Apparently gymnastics background > all.

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So I've been semi-seriously working on an overhead squat for about a month now. I can pretty much only do the bar on a good day. I've been practicing with a broomstick or pipe or something, too. So my sister was saying how she needs to lose weight, and I told her to try weightlifting, as especially for women it can work out well for weight loss and fitness. I did an overhead squat with a broomstick, and told her to try it. Told her to try to keep her heels on the ground. First try, went to parallel. Second try, told her to go deeper. She got all the way down on it second try.

She had 2 years of gymnastics in elementary school, and maybe 1-2 during middle school. She's completely out of shape now, barely walks anywhere, etc. So yeah, apparently gymnastics background trumps all. I wish my parents signed me up for gymnastics instead of me failing at baseball, football, soccer, hockey, and every other sport ever.

So parents, and future parents, sign your kids up for gymnastics. That is all.

Firstly, huge props for recommending weight lifting to someone looking to lose weight...every time I get a chance to talk to men or women who are trying to drop the weight, I strongly suggest lifting. I think people get way to worked up over their bodyweight and fail to realize that simply shedding weight doesn't mean you'll be in shape. You've got to be active, not just diet to get healthy. Lets see, secondly, I know what you mean with squats oh man, when I first got into weight training, nothing hurt more than squatting. I can squat 325lbs while I weigh 165lbs but that's still a total joke compared to legitimate bodybuilders who can put up 500-800lbs regularly. Anyway, agreed; gymnasts have seriously fantastic physiques...I couldn't believe how absolutely ripped the U.S. gymnastics women's team was. Every single athlete had super-defined abs. It was crazy! Hope your sister picks up weight lifting and you keep enjoying it!

For me it was the opposite. I could throw huge numbers my first time ever squatting, doing powerlifting style squats. With a manta ray I got to 365 with questionable depth, but last time I did powerlifting style squats to parallel I did 275x5, at 195 bodyweight. Also deadlifted 255 or 265 my first time at 180 bodyweight. Now I only do Olympic depth squats, though, and that's a different ballgame. A much harder ballgame. Currently just finished an intro cycle of a Russian squat program, with front squats, now to start the 3 week full cycle next week. Wanna go reset maxes Wednesday. Also trying to get my overhead press up.

But anyway, my sister doesn't wanna do it partially out of an injury she has. Her knees click and she says they hurt when she goes up stairs. Mine currently click, but don't hurt. My mom has double knee replacements. Yay genetics. Maybe if she didn't squat, and just did presses or deadlifts or something.

But yeah, gymnastics background does wonders. It seems like every successful athlete I see has at least some gymnastics background. Even just a couple years seems to make a huge difference in your ability to pick up athletic activities.

Georges St Pierre, the UFC Welterweight Champion, also does gymnastics. If it works for him it works for me. (As long as he's not doing drugs and prostitutes.)

He also has arthritis and it's one of the ways he stays strong and fit

Didn't know about the arthritis.. all the more power to him!