Topic: weight lifting

Starving For A Six-Pack: So You Think You Want Flat Abs? Think Again.

Starving For A Six-Pack: So You Think You Want Flat Abs? Think Again.

It took going to extremes, but I think I’ve finally made peace with my non-perfect stomach. I’ve always wished for flat abs, but never had one. Despite my slender frame (courtesy of my teeny-tiny great grandmother, whose fiery spirit belied her 85-pound person) I’ve long struggled with belly-hate. I’m 5′ 1″ and so short-waisted my hand can span the space between my belly button and bra strap, so I’m just not designed to display a carved up set of abs. Nobody wants to hear the woman in the size zero pants bitch, so I keep it to myself, but my round stomach has been a nemesis that I’ve battled for years to flatten. More »

The New York Times Thinks Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups. They Forgot To Ask Me and My Friends.

The New York Times Thinks Women Canât Do Pull-Ups. They Forgot To Ask Me and My Friends.

It’s a good thing I didn’t read this piece in The New York Times Magazine when I decided I wanted to learn to do pull-ups. Tara Parker-Pope‘s ‘Why Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups‘ assures the weaker sex that we shouldn’t fret over not being able to do pull-ups like the boys do, because, after all, we don’t have as much testosterone and are fatter (I’m not kidding; read the article). More »

Hurts So Good: How Much Pain Your Exercise Should Really Involve

Hurts So Good: How Much Pain Your Exercise Should Really Involve

We know No Pain No Gain is BS. Pushing through injury is dangerous and downright foolish. But exercise isn’t supposed to be easy, either. When I gasped about how hard some uphill weighted walking lunges were to my trainer last week, he replied drily that he doesn’t mean for me to feel like I’m floating along. And when he sent me immediately into wall sits after I dropped the 40 pounds of dumbbells, I let the agonized shrieking echo off the walls along with the Linkin Park blasting on the stereo. If I were ever captured by hostile interrogators who needed information from me, they’d need only to force me into a wall sit. After enough time I’d give up any state secret they wanted. They’re that painful. But: when I stand up and walk it off, moments later I’m fine. More »

20 Things Weight Lifting Helps You Do Better

20 Things Weight Lifting Helps You Do Better

Despite mounds of proof to the contrary, many women still avoid weight training because they’re convinced that if they pick up anything heavier than an overloaded laptop case for fear of getting “too bulky,” they’ll suddenly sprout muscular arms like Cameron Diaz and Madonna. But here’s a little secret: not only will regular dumbbell sessions not leave you looking like the Hulk, they’ll actually improve your life in more ways than you realize. In fact, there are about a billion things weight lifting helps you do better, from working harder, to living longer, to looking amazing. But we’ve just rounded up 20 to give you an idea. More »

Kate Middleton Works Out Like A Regular Person, With Regular Person Equipment

Kate Middleton Works Out Like A Regular Person, With Regular Person Equipment

Kate Middleton has received a lot of attention for her thin frame, which means people are constantly both expressing fake concern, and speculating about what she does to maintain it. What does Kate Middleton eat? What does a Kate Middleton workout consist of? Is Kate Middleton a shiny-haired robot woman? But, according to one British tabloid (which means it must be true, right?), her preferred method of exercise sounds a lot like that of broke college students and middle-aged ladies across the country: she sits on a fitness ball and lifts regular old dumbbells. Which is what I do! More »

Little Big Weights: Lifting Light Weights Isn’t A Total Waste Of Time, Says Research

Little Big Weights: Lifting Light Weights Isn't A Total Waste Of Time, Says Research

Most of today’s top trainers will tell you that lifting light weights to slim down isn’t a grand plan, despite fears of “bulking up” from heavy lifting. But a new study says that, on the flip side, adults who are intimidated by heavy weights shouldn’t despair: Lifting little weights can still produce big results in muscle mass. This is particularly good news for older adults who risk injury or joint pain from lifting heavy weights, but need the exercise to maintain muscle mass. For the rest of us? Trainers aren’t so sure this is grounds to give yourself a break at the gym. More »

Are Men’s vs. Women’s Workouts Just A Marketing Myth?

Are Men's vs. Women's Workouts Just A Marketing Myth?

Workout DVDs like RUSHFIT and P90X give a great workout that’s convenient and, compared to the cost of personal trainers and boutique fitness classes, relatively affordable. So why aren’t more women doing them? Probably because most of them are marketed towards men—even the ones that are technically “unisex.” Women’s workout DVDs tend to emphasize yoga, ballet and dance, and other light-weight stretching and cardio—all of which are great workouts, but involve far less intense resistance training than some of the more “masculine” workouts on the market. So should women be afraid to test workouts beyond yoga and pilates? The trainers we spoke to said to said we should choose workouts based on goals, not gender. More »

Refine Method Founder Says ‘Black Swan’ Workouts Won’t Give You A Dancer’s Body

Refine Method Founder Says 'Black Swan' Workouts Won't Give You A Dancer's Body

The Refine Method might be associated with some of the “core” and “barre” fitness methods that have become popular since last year’s “Black Swan,” but founder Brynn Jinnett doesn’t want it to be that way: According to a recent interview, she thinks that most ballet-inspired workouts are misleading, providing little benefit for students who hope to achieve lithe bodies similar to the dancers’ who teach the class. If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because a lot of people are starting to pipe up about the questionable benefits of workouts that don’t have you lifting weights, especially if your goal is to make significant changes to your size or shape. More »

Lacey Stone: Why Lifting Light Weights Won’t Make You Skinny

Lacey Stone: Why Lifting Light Weights Won't Make You Skinny

On Blisstree, we’re big fans of lifting weights, but many women are still confused about exactly what to do in the gym to manage our weight and keep a lean physique. Some fitness plans discourage lifting heavy weights to prevent getting too bulky or masculine, while others say we should lift more. We talked to Lacey Stone, a New York City and Hollywood fitness expert who wants us to get clear on why lifting light weights won’t get you skinny, and getting strong is the new sexy. More »

Female Bodybuilder Photos: Empowering Art Or Exploitation?

Female Bodybuilder Photos: Empowering Art Or Exploitation?

Martin Schoeller‘s larger-than-life female bodybuilder photos have been exhibited in art galleries and featured in fine arts magazines. They feature women in two-piece body-building costumes from the waist up, under bright lights that invite scrutiny to their muscles and faces. But Schoeller’s point isn’t just to show off their bodies; he wants to analyze our culture’s obsession with being big and setting outsized beauty ideals for women. But the Daily Mail, true to form, treats the women more like a circus act than art. More »

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