Try it, it’s fun!

I must’ve worked hard yesterday doing the pushups and the push presses– I’m having issues moving my arms. Luckily my legs are less sore, so I hopped on the treadmill for a nice easy 30 minute run, about 2.4 miles. I would’ve liked to run longer, but someone scheduled a meeting over my gym time so I had to hurry. Rude!

Yesterday I finished up my lifting with some off-plan farmers walking, 50lb in each hand. I made it across the gym, turned around, and had some difficulty getting all the way back to the rack. I wound up setting them down and lifting them, one at a time, back onto the rack.

A woman doing pec flys with dumbbells looked at me like I had three heads and asked me what I was doing. I explained what it was, and said it helps strengthen grip and I wanted to work on that to help with deadlifts.

She exclaimed, "Surely there has to be another way to make your hands stronger!"

I thought a moment and said "Well, it’s this or those springy hand squeezy things."

And she said, "Oh, I have lots of those! One shaped like a globe, one shaped like a seashell…"

Not to make light of her practice! But it struck me how most women, even ones who know their way around lifting with dumbells, are unfamiliar with the efficient powerlifting movements and happy to stick with their toning exercises. About once a week I chat with a Gym Lady who seems me lifting and says, "I could never do that!"

I guess the big lifts look scary at first; the compound movements like squats and deadlifts are full-body movements and they can be loaded quite heavily. (Not necessarily true in my case!) I may be a compound lift True Believer, but I really do think they’re much more effective to develop strength. (I have done my share of dumbbell curls, too.)

And maybe they’re trying not to "bulk up" and not working on being stronger. But I always have the same reply: "Try it sometime! It’s fun!" And I keep going in, twice a week, to lift heavy things because it really is.

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