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LIES in the gym
You don’t have to go far in the average gym to find someone willing to give you bad information. People are full of ideas and advice about women and weights. And most of them are wrong. I’ve compiled a list of some of the most common myths floating around like the alligator in the sewer stories. The difference is, of course, that there really ARE alligators in the sewer. And snakes that pop out of your toilet, heh heh.
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What you need and what you don’t
It’s tempting to think when starting out that you need a whole array of belts, straps, gloves, and suits to begin strength training, especially if you see a lot of folks in the gym all decked out like medieval cyborgs. Well, the truth is that you don’t. Here’s what you need and what you can do without.
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Old broads: the golden years of pumping iron
The other day I got an email from a woman who asked, “I’m 31. Is it too late to begin a fitness program?” Only in our youth-worshiping North American culture could such a question even be asked. In most other cultures in the world, the concept of aging equaling inactivity does not exist.
Above: Champion powerlifter and site reader Gayle busts out the biceps curl reps.
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No fat chicks
I was sitting on a cold, paper-covered exam table when the doctor told me I was too fat. The sterile, crinkly surface rustled as I shifted awkwardly, trying to conceal my embarrassment and anger. I had gone in to find out why my hip hurt so much. The doctor explained that my extra weight was putting pressure on the joint and was the likely source of the pain. Then he said simply, “Lose weight,” and left the room.
How do you start out if you’re an overfat beginner? Not by taking the usual advice, that’s for damn sure.
Eating
Fast Times at PPAR-y
Combine the occasional period of not-eating with a healthy diet that aims to reduce inflammation and optimize your body’s natural healing processes, and you might just stave off a cripping disease or two.
What's new
Keep Your Head In the Game: Dealing With the Mind-fuck of Injury & Illness
Unless it’s a truly horrific, traumatizing event (for instance, being run over by a steam roller driven by all those girls that made fun of you in high school), the worst part of an injury/illness isn’t the physical pain. Sure, physical pain can be epic. It can nag and nag and nag. You can get to a point where you’d truly consider eating a rat poison smoothie if you thought it’d bring pain relief. But usually, once you get past the immediate event and the first few days of acute pain, the worst part of any injury/illness is psychological.
Training
Yoga for Fighters: Releasing the Psoas
Most fighters end up with certain muscles totally overdeveloped. Because of the way grappling works, the psoas muscles get very, very tight. However, many non-grapplers also have a lot of psoas problems, simply from sitting all day. The psoas shortens and becomes tight. An overdeveloped, shortened psoas means less mobility, reduced speed, and greater risk of injury.
The Less Thinking, More Doing Program, The Sequel: Slightly More Thinking, Slightly More Doing
The original LTMD Program provided an antidote for those of you paralyzed by too much information. Phase II helps keep you moving forward while you continue to learn.
The Less Thinking, More Doing Starter Program
For those new to strength training, details can be a little overwhelming. After all, you might just want some simple advice on getting started. If so, this article is for you. This program starts you off with a few basic movements that are guaranteed to increase your overall strength and fitness if you’re a beginner.
Learning
Well Fed: Interview with Melissa Joulwan
I interview Melissa Joulwan, former roller derby chick and author of Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat.
More in Learning
Rants
Rant 63 February 2012: In Praise of Older Women
Esteemed Stumpfans, I present you with this unalterable truth: I ain’t gettin’ any younger. And neither are you.
More in Rants
Doh! and ouch
Keep Your Head In the Game: Dealing With the Mind-fuck of Injury & Illness
Unless it’s a truly horrific, traumatizing event (for instance, being run over by a steam roller driven by all those girls that made fun of you in high school), the worst part of an injury/illness isn’t the physical pain. Sure, physical pain can be epic. It can nag and nag and nag. You can get to a point where you’d truly consider eating a rat poison smoothie if you thought it’d bring pain relief. But usually, once you get past the immediate event and the first few days of acute pain, the worst part of any injury/illness is psychological.
More in Doh! and ouch
Women stuff
Ladies Who Lift
A beginner’s weight training course in the UK, taught by women, for women aims to change stereotypes around weight training. In order to get started and build confidence, an all-female environment is an excellent solution for many women. Here, creator Sally Moss of Gubernatrix describes the project.
More in Women stuff
Inspiration
A Couple Good Reasons (and One Bad One) to Drag Your Crippled Ass to the Gym
It can be hard to remember because your illness or disability sometimes feels like your body’s defining characteristic, but remember that your body is, in the ways that matter, the same a everybody else’s. It wants to move, to act with purpose and focus and silliness and joy. Your body does not care that it can’t do the same things other bodies can, or that it moves differently, or that other people might think it looks weird – it just wants to do what it can do, whatever that may be. What’s different about you is not nearly so important as what’s the same. Your body, just like everybody else’s body, wants to be used. Use it.