Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess (girls only)

This topic was created for the Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess challenge.

Is it OK to count bodyweight percentage for this challenge? (I don’t do any weight training other than bodyweight right now, so I can’t exactly count dumbbells lifted…) If not, no prob. Just let me know. : )

I think it is. I count my body weight for the other challenges… I’d say 75% for regular pushups, 50% for assisted ones, 100% for pullups/chinups… and 25% for lounges and squats? What do you say?

I don’t know what the correct percentages would be, I think there was a forum topic about it awhile ago – but I do agree to include body weight :). What about things like crunches? Declining crunches? Other things?

I think it depends on the exercise., like negritaa mentioned. Do you really count 25% for squats though? I do 95 pounds on barbell squats but I never add my actual body weight into that.

It seems totally fair with sit-ups, push-ups, dips, pull-ups, and chin-ups though. Like with sit-ups, you’re lifting half your body weight, push-ups about 75%, and for the assisted dips, your body weight minus the amount of assisted weight.

I’d just like to interject my testosterone driven self into this thread where no men are allowed and say all you ladies are fuckin awesome. I’ve always been annoyed by chicks who go to the gym and do nothing but cardio in a (somewhat) vain bid to lose weight, when they could be lifting weights (no matter how light) and building toned muscle that increases body metabolism thereby serving to increase fat breakdown for energy and helping you lose weight out of the gym. Seriously. So yall keep doing it big. Need more women like you in the world.

Wow, that’s awesome! Thanks for the compliments, krypton! While you’re here in the ladies only section (ahem!) – any advice as to our questions about including body weight? Correct/accurate percentages?

If we are lifting like men, we shouldn’t count bodyweight…plus it’s a lot less complicated and not everyone is the same weight.

Plenty of men here do count a percentage of bodyweight as weight lifted on things like pull-ups, etc. ;)
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I think it’s pretty clear when I’m doing inverted rows, which can be considered a variant on a seated row. But, the squats issue does come up. Many people toss on 95 pounds when they squat, but at 210 pounds, I’m squatting nearly that much in extra fat! (Although the 25% guideline would “only” have me record about 50 pounds…)
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But yeah, I think the “fairness” issue and additional complications definitely come into play.

I know most of the lifting challenges I have been in count body weight for push ups and chin ups. With squats, crunches, and sit ups it is weights that you hold when you excercise. That is how I enter my excercises. This is a great challenge though since I just finished the New Rules of Lifting for Women and have been starting the program.