Size or Strength?

Hey somechick121, I've seen your posts about how guys are stronger because they're bigger. How old are you, and what was it like when you were younger and the guys weren't bigger?

I ask because my neighbor girl was stronger and tougher than the boys in elementary school, even some who were a little taller. A big part of her identity was being the girl who could overpower, out-wrestle or beat up boys her age. There was this aggressive younger, smaller boy who was always a joke to her, because he was always challenging her, but she could always effortlessly beat him at armwrestling and easily dominate him at rough sports.

When she was about 14 the boys started growing bigger and stronger, and gradually catching up and passing her. One day even the "joke" boy stunned her by beating her at armwrestling and then he pinned her at wrestling. He didn't let her up until she admitted that girls are weak and boys are strong. He threatened to remind her of this anytime she forgot. Afterwords she was really shocked, embarrased and humiliated to have been outmuscled and threatened by this littler boy. We told her to start working out and she'd soon teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget. But she was scared that the kid would hurt her the next time and also her parents didn't approve of girls lifting weights, and they didn't like her competing with boys. She resigned herself to being "only a girl". It was kind of sad.

What's your story? I also have a poll related to this: http://www.misterpoll.com/poll.mpl?id=982645367

I'm 16 now, and yeah I guess I probably was stronger in cases when I was bigger. Which still is the case, if I'm bigger. Which of course isn't too often.

And that is kind of sad. Very sad actually. That whole "just a girl" thing. If you want to be better than the guys, go for it. And even if the parents disapprove of lifting weights (um, why?), there are other ways of getting stronger.

I agree. But my neighbor's parents were conservative about sex roles and they didn't like her tomboy ways. For years her parents had been telling her that girls are too fragile to play rough sports with boys. She never listened as long as she could overpower and outfight most boys. She didn't seem to be too bothered as the boys in her class grew bigger and stronger.

But it was too much of a shock when this younger, smaller boy suddenly overpowered her. In the previous summer and fall she had been so much stronger and tougher than him that she didn't take him seriously. But by the next spring he had become so strong that she couldn't handle him--it wasn't even close. He was always macho and aggressive (which made him the joke), but after he beat her, his strength and aggression frightened her. The real sad thing was that she felt so humiliated by being so suddenly overpowered by the "joke" boy that her self-esteem really tanked. She not only caved in to her parents thinking about the fragility of girls, but she lost her self-confidence in all areas and became more introverted and shy.

I think there are probably a lot of girls out there who are like my neighbor. What do you think?

I hope that more girls have an attitude like yours and are getting the support to go out and be the best they can be, whether it has to do with building muscles or building their brainpower.

She's ben hurt badly. Her parents forcing that sort of attitude on her seems to have really damaged her, and now its compounding. She sounds like she was a strong, confident girl, but now feels like she is inferior to guys. Its really unfortunate.

Just about every proud strong athletic young girl eventually finds herself in the humiliating position of getting out-muscled by some nerdy wimp of a boy who has nothing going for him but a big dose of testosterone. Its even worse if you're used to beating him. Life's unfair, but you need to find positive energy. When it happened to me I got so mad that I started training hard. I don't think there is any guy close to my size who is stronger than me just because of "hormonal advantages." But that's not the main thing. Now I train for strength because the stronger I am the better I feel - and look! Of course I'm completely natural.