I’m 5’9" and about 155 lbs. I like to think of myself as strong, though I haven’t done serious lifting in a couple years. I think I have a good balance of upper-to-lower body strength. I used to be a swimmer, and I feel I still have the remnants of the nice lats-delts-triceps from training. When I was on a crew team, I initially used my arms too much, and my coach surmised that I had been a swimmer.
I’ve always wanted to be able to do a pull-up, and though I’ve gotten close, I haven’t yet been able to accomplish it. The truth is obviously that my arms can’t handle my body weight, buy I attribute part of that to the fact that I am literally big boned (examples–it’s hard for me to find women’s gloves that fit. My wrists are large, etc.). What can I say–I’m descended from a bunch of German and Slavic peasants.
I work at a college computer lab, and even though by boss is all happy that I’m a female in a technical field, she assigns cleaning jobs to women and manual labor jobs to men. So I relished in my strength when I was carrying boxes of paper two at a time, and the guy with my was only doing one.
In my teens I was a boxgirl and could lift 50 lb bags of dogfood and haul 10 presto logs at time. (BAck when Presto logs were 10 for a buck). I could beat the boys in getting the most shopping carts into the non-automatic door in the old store. That wasn’t strength, it was timing. Getting a good run at the door, running along side, getting to the door just before the carts reached and leaning over and pushing the door open, then guiding them in with finess! The boys stayed at the back of the carts and pushed the door open with them. HeHe I’ll never forget that! But, when I turned 18 they made me a checker and the boys got the good jobs in dairy, produce etc. That was almost 30 years ago.
In my 20’s and 30’s I worked construction as a plumber/pipefitter/welder. At 5’7 140lbs “leverage” is your friend. On one job as a 50% apprentice laying underground pipe, 6’’ cast iron no-hub in 10 ft lengths, I wrestled the pipe all week using my upper body. By Friday I was hurting!..WHile waiting for the inspector to show up the forman asked me how much I weighed. He said I was taller and weighed more than him (not by much:) He then said I was going about it all wrong and showed me “leverage”! My only regret was he didn’t show me earlier in the week. Next job I was whipping that pipe around.
I used come-alongs, bolin knots and “tricks of the trade” all of which I still use to this day. I’ve worked with women and men bigger and smaller than me and I think its all a matter of if you want to do it. If you don’t know how to change a tire you don’t have to! To each their own!
To the daughter of the mom who was the firefighter: My daughter doesn’t want to be a pipefighter either! But the cool thing is she could if she wanted to. Thanks to women like your mom!
I wish my female co-workers were stronger, as I am repeatedly asked to replace the bottle for the water cooler.
I’m still trying to figure out whether the females in my office are very weak or if they’re just very smart for tricking me into filling the water bottle all the time :smack:
My physical strength is immaterial as spinal problems wont allow me to move anything heavy.
However, when I used to train, I was quite able to do 15+ chin-ups, I weighed about 140lbs at the time. I think I put on just a leeeeetle too much weight for that now.
I severed a nerve in my right hand a few years ago. After that, I noticed my arm strength really decrease, but stranger was the similar decrease in my left arm strength. You’d think there’d be some compensation, but nooooo. It’s really disconcerting. There may be some age and a history of dislocated elbows thing going on too.
But I can run like the wind. No you can’t!
Sigh.
I’m with you on wanting to do a pull-up easy e. Just one, before I die. Cherish and foster your strength, ladies! I see my mother, a tiny 84 year old gentlewoman, who had ferocious strength in her younger days benefit from this. She’s my inspiration to keep at it with the (albeit tiny) weights and bike machine.
Aye hurts like a monkey, but nuttin’ can keep me away! Just have to ‘hunt-n-peck’ one-handed which slows me down a bit. Still, gives me a good excuse for any typos for a while Doing more lurking than posting. But just can’t stay away from home.
In case you’re wondering, NinetyWt, I can really do these. Wanted to list more (my full workout) but was having trouble remembering the technical names for each machine/exercise.
I love working out in the gym, and truly miss it. The cost is just phenominal over here though, so I can’t do it But if anyone ever needs a spotter or workout partner I’d be happy to help!
Since I run up and down stairs all day, I’m in fairly good shape. And I try to exercise a fair amount. I can’t bench press a hell of a lot, but I can do about 150 with my legs and go up to 80 or so on certain arm machines. I do step classes as well. I weigh about 160-165 (5’5"), but everyone’s always surprised at that, so I figure I’m a lot of muscle.
I’ve always been proud of being strong. I’ve always been able to hold my own when arm-wrestling (given, none of the guys I’ve dated have been gym-a-holics, but they’re in fair shape). I always resent men who seem to think I’m incapable of lifting because I’m a woman (I often lift 30-40 lb boxes of awkward books at my job). Once a guy asked me to give him the box I was holding, so I did, and then picked up another. He acted as if I was being stubborn or something. I just don’t like being regarded as inferior. I’d rather be strong and a little bigger than be wafer thin and not capable of lifting a 5lb bag without breaking a sweat.
Since I run up and down stairs all day, I’m in fairly good shape. And I try to exercise a fair amount. I can’t bench press a hell of a lot, but I can do about 150 with my legs and go up to 80 or so on certain arm machines. I do step classes as well. I weigh about 160-165 (5’5"), but everyone’s always surprised at that, so I figure I’m a lot of muscle.
I’ve always been proud of being strong. I’ve always been able to hold my own when arm-wrestling (given, none of the guys I’ve dated have been gym-a-holics, but they’re in fair shape). I always resent men who seem to think I’m incapable of lifting because I’m a woman (I often lift 30-40 lb boxes of awkward books at my job). Once a guy asked me to give him the box I was holding, so I did, and then picked up another. He acted as if I was being stubborn or something. I just don’t like being regarded as inferior. I’d rather be strong and a little bigger than be wafer thin and not capable of lifting a 5lb bag without breaking a sweat.
[brag]
I like to consider myself as strong. I’m also small, 158cm, 52kg.
I don’t go to the gym, because I look muscley enough as it is, so I have no idea how much I can bench press. (I don’t want to get more muscley because I am a size AA bra and I don’t want to look masculine!)
When I was a bit younger (I’m only 18 now) I did gymnastics (and I still do some) and I am naturally strong and flexible.
I can walk on my hands and do somersaults and do about 10 chinups. I can do a fair few pushups and tons of situps.
A bit off-topic, but on the flexibility front I can do 2 way splits still, and bridge etc.
[/brag]
I walk outside at least an hour every day, so my legs are pretty strong.
I have a very weak left arm, due to a cracked elbow that I never went to the doctor’s for. It’s not good for anything. So I mostly use my right arm, which is now strong enough to danm near bend steel.
This comment twigged something for me. (no offense meant Blue Curls) Why do most women (at least most I’ve met) think that being muscular makes one look unfeminine? Muscular arms on any shape of woman don’t make her look like a man.
I swim with a lot of muscular women, and even with those with less curvy figures and short hair look just like muscular women. A slender man doesn’t really look feminine, the shape’s just wrong. In the same way, a muscular woman doesn’t look masculine.
Still, a friend of mine who runs is afraid of adding any weight work because she might become muscular, and hence unattractive. Nevermind that she thinks that muscular ol’ me is attractive, and knows my extra muscle caused me to lose fat (and she wants to lose weight). Women in general don’t want to look strong. I don’t get it.
I don’t normally do many weights, but I can easily swim 100m of butterfly with good technique and I can carry big things, so I guess I have some strength. Don’t know what I weigh, I think I’m still around 60kg. I like being able to do things, and wish I were stronger.
But if anyone ever needs a spotter or workout partner I’d be happy to help!