What is your definition of "strong"? page 2

[EvRevFit]

I like Eat Move Improve's skill standards.

Skill Guidelines for Building Strong, Useful, Adaptable Athletes | Eat. Move. Improve.

[Annieh]

For me as a woman, it is more about being able to handle what live gives me and less about the numbers.

Strength is being able to flip a king sized mattress and move all the furniture (even the sofa with two recliners in it) all by myself.
Strength is being able to stand for 15 hours strait with arms up at shoulder level. (for work)
It is being able to carry my autistic daughter to a safe location when she is in full meltdown even though she outweighs me by 20lbs.
It is being able to do a one armed pull up in the pear tree just so I can reach those last 5 pears.

I'm sure every person measures strength differently and it is constantly evolving for everyone.

Love this, Zophie. Being strong is being more than equal to your tasks.

[bootson]

I'm 'strong' in that I can change/lift/handle tires as well as the guys... But not all that fit. I have the biceps of a linebacker, but the legs of a couch potato? At age 13 and 215lbs, I could lift my 220lb father off the ground. I was NOT in the LEAST bit in shape though. Weird.

[Alex Good]

Simple. If I was thrown onto an island with someone else and fought them to the death then the survivor is the strong one.

[Leida]

For me strong means that I don't blink an eye whenever I need to lift anything I want in RL. Move the couch, no pro; toss a bag of gravel, no pro; lift and carry my growing daughter. I remember the first time I felt that I was strong. We were moving the office, and all ladies were unloading binders out of the boxes and putting them on the shelves. I was loading the boxes on the carts and pushing them around. With the two guys.

Another realization that I am strong came when I was lamenting not being able to bench 95 lbs (again), but then I thought about how easy handling the Olympic bar has become, I don't even notice the weight of the unloaded bar. When I started I could barely lift it, and had to use 30-35 lbs mini-bars for my upper body. I am glad that at least I can handle the OB.

In the gym, while I know I cannot be as strong as most men, I want to be as strong as some. Well, maybe as strong as some skinny teenage male hard-gainers. Well, maybe the skinniest of the teenage male hardgainers who came to the gym to just hang out for the first and last time.

For 'official' measure I use the X-Fit Strength chart from Crossfit I found on the net somewhere. It's called Standard of Strength for Women. It has Good, Very Good and Excellent categories in % from BW, and my ambition to hit the VG.

[sakura_girl]

Thanks for the objective and subjective measurements! Good to know that I am no longer out of shape.

[Iron Fireling]

I was thinking I was relatively strong, until I started CrossFit. I can lift reasonably heavy stuff... and people have actually commented that I'm stronger than I appear (well, I don't think I appear weak... it's just the impression people get from the average 4'11" female I guess). BUT I can't do any of the female benchmarks for CrossFit exercises AT ALL lol. I figure once I can surpass the benchmarks, I will consider myself relatively strong .

[badgergirl]

I survived hydrocephalus. I survived an abusive and neglectful mother. I survived getting hit by a car. I gave birth to a 4kg baby with no pain relief and no medical intervention *and* no tearing. I breastfed for four years. My body is strong in ways I cannot quantify or control, but I'm supremely grateful for. I can't lift weights for shit, probably, but strength comes in many shapes and sizes.

[Alex Good]

I survived hydrocephalus. I survived an abusive and neglectful mother. I survived getting hit by a car. I gave birth to a 4kg baby with no pain relief and no medical intervention *and* no tearing. I breastfed for four years. My body is strong in ways I cannot quantify or control, but I'm supremely grateful for. I can't lift weights for shit, probably, but strength comes in many shapes and sizes.

Tough is not strong. I'm impressed by your toughness though.
As a side note did you actually turn down the painkillers? Because intentionally choosing that kind of pain is seriously impressive. When most women talk about the pain my brain always chimes in "you had no choice but to have pain at that point so it doesn't count" but turning down painkillers is seriously hardcore.

[badgergirl]

I didn't need them so I didn't request them. I got lucky, some births aren't like the one I experienced. Also, pain is getting hit by a car. When you have 10 on the dial set so high, a 5 - especially one that serves a purpose - seems quite acceptable.