thread back on track, the whole point of the book is that women shouldn't train differently to men, and the reasons why they shouldn't. Other than pregnancy and a greater incidence of ACL injury, which means certain movements are riskier, there's no real reason why women shouldn't lift heavy stuff just like men should.

+1