Strong is the new thin?

[Misugrrl]

There have been and will always be physique ideals. This is unavoidable and it will never go away. Replacing emaciated with strong isn't a bad thing.

 

Why so defeatest?

Pretty much everybody can look like a fitness model. Its not even hard to do. It takes a good plan and consistency sticking to that plan for a long time. Overly harsh plans are not good plans.

 

You're falling into the trap of what strong looks like.

 

 

This is Holley Mangold, 2012 Female Olympian, Super Heavy Weight division, in heavy weightlifting.  She weighs over 350 lbs, and stands 5 ft 8.  THIS is what strong REALLY looks like.    

The image of strong we are being fed, is unrealistic, for many of us.  They are waif-thin, except for muscles, they're super tanned, they're always wearing tiny bikinis or shreds of a tshirt, and the tiniest of booty shorts, and they're always in some provocative pose.  

 

It isn't defeatist to acknowledge that a 37 year old woman (soon to be 38 next month) who once weighed a bit over 300 lbs, and after dropping 84 lbs is still the biggest person in the gym, is never - ever ever ever ever - going to look like any of the random fitness models that are now part of this new brand of 'fitspiration' we are seeing.  And to tell me that I'm being defeatist and that anyone can look like a fitness model given enough work and dedication, just isn't right. Because I'll never be that, and it if I were silly enough to set a fit model as my goal image in my head, I'd just set myself up for even more disappointment.  

 

What I *can* do is set goals of what I actually do - like maybe work up to doing sets of 50 lb bicep curls instead of my current pathetic 25 and 30 lbs.  Set a goal to do leg presses of 200 lbs, instead of the 110 and 115 lbs that I can do right now. Set goals of what I can perform, and not how I can look.   

 

Linking the word "strong" to "skinny" is just setting up a false image of what strong even looks like.  Strong doesn't have a look, because strength isn't based on appearance, its based on performance.  That's why I don't like the mantra that 'strong is the new skinny' - because its tacking on a visual that just isn't true.

[cline]

In all honestly, it also depends on what we mean by strong, "fitness model" and so on.

 

Marathoners are strong in their own way, lifters are strong in their own way, CF in their own way, swimmers are strong, etc. 

 

Skinny also doesn't mean emaciated.  I've known many women who are skinny - I mean teeny tiny scrawny skinny - genetics.  Look at their families.  I shared an office with a woman who was constantly told how scrawny she was and asked about eating disorders.  I know how she ate.  She was a good friend with a nice healthy approach to food.  Met her family - full of skinny skinny people.  She was not emaciated. 

 

I think the point should be that "strong" comes in many varieties (hello gymnasts and yogis!) and skinny isn't always horrible or bad or something to be judged.

 

It's good for women to be fit and strong in whatever sport/pursuit they choose.  Darn it some of the most amazing female athletes play sports that people would poo poo on this forum bc they don't spend their time lifting weights.  But these women amaze and humble me every day.  And they are strong!  Tennis players, biathalon, softball, soccer, ice skating, speed skating, luge.... want me to keep making a list of amazing "strong" women - some of whom are skinny, some of whom aren't, some of whom lift, some of whom don't....  they all amaze me every day. 

[cline]

You do not need to weigh a lot to lift heavy weights.  Some women do, some don't.  I just saw a woman at 185# (maybe, she might be 180 - either way, she's not really really heavy honestly) pull a beautiful 480# DL from the floor.  A perfect lift.  And I know her and I saw it happen. 

 

I saw another woman at about 145# pull over 400#.

 

All shapes and sizes folks.  Some are bigger, some are not. 

 

Skinny can be strong.  When you think it's not - you go run 26.1 mi.  You go play 90 mins of soccer at the international level against the best soccer players in the world.  Go play Wimbledon.  Go 5 rounds with a lightweight boxer.   Check out some of the best lighter weight Muay Thai fighters. 

 

Bigger can be strong.  See Holly's pic above - she's an amazing athlete.  Look at some field athletes.  Some swimmers?  sheesh! 

 

In-between can be strong.  Strong comes from training your sport.

[Waldo]

You're falling into the trap of what strong looks like.

 

 

This is Holley Mangold, 2012 Female Olympian, Super Heavy Weight division, in heavy weightlifting.  She weighs over 350 lbs, and stands 5 ft 8.  THIS is what strong REALLY looks like.

Not

 

5'3", 140 lb Christine Girard, the only North American to medal in Weightlifting in the 2012 Olympics.....

[Huntress]

They're both strong, although Mangold lifts more than Girard in absolute terms. That's the point. Strong is not a body type. Strength is something you do. Strong is something you are.

 

You do not need to weigh a lot to lift heavy weights.  Some women do, some don't.  I just saw a woman at 185# (maybe, she might be 180 - either way, she's not really really heavy honestly) pull a beautiful 480# DL from the floor.  A perfect lift.  And I know her and I saw it happen. 

 

I saw another woman at about 145# pull over 400#.

 

All shapes and sizes folks.  Some are bigger, some are not. 

 

Skinny can be strong.  When you think it's not - you go run 26.1 mi.  You go play 90 mins of soccer at the international level against the best soccer players in the world.  Go play Wimbledon.  Go 5 rounds with a lightweight boxer.   Check out some of the best lighter weight Muay Thai fighters. 

 

Bigger can be strong.  See Holly's pic above - she's an amazing athlete.  Look at some field athletes.  Some swimmers?  sheesh! 

 

In-between can be strong.  Strong comes from training your sport.

 

What cline said.

[Misugrrl]

And as wonderful as Gerard's achievements are, she still doesn't look like a fitness model. She's got some mass to her. Not as much as Mangold, who competes in a different class and performance division, but she is a woman who, if she stood next to one of your typical fitspiration models, many would say she's kinda chunky. Because people are missing the point.

Strong isn't a body type. Big girls are strong. Skinny girls are strong. I briefly dated a skinny guy who could toss me over his shoulder like nothing, without breaking a sweat.

If the mantra was something like "strong is the new goal!", I'd be all over that, because that's a positive message. Health is attainable for most folks, exercising and food can be medicine for most people. Hell, it is for me. It's keeping me out of that wheelchair. Which was the impetus for all this in the first place.

And yeah, I get super frustrated that the scale keeps reporting a certain number, no matter how little I eat or how much I workout. But in the end, my reasons weren't to be a fitness model. It's nice to wear smaller clothes and maybe even like what I see in the mirror or in photos of myself. But the goal in strength training is to be strong. If my body decides, nope we are going to be big, sorry, then I'm going to have to accept that. At least I'll stay out of that wheelchair, which was the original point.

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[Raikas]

Its pretty normal for men to focus on strength and women on cardio when couples start working out together.

 

 

 

Sure, but with a lot of those couples there's no exericise change (or they do something like walk together) - that's why I mentioned couples who diet together rather than working out together. 

 

I don't want to downplay the real social differences, but at the same time hormonal differences are what they are, and I don't see any reason to brush those off.