In today's world this almost seems outdated and binary in its approach now.
We cannot stereotype Mars or Venus either. Though this caption caught my
attention for an entire different reason. In our strength training plan there
are heavy days, medium days and light days . The weight choices you chose with
the rep range defines these. So there are days you are asked to work with your
maximum weight, days when you go one level lighter and days when it is just
possibly bare minimum. I am writing this from a personal experience and please
do not blame me for stereotyping. There are exceptions to every rule and you
can be a women from mars or a man from Venus or you don't even need a planet. You get the drift.
This pattern I am describing below, has been almost consistent . Simple training plan of take your max weight/one less and
grind and do reps. My immediate thought was go lighter and do the reps and not grind. The
reason is not to make this an easy workout, it is to ensure just in case I lift
heavier, I don’t injure myself or something out of form. Most times, I will
stop short calculate the cons in my head and convince myself this will do. I
would sometimes even come out of a session patting myself on my back saying
glad I dint push or try something as its slightly out of my comfort zone,
because I don’t have the experience. Eventually in 10+ years, I figured
my weight choices have gone up, when I am superbly sure that I can life a
certain weight in my sleep and I have put in the hours to master that weight(
both in mental and physical form).
What is so unique in this you may ask? As I was chatting
with my husband who was a part of the exact same workout and when I asked him.
He’s like I just said WTH and pushed and worked with a heavier weight. He is
careful typically as he needs to strengthen his back, but on a simple day like
this, the logic to push or do something outside his comfort zone here seemed
natural to him. Let me try and the solutioning can happen latter. Why think so
much without trying?
Thinking more on my way to work, this brings back familiar
thoughts on my zillion conversations with my colleagues and mentors . You can
call it stereotyping, but in a similar situation at work, the approach to throw
your hat in the ring, seems second nature to men than women. Almost any women
development training program will address this as a key topic. The AHA moment
or the penny dropped for me this morning. It is this inherent nature to avoid
failure/injury in your head that make you stop one step shorter. Or rather the
self doubt on being the best person for the job or the one with the exact
background and skill set that match the ask. Yes, this gets amplified either
ways if you are an over thinker by nature. Though it’s a mix of personality and
gender and we cant isolate both it does seem to be second nature to a few.
Do you resonate with this simple logic?
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