Re: Plie Squats & Oxygen Comment

[Guest guest]

I read that article about fitness suits too, but it just struck me as funny. I

understand the authors point of view... obviously we all go thru a lot of

discomfort, lifting, running, that 60 min spinning class i took at 5AM this

morning for example... and some of our motivation is our health but let's be

realistic... a lot of it has to do with appearance. I can't imagine training

for a competition like that (did you read Tosca's article about what she did to

train?, it was good) but I'm sure after you go thru all that a little discomfort

is nothing!

---------------------------------

What are the most popular cars? Find out at Autos

[Guest guest]

I do the Plie Squate like Oxygen says that is the way my trainer taught

me. It can be difficult on your hands when you use the 35 pounds and up

weights however.

Sorry to say the Figure or Fitness competitions are very much like beauty

competitions. Doesn't matter that the women are in great shape. It is

all about the look, fake tan and all.

Michele T.

On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:15:49 -0000 " sothicscout " <sothicscout@...>

writes:

> I have a question about Plie Squats. In the March issue of Oxygen

> there is a demo of a plie squat and the woman is holding a dumbbell

> on

> end as she does the squat. Is this the correct way to do them?

>

> I have been doing them by holding two 8 pound dumbbells at my waist

> -

> where I would place my hands if I was doing the squat without

> weights.

> I had thought that when I need more weight I would go to my

> barbell

> and do the squat with it resting on my shoulder, but maybe I've

> been

> doing them wrong all along? Also, in the picture the model doesn't

> have her feet turned out very far. Remembering childhood ballet

> lessons, I tend to turn out my feet as far as they can go and

> still

> be comfortable for my knees. Is this wrong and/or bad?

>

> The comment I had is about the article in Oxygen about picking

> suits

> for Figure or Fitness competitions. It's why I only buy the

> magazine

> sporadically because, upon reading the tips/hints I started to see

> red. I probably had steam coming out of my ears. I was certainly

> muttering to myself and gnashing my teeth (no mean feat to do

> together, I might add. ). The big blurb reads: 'DON'T BE

> CONCERNED

> WITH COMFORT -- A GOOD FIT IS MORE IMPORTANT.' Then it goes on to

> say: 'If the strap on the neck has to be tight in order to pull up

> the

> breasts, so be it. Plus, most mandatory poses are uncomfortable so

> the a little discomfort in the suit shouldn't be an issue.'

>

> Say WHAT?!? Here are these gorgeous BUFF women who lift heavy

> weights

> to make beautiful STRONG bodies, and what the hell are they doing

> with

> those strong, lovely bodies? Buying into the age-old myth that

> suffering = beauty. Well, hell. Why not bring back foot binding

> and

> the corset while we're at it?

>

> Scout

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Well, the way I look at it is that of course we all go through

discomfort while training - growth is never easy - but the idea that

women have to endure discomfort from their clothes, and the intimation

this is ok, right, natural, in a competition situation, boggles me.

I don't see articles telling male bodybuilders to endure the

discomfort of having their testicles hoisted and mashed forward in a

specially designed thongs, for example.

I did read the article about Tosca's training and was very impressed.

I guess that's part of what disappoints me though. All that hard

work, all that effort, all that dedication and in the end it comes

down to things like uncomfortable sparkly costumes which 'pull up the

breasts'.

Guess it's a good thing I'm too old & wrinkled to ever be

a figure competitor, eh? I'll have to look to role models like

Liz at Granny Vibe http://grannyvibe.blogspot.com/ instead. BIG thank

you to Swigg for alerting me to this fabulous lady with the penchant for

lifting heavy things.

Scout

>

> I read that article about fitness suits too, but it just struck me

as funny. I understand the authors point of view... obviously we all

go thru a lot of discomfort, lifting, running, that 60 min spinning

class i took at 5AM this morning for example... and some of our

motivation is our health but let's be realistic... a lot of it has to

do with appearance. I can't imagine training for a competition like

that (did you read Tosca's article about what she did to train?, it

was good) but I'm sure after you go thru all that a little discomfort

is nothing!

>

> ---------------------------------

>

> What are the most popular cars? Find out at Autos

>

>

[Guest guest]

Well, the way I look at it is that of course we all go through

discomfort while training - growth is never easy - but the idea that

women have to endure discomfort from their clothes, and the intimation

this is ok, right, natural, in a competition situation, boggles me.

I don't see articles telling male bodybuilders to endure the

discomfort of having their testicles hoisted and mashed forward in a

specially designed thongs, for example.

I did read the article about Tosca's training and was very impressed.

I guess that's part of what disappoints me though. All that hard

work, all that effort, all that dedication and in the end it comes

down to things like uncomfortable sparkly costumes which 'pull up the

breasts'.

Guess it's a good thing I'm too old & wrinkled to ever be

a figure competitor, eh? I'll have to look to role models like

Liz at Granny Vibe http://grannyvibe.blogspot.com/ instead. BIG thank

you to Swigg for alerting me to this fabulous lady with the penchant for

lifting heavy things.

Scout

>

> I read that article about fitness suits too, but it just struck me

as funny. I understand the authors point of view... obviously we all

go thru a lot of discomfort, lifting, running, that 60 min spinning

class i took at 5AM this morning for example... and some of our

motivation is our health but let's be realistic... a lot of it has to

do with appearance. I can't imagine training for a competition like

that (did you read Tosca's article about what she did to train?, it

was good) but I'm sure after you go thru all that a little discomfort

is nothing!

>

> ---------------------------------

>

> What are the most popular cars? Find out at Autos

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Michele. I tried it that way this morning but it's not going

to work for me. I have a rotator cuff injury and I found that when I

hold the weight like that it pulls on the injured muscles. I also

found it harder to keep my back straight as it naturally tries to pull

forward as the weight is so forward.

I wonder if there is a reason for holding the weigh like that for plie

squats though. On regular squats I often see demo pics with a barbell

on the shoulders.

I'll probably never become a fan of those competitions, but I do

admire the women who compete. They've done some serious work to get

those physiques.

Scout

>

> I do the Plie Squate like Oxygen says that is the way my trainer taught

> me. It can be difficult on your hands when you use the 35 pounds and up

> weights however.

>

> Sorry to say the Figure or Fitness competitions are very much like

beauty

> competitions. Doesn't matter that the women are in great shape. It is

> all about the look, fake tan and all.

> Michele T.

>

> On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:15:49 -0000 " sothicscout " <sothicscout@...>

> writes:

> > I have a question about Plie Squats. In the March issue of Oxygen

> > there is a demo of a plie squat and the woman is holding a dumbbell

> > on

> > end as she does the squat. Is this the correct way to do them?

> >

> > I have been doing them by holding two 8 pound dumbbells at my waist

> > -

> > where I would place my hands if I was doing the squat without

> > weights.

> > I had thought that when I need more weight I would go to my

> > barbell

> > and do the squat with it resting on my shoulder, but maybe I've

> > been

> > doing them wrong all along? Also, in the picture the model doesn't

> > have her feet turned out very far. Remembering childhood ballet

> > lessons, I tend to turn out my feet as far as they can go and

> > still

> > be comfortable for my knees. Is this wrong and/or bad?

> >

> > The comment I had is about the article in Oxygen about picking

> > suits

> > for Figure or Fitness competitions. It's why I only buy the

> > magazine

> > sporadically because, upon reading the tips/hints I started to see

> > red. I probably had steam coming out of my ears. I was certainly

> > muttering to myself and gnashing my teeth (no mean feat to do

> > together, I might add. ). The big blurb reads: 'DON'T BE

> > CONCERNED

> > WITH COMFORT -- A GOOD FIT IS MORE IMPORTANT.' Then it goes on to

> > say: 'If the strap on the neck has to be tight in order to pull up

> > the

> > breasts, so be it. Plus, most mandatory poses are uncomfortable so

> > the a little discomfort in the suit shouldn't be an issue.'

> >

> > Say WHAT?!? Here are these gorgeous BUFF women who lift heavy

> > weights

> > to make beautiful STRONG bodies, and what the hell are they doing

> > with

> > those strong, lovely bodies? Buying into the age-old myth that

> > suffering = beauty. Well, hell. Why not bring back foot binding

> > and

> > the corset while we're at it?

> >

> > Scout

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Michele. I tried it that way this morning but it's not going

to work for me. I have a rotator cuff injury and I found that when I

hold the weight like that it pulls on the injured muscles. I also

found it harder to keep my back straight as it naturally tries to pull

forward as the weight is so forward.

I wonder if there is a reason for holding the weigh like that for plie

squats though. On regular squats I often see demo pics with a barbell

on the shoulders.

I'll probably never become a fan of those competitions, but I do

admire the women who compete. They've done some serious work to get

those physiques.

Scout

>

> I do the Plie Squate like Oxygen says that is the way my trainer taught

> me. It can be difficult on your hands when you use the 35 pounds and up

> weights however.

>

> Sorry to say the Figure or Fitness competitions are very much like

beauty

> competitions. Doesn't matter that the women are in great shape. It is

> all about the look, fake tan and all.

> Michele T.

>

> On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:15:49 -0000 " sothicscout " <sothicscout@...>

> writes:

> > I have a question about Plie Squats. In the March issue of Oxygen

> > there is a demo of a plie squat and the woman is holding a dumbbell

> > on

> > end as she does the squat. Is this the correct way to do them?

> >

> > I have been doing them by holding two 8 pound dumbbells at my waist

> > -

> > where I would place my hands if I was doing the squat without

> > weights.

> > I had thought that when I need more weight I would go to my

> > barbell

> > and do the squat with it resting on my shoulder, but maybe I've

> > been

> > doing them wrong all along? Also, in the picture the model doesn't

> > have her feet turned out very far. Remembering childhood ballet

> > lessons, I tend to turn out my feet as far as they can go and

> > still

> > be comfortable for my knees. Is this wrong and/or bad?

> >

> > The comment I had is about the article in Oxygen about picking

> > suits

> > for Figure or Fitness competitions. It's why I only buy the

> > magazine

> > sporadically because, upon reading the tips/hints I started to see

> > red. I probably had steam coming out of my ears. I was certainly

> > muttering to myself and gnashing my teeth (no mean feat to do

> > together, I might add. ). The big blurb reads: 'DON'T BE

> > CONCERNED

> > WITH COMFORT -- A GOOD FIT IS MORE IMPORTANT.' Then it goes on to

> > say: 'If the strap on the neck has to be tight in order to pull up

> > the

> > breasts, so be it. Plus, most mandatory poses are uncomfortable so

> > the a little discomfort in the suit shouldn't be an issue.'

> >

> > Say WHAT?!? Here are these gorgeous BUFF women who lift heavy

> > weights

> > to make beautiful STRONG bodies, and what the hell are they doing

> > with

> > those strong, lovely bodies? Buying into the age-old myth that

> > suffering = beauty. Well, hell. Why not bring back foot binding

> > and

> > the corset while we're at it?

> >

> > Scout

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Scout, I went to the blog you posted,

http://grannyvibe.blogspot.com/. That woman IS an inspiration, as

are the quotes she puts on her blog. Thanks for sharing it.

I am going to quote her quote because it just seem so RIGHT:

When I hear women expressing a fear of weight lifting, what I am

really hearing is a fear of being powerful. The social ideal tells

women to be hungry, manageable, childlike, not demanding space.

Given that our bodies are tied to our selves and spirits with

tangled inextricable threads, it stands to reason that to manipulate

the body is to manipulate the mind. Women who lift find that their

newfound strength not only improves body confidence, but more

importantly, confidence in all situations. Moreover, a strong woman

learns to inhabit her body in a more positive way -- it is no longer

her failure but instead her ongoing success. " -- Krista -Dixon

I have to read more about Krista -Dixon now..but first, back to

homework!

Barbara

[Guest guest]

You're welcome, Barbara, but the kudos really belong to Skwigg for

posting the blog in HER blog initially.

Krista -DIxon is Mistress Krista - you can find her FABULOUS

women's weightlifting site here:

http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/index.php

Tons and tons of wonderful info for women who like to lift heavy

things for fun.

Scout

>

> Scout, I went to the blog you posted,

> http://grannyvibe.blogspot.com/. That woman IS an inspiration, as

> are the quotes she puts on her blog. Thanks for sharing it.

>

> I am going to quote her quote because it just seem so RIGHT:

>

> When I hear women expressing a fear of weight lifting, what I am

> really hearing is a fear of being powerful. The social ideal tells

> women to be hungry, manageable, childlike, not demanding space.

> Given that our bodies are tied to our selves and spirits with

> tangled inextricable threads, it stands to reason that to manipulate

> the body is to manipulate the mind. Women who lift find that their

> newfound strength not only improves body confidence, but more

> importantly, confidence in all situations. Moreover, a strong woman

> learns to inhabit her body in a more positive way -- it is no longer

> her failure but instead her ongoing success. " -- Krista -Dixon

>

>

> I have to read more about Krista -Dixon now..but first, back to

> homework!

>

> Barbara

>

[Guest guest]

You're welcome, Barbara, but the kudos really belong to Skwigg for

posting the blog in HER blog initially.

Krista -DIxon is Mistress Krista - you can find her FABULOUS

women's weightlifting site here:

http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/index.php

Tons and tons of wonderful info for women who like to lift heavy

things for fun.

Scout

>

> Scout, I went to the blog you posted,

> http://grannyvibe.blogspot.com/. That woman IS an inspiration, as

> are the quotes she puts on her blog. Thanks for sharing it.

>

> I am going to quote her quote because it just seem so RIGHT:

>

> When I hear women expressing a fear of weight lifting, what I am

> really hearing is a fear of being powerful. The social ideal tells

> women to be hungry, manageable, childlike, not demanding space.

> Given that our bodies are tied to our selves and spirits with

> tangled inextricable threads, it stands to reason that to manipulate

> the body is to manipulate the mind. Women who lift find that their

> newfound strength not only improves body confidence, but more

> importantly, confidence in all situations. Moreover, a strong woman

> learns to inhabit her body in a more positive way -- it is no longer

> her failure but instead her ongoing success. " -- Krista -Dixon

>

>

> I have to read more about Krista -Dixon now..but first, back to

> homework!

>

> Barbara

>

[Guest guest]

It has to fit inbetween your thighs, so yes. I've seen some women

holding it by the bar in the center but then they are forced to lean

forward too much and then it's not proper form and not hitting the

glutes like it should.

-

>

> I have a question about Plie Squats. In the March issue of Oxygen

> there is a demo of a plie squat and the woman is holding a

dumbbell on

> end as she does the squat. Is this the correct way to do them?

>

> I have been doing them by holding two 8 pound dumbbells at my

waist -

> where I would place my hands if I was doing the squat without

weights.

> I had thought that when I need more weight I would go to my

barbell

> and do the squat with it resting on my shoulder, but maybe I've

been

> doing them wrong all along? Also, in the picture the model doesn't

> have her feet turned out very far. Remembering childhood ballet

> lessons, I tend to turn out my feet as far as they can go and

still

> be comfortable for my knees. Is this wrong and/or bad?

>

> The comment I had is about the article in Oxygen about picking

suits

> for Figure or Fitness competitions. It's why I only buy the

magazine

> sporadically because, upon reading the tips/hints I started to see

> red. I probably had steam coming out of my ears. I was certainly

> muttering to myself and gnashing my teeth (no mean feat to do

> together, I might add. ). The big blurb reads: 'DON'T BE

CONCERNED

> WITH COMFORT -- A GOOD FIT IS MORE IMPORTANT.' Then it goes on to

> say: 'If the strap on the neck has to be tight in order to pull up

the

> breasts, so be it. Plus, most mandatory poses are uncomfortable so

> the a little discomfort in the suit shouldn't be an issue.'

>

> Say WHAT?!? Here are these gorgeous BUFF women who lift heavy

weights

> to make beautiful STRONG bodies, and what the hell are they doing

with

> those strong, lovely bodies? Buying into the age-old myth that

> suffering = beauty. Well, hell. Why not bring back foot binding

and

> the corset while we're at it?

>

> Scout

>

[Guest guest]

Not sure how old you are but Janet Marsico just turned 40 and she's

got YEARS of competing ahead of her....along with being a mom of two.

http://www.thefigureworkshop.com

I compete with 3 women over 40 and one who is 50-something and they

are all WNBF pro figure competitors. Janet just placed 2nd in the

WNBF World's in New York and I got 4th. So there you go.

-

> >

> > I read that article about fitness suits too, but it just struck

me

> as funny. I understand the authors point of view... obviously we

all

> go thru a lot of discomfort, lifting, running, that 60 min spinning

> class i took at 5AM this morning for example... and some of our

> motivation is our health but let's be realistic... a lot of it has

to

> do with appearance. I can't imagine training for a competition

like

> that (did you read Tosca's article about what she did to train?, it

> was good) but I'm sure after you go thru all that a little

discomfort

> is nothing!

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> >

> > What are the most popular cars? Find out at Autos

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

<snip> I don't see articles telling male bodybuilders to endure the

discomfort of having their testicles hoisted and mashed forward in a

specially designed thongs, for example.

hehehehe *snort*

[Guest guest]

This thread is blowing it all out of proportion. They really aren't

THAT uncomfortable. Sheesh.

And if you really wanted to compete you wouldn't care how the suit

felt.

*eye roll*

-

> > > >

> > > > I read that article about fitness suits too, but it just

struck

> > me

> > > as funny. I understand the authors point of view... obviously

we

> > all

> > > go thru a lot of discomfort, lifting, running, that 60 min

spinning

> > > class i took at 5AM this morning for example... and some of our

> > > motivation is our health but let's be realistic... a lot of it

has

> > to

> > > do with appearance. I can't imagine training for a

competition

> > like

> > > that (did you read Tosca's article about what she did to

train?, it

> > > was good) but I'm sure after you go thru all that a little

> > discomfort

> > > is nothing!

> > > >

> > > > ---------------------------------

> > > >

> > > > What are the most popular cars? Find out at Autos

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

I was thinking the same thing, that Pile squats are no biggie. But thought maybe

thats just me LOL