Weights are for girls too!

Hi, I'm Bambi, and I'm addicted to weightlifting. The above photo is one side of the leg press machine at my gym. There's a total of 400lbs on this bad boy! 

Let me back up here. My younger sister got married in May 2010. When I saw the pictures, I got so depressed about myself. I was the only fat bridesmaid and the dress definitely did not flatter me! That summer, I walked at least 3 miles a day and watched my calories. I lost 18lbs. Then, I fell off the wagon and gained most of that back. In March 2011, I decided to give it another go. This time, I lost 12lbs. Again, I fell off the wagon. 

Finally, in Feb 2012, I got a group of friends together online and we became accountable to one another. I took up pilates video's on Netflix and began counting calories. A few weeks later, we purchased a family membership at a local recreation center. I would go and just do cardio for an hour and a half five days a week. Then, I got curious and began using machines. That was pretty cool, so I did both. I still kept watching everyone in the weight section. One day, I threw caution to the wind and wandered over there. I've been there ever since. I only hit the treadmill so that I could get my running distance up to over a 5K in preparation for The Warrior Dash. I now only hit a treadmill when I'm in the mood for running!

Many, Many people hear "women weightlifters" and think of a male bodybuilder body with a woman's head attached. This is one of the largest fallacies out there. Female bodybuilders that are large are large due to them taking crap like steroids. Normal women do not get large. We get nice defined muscles! 

Since I began lifting, I've lost 30lbs and over 25 inches. I'm now a size 5! I never thought that I would be in this good of shape and I attribute it all to weightlifting. I encourage all women to lift. When I say lift, I do not mean the little plastic 3 to 10 pounders you see at the store. This means lift as heavy as you can that you can do a set of 8 to 10 reps. Also, if your breasts need a little pick me up, chest exercises are your best friend!

I truly love hitting the gym and doing everything the boys do, sometimes heavier and/or better. Mind you, I work out amongst men who have been lifting for years, men in law enforcement, professional bodybuilders, amateur wrestlers, and just regular guys . They challenge me in many ways, always pushing me to my physical limits. It's awesome!!