135-Pound Weakling

The Little Strength Training Book
by Erika Dillman

Water Weight

I haven't exactly had sand kicked in my face, but I have experienced the independent woman's equivalent: having to ask my boyfriend to replace the five-gallon water jugs on my water dispenser.

For years, we had a perfect system. I wanted a drink; he did the heavy lifting. But when things got shaky between us, I was forced to take responsibility for my bottled water habit. First, I tried three-gallon jugs, but they were still too heavy for me to carry up to my second-floor apartment. Then, for a while, I bought liter-size bottles of water. That didn't work either (too many trips to the store). Finally, faced with the prospect of having to drink tap water for the rest of my life, I decided to do something about my matchstick arms and rubbery torso.

Changing Perceptions

It's not like strength training was a mystery to me. I'd lifted weights in high school to prepare for the track season, although I rarely stuck with it once the season ended. Knowing I was in excellent cardiovascular shape from all the miles I logged, I had occasionally wondered whether lifting weights did anything for me but fatigue my already overworked muscles.

Even in my mid-twenties, when illness and injury prevented me from running, I still didn't consider lifting weights as a necessary part of my fitness routine. I wasn't “in training” for competition, my heart and lungs were in good shape, and I burned a lot of calories from swimming, walking, and biking. There were strong people and weak people, and I accepted that I was skinny and weak and always would be. I liked being thin. It worked for me. That is, until I hit my thirties and realized that I no longer had the body of an active sixteen-year-old. Ten pounds overweight and lumpy in places I wanted to be firm, it wasn't only my struggles with oversize water jugs that caused me to take a fresh look at getting stronger. It had begun to seem like everyone was in shape but me. Sure, I wanted to lift my own bottles and carry my own suitcase. But I also wanted to look great in a little black dress.

Strength, Energy, and Grace

I started working with a personal trainer at my health club who designed a few different strength training routines for me, each consisting of six or seven exercises to train all of the major muscle groups in my body. I started off with twice-a-week, twenty-to-thirty-minute workouts that I could do at home with no equipment or with handheld weights.

Initially, I worked with very light weights-only three-and five-pounders. Approaching each exercise like a yoga pose, I concentrated on using correct form, maintaining my posture, and coordinating my movement with my breath. Before each lift I inhaled slowly, focusing my mind on the task ahead, and as I lifted the weight, I exhaled slowly, controlling the pace with my breath. Then, inhaling slowly, I returned the weight to the starting position. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the discipline and control required in strength training. It felt good to develop a rhythm that made me feel graceful and strong at the same time. My workouts left me feeling solid and energized, like I'd accomplished something important. Over time, I was able to gradually increase the amount of weight I lifted.

Independence Restored

Within a few months, my arms and legs felt firmer and had more muscle definition. Even my abs felt harder when I pressed on them. My trainer had assured me that I wouldn't bulk up from strength training, but rather firm up. She was right. I felt better, I looked better, and I started to notice other changes in my body. My coordination and balance improved. And I could walk farther before becoming fatigued.

It was still a bit challenging hauling those water jugs up two flights of stairs to my apartment, but I didn't throw out my back in the process and was strong enough to lift them to the top of the dispenser all by myself! And the boyfriend? He remained in the picture, happy to be relieved of at least some of my chores.

Fit For Life

Learning more about strength training has been an inspiring experience. Once I let go of my outdated ideas of what strength training was all about and gave it a try, I quickly realized that I'd found a fitness tool for life.

It's easy to fit into my schedule, there are so many exercises from which to choose, and most important, it makes me feel great!

Copyright © 2004 by Erika Dillman

About the Author

Erika Dillman is a freelance health, fitness, and sports writer and editor based in Seattle, WA. Her articles have been published in a variety of regional and national publications, including Runner's World, Self, Northwest Health, Hemispheres , Ms., Northwest Runner, The Melpomene Journal, and Women's Sports & Fitness.