Before I train many clients, one of the tests I perform during their initial assessment is for limit strength. For safety reasons, it is not true “limit” strength; however, testing for strength in several muscle groups will help me calculate a good starting point for various weight lifting exercises for most folks. I have observed some general differences in the way men and women approach this test. There are, I believe, very different conversations going on in the heads of most men and women during strength testing, and during weight lifting in general.
Most men view the limit strength test as a great challenge. They attack the weight. Kill the weight. Conquer the weight if it’s the last thing they do. Why? I have my guesses. Testosterone is one. The way boys are raised to become men, and the training/motivation methods they may have encountered through coaches, Phys Ed teachers, neighborhood friends, and dads may be others. It’s probably a combination of all these and more. How many of you men, when you were kids, had lifting contests with your buddies in some neighborhood garage? How did you feel about the boy who bench-pressed the most? How did you feel about the one who benched the least? Throughout time, how much weight a man could lift has been equated with his masculinity.
Women, however, are a little different. I find, when a woman performs a limit strength test, her approach is generally not to conquer the weight, but to have a “relationship” with it. At the first sign of real resistance, most women stop way before they reach their “limit”. I’ve seen this happen over 100 times in strength tests on women. The exertion I see tells me they are nowhere near their limit. However, many times, as I increase the weight they will lift, women will either speak to me directly: “I’m not that strong”, or “I can’t lift that”, or “I don’t think I can lift any more”. Or, they simply push, feel the resistance, and back off. Again, I have my guesses as to why this happens – some physical, some emotional, and still others having to do with the way society views strength in women. After talking to women about their approach to the limit strength test, and then re-testing; they not only test stronger, but every woman I’ve trained discovered she was much stronger than she initially thought.
Both genders’ approaches to strength have their positive and negative sides. Men, in their quest to lift more weight, will gain muscle; but many times, throw good form and technique out the window and risk injury. Or, they may over-train particular body parts at the neglect of others (blast their chest and biceps five days a week and ignore legs). Conversely, I’ve seen women performing the same exercise routine they’ve done for years, lifting those same pink, 5-pound dumbbells they’ve used for years. Their form may be good, but if the resistance isn’t “upped”, they’re missing out on the opportunity to gain some muscle and lose body fat. As Dr. Phil would say (yes, I occasionally watch Dr. Phil), “How’s that workin’ for ya’?” Well, if it’s not workin’, something needs to change.
So, if you’re not seeing the results you would like, it may be time to “up” the resistance. This can be done any number of ways. In addition to proper form and technique being essential for avoiding injuries, they are also useful in increasing resistance. The time the muscle is under the load of weight is a type of resistance. The speed, or lack thereof, of the lift can change resistance. Additional exercises, increased weight lifted, and adjustments in range of motion or angle provide varied levels of resistance. Increasing repetitions, sets of repetitions, sessions per week, and minutes per session you spend lifting can “up” resistance.
And, if you can’t remember the last time you exercised that body part you hate to work, now’s the time to start. I believe the single greatest resistance in the weight room is not what occurs between muscle and weight; but is between what you WANT to do versus what you SHOULD do.
When it Comes to Resistance, "Up” Yours