Topic: NEW FEMALE LIFTER

[MissT]

In the end coaching is of only so much significance, maybe even what I would call little significance. The greatest factor is the size of the athlete's heart. No coach, no matter how good or bad, could have kept me down. Some coaches could make a little more of me than others, with my permission.

I would like to think of myself as having heart. I have never been as happy as I've been since I've been lifting on the team. There is nothing I would not do to improve and make coach proud. He is like a father to me. Maybe I am too hard on myself.

[Dave Chiu]

Well said Chris --

that's what keeps lifters in the sport and reaching their best,

especially helped by a good coach, but even w/o.

Take personal ownership, not hard to do in this sport where team membership is not required.

Cherine, I read in your longer post a lot of what I have heard for decades from many in the BB world --

you may be very conditioned by that environment to be very likely to give great precedence

to what may be rather subjective, a natural thing in BB.  Your picture looks fine to me,

but then, approval of your visual image should not be higher than what your body can DO.

As you well know, there are plenty of ideal physiques among 105s and 75s, lifting nearly as much as supers.

Too much cardio/dieting IS a problem, but in the end, be confident in building what you want to be --

you just need to really decide what that is...

[MissT]

Well said Chris --

that's what keeps lifters in the sport and reaching their best,

especially helped by a good coach, but even w/o.

Take personal ownership, not hard to do in this sport where team membership is not required.

Cherine, I read in your longer post a lot of what I have heard for decades from many in the BB world --

you may be very conditioned by that environment to be very likely to give great precedence

to what may be rather subjective, a natural thing in BB.  Your picture looks fine to me,

but then, approval of your visual image should not be higher than what your body can DO.

As you well know, there are plenty of ideal physiques among 105s and 75s, lifting nearly as much as supers.

Too much cardio/dieting IS a problem, but in the end, be confident in building what you want to be --

you just need to really decide what that is...

I just feel that as a super, I am expected to look a certain way. I just want to be myself. I do not wish to diet or do crazy cardio to hinder my performance, nor do I wish to upsize to improve it.  I would like to stay in relatively decent shape...that is not a lot to ask. I also have a husband I would like to keep. lol I think it is wrong that the sport encourages women to become the size of whales to be competitive. That is just my opinion. Bodybuilding encourages drug use and that is what ruined many women in the sport. Oly lifting encourages people with a lack of talent to compensate for their shortcomings by putting on weight that borders on unhealthy...

I am really over the warped ideologies of bodybuilding. And I see myself as a lifter with a desire to improve and grow in the sport, and not at mcdonalds. lol

I also have a sense of humor that I hope everyone can appreciate. I am only trying to make light of this situation where I am concerned. I have the utmost respect to all lifters regardless of their size as I understand the amount of dedication and work ethic it takes to excel at this sport.

I have even suggested dropping a weight class which I almost got stoned to death for by coach and team mates. lol

[Andy Dick]

My team mate tell me I mess myself up by over analyzing. I think about the lift far more when I should actually just DO IT. I am sorry, but I am not like everyone else. They have all been lifting for fifteen years. I have to REALLY think about my lift regardless of whether I have 35kg or 135kg on the bar (which is about as much as I can front squat for a single). It just does not come naturally to me the way it does for them :(

This will come along as you get more comfortable with the lift.  They are just warning of paralysis by analysis.  I suffer from this also.  They are basically just saying sometimes you just have to meat head it out to make the lifts.  But as you do them for a longer period of time and get more comfortable with them they will become second nature.

As far as the weight goes, I can see what you are saying, seeing as I used to be a wrestler I was all about low % body fat and being lean.  But I am about 5'10" so I need to put weight on and eating a ton has put on muscle but also some fat.  I think just working to put on quality weight is the key, if I put on 10 lbs.  I would like at least 8 of it to be muscle.  But at the same time I am slowly putting on strength.  I by no means look like a hefer but sometimes that is something you will have to wrestle with.  My main suggestion would be try to find a less cardio way to maybe keep your weight low that wont have a contradictory effect on your lifts.  I don't know what others on this forum would think, but if I HAD to run it would be more intervals of sprints/walk for short distances or jump work to at least keep it specific. It is just a meticulous battle.

[Fred Fialco]

To keep it brief and respond directly to what I believe was your initial question "I would like to know if there are any books or any websites that you might recommend where I can read up on the lifts and the basics of proper technique"

Here are two suggestions, the first for a book and the second for good articles (especially under the technique heading):

http://www.performancemenu.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=155

http://www.qwa.org/articles/content.asp