YOU RUN LIKE A GIRL

YOU RUN LIKE A GIRL

My high school math teacher once attended our soccer practice and told me that I run like a girl… And I told him he that he could too, if only he ran a little faster… Well... in my head at least.

Fast forward to today and it’s such statements that have women saying lifting weights is for men and men saying yoga is for women. Exercise targets the muscles (Skeletal/cardiac), the bones, the cartilage, tissues, tendons and ligaments and it’s for this reason that I cringe when I hear this is for men and this is for women. Now I’m well aware of the anatomical and physiological differences between men & women and I’ll be the first to tell you that there’s no one part of the body that works in isolation (Kinetic Chain) but muscles are muscles, bones are bones and tendons are tendons.

Do we have women who lift extremely heavy weights or can do pull-ups that would put even the fittest men to shame? WE DO. And do we have men who are extremely limber and strong at the same time? AGAIN, WE DO. Is there something wrong with these peoples' genetic makeup of their respective genders or are they less of women/men? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Hence my premise muscles are muscles, bones are bones.

You want to get Bruce Lee abs and all you are willing to do is brisk walk, because it’s a lot more feminine than doing punches and kicks on a punching bag. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with brisk walking but just change your goal and be satisfied with seeing Bruce Lee Abs on Bruce Lee.

Ladies you want to get ‘tone’ but you don’t want to lift weights or do activities that are “masculine” in nature like pushups and pull-ups because you fear getting too bulky. You will not get bulky because the testosterone that you have in your body is not sufficient enough to support muscle growth in terms of size. What of Serena Williams??? I’m tempted to explain it’s because she works out for a living and while you put in 3 hours of workout a week, she puts in 3 hours a day, but she has 21 Grand Slam titles and a home with 22 Tennis Courts and a golf course so she can have all the muscles in the world. 

Yes there are gender differences, and we must adhere to them because we are different. The difference comes in the women lifting lighter heavy weights(Not to be mistaken for the 5 pound dumbbells that we claim to be working out with) than men, or doing easier modifications of the pull-up as compared to men and not in the entire elimination of exercises because they belong to the opposite sex.

Muscles are great and they'll help you regardless of your gender. Same case applies to flexibility, so go get some.

Your Challenge this week… Ladies, hit the gym, ignore the cardio machines this week and lift something heavier than your hand bag and gentlemen try power Yoga and let me know after an hour if you still think it’s for women.

Catch Deliberate Fitness Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5.30-6.30pm at YMCA State House Road, you'll find us doing pushups, squats, stretches, sprints, playing/running and some yoga poses whatever it takes to earn us those muscles & fitness.

Cheers!