Is That a Paperweight or a Kettlebell?

My Husband has heard this rant so many times that I now have to blog about it to get it out of my system, since he won’t listen to it again (can’t say that I blame him). The rant is: WHY WHENEVER A WOMEN’S FITNESS MAGAZINE SHOWS ANY WOMEN USING WEIGHTS IS SHE PICTURED WITH A DUMBBELL OR KETTLEBELL THAT LOOKS LIKE IT BELONGS IN A DOLLHOUSE GYM?????? This drives me crazy. It is as if using heavier weights is not even an option for my gender – which is false, incredibly false. I weigh 100 lbs. and I am 48 years old and I routinely work out with 25-35 lb. dumbbells and 12-20 kg kettlebells. I am in no way special or extraordinary in this regard. Most women in my gym work-out with weights significantly heavier than me. And it is not like we are some tribe of super-Amazons (no offense to my sisters-in-sweat, since we are kick-ass in our own right). But really, any woman can work up to using weights of this size within a fairly short time-frame. I’ve seen a ton of newbies at my gym do it. But first you have to open your mind to the possibility that you could actually pick up and work out with something that feels heavy. And that is the problem with the magazines, as I see it, since the images that we view do have influence on what we think is possible and/or acceptable.

Just once (ranting again), I would like to see an image of a woman handling some heavy weights in these magazines. Why don’t I? My husband subscribes to Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness. Those magazines and others like them routinely show men training with moderate to heavy weights. Why not the women’s magazines? Do the editors think that training with heavy weights is somehow less beneficial for women than men? If they do, then they need to do a little research on the topic. Or just try lifting some heavy stuff themselves, and see what they think then.

Look, I’ve done the pilates routines with the 1-2 lbs. hand-weights. While maybe not entirely worthless, that stuff did not significantly move the needle for me in terms of my overall fitness (of course, your results may vary). Lifting significantly heavier weights, however, lead to dramatic and fairly rapid gains in my athletic ability. Plus, when I dumbbell snatch 30 or 35 lbs., I just feel like a goddamned super-heroine. There is a raw pleasure in that physical experience, at least for me.

Bottom line, all I am saying is that I wish lifting heavy was, at least, presented as a possibility or alternative in these women's magazines. That way, more women might find that they get benefit from it or just enjoy it. I understand, some women don’t want the kind of musculature that this kind of weight-training can produce (again, your results may vary, i.e. you probably won’t get as jacked as you fear or, if you get jacked, you may find that you don’t care because you are having so much fucking fun). But if spin class, distance running, yoga, etc., are all presented as good fitness alternatives, why not some heavy weights as well? Seriously, just do yourself a favor and be open to all fitness possibilities, no matter what the magazines show. End of rant.

P.S. my Husband, the jokester, gave me this kettlebell some time ago, but I have not found a use for it yet beyond my desk. Pro tip: the handle should not be bigger the the bell.