How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? Vol. 1

ダンベル何キロ持てる？ [Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?] #1

by Sandrovich Yabako

Sakura is a teenage girl who loves to eat, but when she notices her waistline expanding, she decides to check out the local gym. The gym is full of buff dudes... and Akemi, the student council president?! When Akemi tries to convince Sakura to take up weight training, Sakura resists -- until she meets pretty-boy trainer Machio. Now, Sakura is willing to do whatever it takes to bulk up!

Genres: Manga, Comedy, Comics, Fiction, Sports, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2016

About the author

ヤバ子 サンドロビッチ

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

My major problem with this largely stems from the fact that several members of my extended family have eating disorders, and the constant caloric labeling and presenting Hibiki as overweight would be very harmful to a reader in their situation. Good intentions are fine, but this doesn't quite do all the needed research.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite anime from 2019 (second to Boogiepop & Others, if that's important to anyone), and it seemed to catch fire with all the memes and shit spawning from the brilliant reaction-faces within the series, so I was eagerly anticipating an American licensing to buy the manga physically (in a language I can read with no effort...). Here we are!

The best thing about the anime was that it inspired me to do all the at-home exercises from each episode, and continue through the week until the next episode gave another exercise. I predicted (and proved myself correct) that I would give up and drift back into laziness as soon as the season ended (which is indeed what happened), but I'm interesting again with the manga. We'll see how it continues, I guess. The exercise. The manga I'm sure will continue very well.

A major difference between the anime and the original manga is a shift in art between media. The anime irons out the wrinkles of MAAM's art, making it more palatable for animation, but at the cost of losing some of the eroticism. Which isn't truly important, I guess, since this is firstly a comedy and secondly an instructional manga. But god damn. A major part of the series is that Machio or someone will interrupt the story with an instruction for a new workout. These instructions take place halfway in a fantasy world, where whichever girl (at first, it's usually Akemi) is wearing far more revealing clothing than her usual fitness wear, and the focus on the steps of the workout will maybe highlight some sexualized poses before a money-shot of sorts in the form of a full-page panel of the girl in a very erotic position, often with clothing removed to show greater focus on whatever muscle group was being worked on (which is actually convenient for the purpose of instruction, but also doubles well for sexiness).

The anime has the aforementioned scenes, but in reading the manga one can see how toned down they were from this source. On page 41, after illustrating how to do squats, I swear to fucking Christ you can see Akemi's clit poking out of her shorts. Someone look it up and tell me I'm not hallucinating. Now, yeah, okay, sure, I will admit I'm a pervert for having noticed instantly that you can see the bulge of her puffy vulva on page 39 when she's first squatting. That's on me. Somehow my eyes darted immediately to that spot, where you can see the contours of her lower body in such a way that, despite the stark black of her shorts, it's obvious what MAAM was going for. I see you, MAAM. You know what you did.

Also, there's a panel on page 132 that's just Hibiki's fat butt jiggling from her dynamic stretches. Her shoulder stretches. Is there a point to this panel of her butt? Yes. In my head, I was about to say "no," but, I mean, yeah, there's a point. Again, MAAM, I see you. Actually, that's the funny thing about the manga, and I guess maybe the anime too, that Hibiki is often complaining about her ass and thighs being too thicc, but then MAAM is like "I'm going to highlight these parts of her body for the coomers." Bravo!

This is quite superficial, but I get Asanagi vibes from some of the thiccness.

This is also superficial, but Hibiki reminds me of Galko from Oshiete! Galko-chan. Akemi, in turn, reminds me of Ojou. And I guess also another black-haired Akemi with bangs.

And I respect how the monochrome coloring changes the aesthetic a bit. I think I've taken Hibiki's gyaru appearance almost for granted with the anime. Her brownness stands out so much more in black-and-white manga, and by contrast her hair is uncolored, left white, and it's just great. I'm not even reviewing the actual manga at this point; I've handed the keyboard to my penis, I think.

On this note, I like how the thigh-highs the girls wear for their school uniform are glossy for whatever reason. Reminds me of porn. That's a weird thing to say, but it just seems like a lot of ero-manga has glossy stockings. Or, glossy everything, like everyone's just been coated in Vaseline. Or cum. Whatever. Off the top of my head, I can't recall any other manga with glossy stockings. Usually always very matte. Which I usually prefer, but the shininess works wonders here. Maybe because the shininess further contrasts Hibiki's brownness? It works for Ayaka as well, but then Akemi is white as fuck, so who knows.

Also, Tachibana-sensei! It's always funny when there are "Christmas cake" characters in manga, and I'm like "I could get into this," but then I realize I'm fuckin' 25 myself. Frightens me. I don't think I've grown at all since I started college. Proof: I'm reviewing manga and talking about fanservice. Anyway, I have another four years before it gets weird to find Tachibana hot, I guess.

Also also, Lifts of the North Star is the funniest thing of all time. Actually, on this note, it's true that a decent chunk of my experience with this manga was spent anticipating comedy bits I remembered from the anime. Earlier, you have Machio talking about being at Hibiki's side while she bench-presses, and he keeps repeating "side... side" before you turn the page and have the SIDE CHEST panel. And so I spent too long staring at the bottom of page 29, giggling prematurely, for I knew what was coming. And I laughed when I turned the page anyway. This shit is just funny. I can't wait for the tournament-arc parody later on.

It's strange to review this because I normally read manga before watching the anime adaptation (or, I go for whichever was published first between media), and I try to write my first impressions in a Volume 1 review with the intent of reevaluating by the time I get to the final volume. With this series, I'm aware of the contents of the first three or four volumes, so it's a bit different. I guess going forward I'm just going to keep saying perverted things about the art....

****

Seriously, how the FUCK do I do planks? I'm over here inclining my body, propped up on elbows at 90-degree angles, tensing my core, but I have no idea what is going on. When do I breathe? It's hard to do while keeping my back and legs straight. What the fuck, how I am too stupid to follow a diagram drawn out with cute brown manga girls? Squats are nothing. Dynamic stretches aren't even worth talking about. These planks though, are a fucking mystery. This hardly has anything to do with the manga itself.

There exists a pair of 20-lb dumbbells somewhere in my house, bought by my younger brother at some point in the past, either when he was looking for pussy in high school or when he was looking again in college (either way it's exercise and self-bettering for dishonest reasons, but whatever), and it's funny because I think Machio is correct to say men often try too hard to start lifting with heavier dumbbells than necessary. Following through, while I have no problem with the 20-lb ones aside from their annoying shape (without a barbell I have to squat with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on each shoulder, and it's just awkward) I do wish I had a slightly smaller size, but I don't want to get 10s or 15s at a store and look like a weakling lol. And, more importantly, I want fucking kilograms instead of pounds.

[Joe Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really tough one to rate.
(The most problematic part is the treating of the main character like she has a weight problem. Obviously she looks perfectly healthy.)
The book itself is a mixture of ecchi comedy and exercise instruction. Genuinely funny at times, I really did appreciate the useful exercise and diet tips. (Now I get why I should have a cheat day and why planking is beneficial.)
As a comedy, this is probably a 2, but the health tips make it a 3.5 for me.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly, this is a pretty good primer on beginner weightlifting. Clear explanations and helpful diagrams all wrapped up in a silly, slice-of-life story -- just as useful as a standard weightlifting manual and honestly a lot more fun.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #453

I actually really enjoyed this! Sure, there’s unnecessary fanservice, but this manga has some nice comedic moments as well as an informative style to the exercises shown in each chapter.

[Elizabeth (Elzburg) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Hey you! Do you like hot girls? Do you like weightlifting/bodybuilding/fitness? Do you like fanservice/ecchi comedies? Do you want scientifically accurate info on how to become SWOLE!? Then this manga might be for you! But then again it also might not.

I said YES to every one of those questions, but this manga still ended up being a bit of a disappointment. It has all those promised things, but that's literally it.

The characters have no personalities beyond their one defining character trait (muscle fetish, fat and stupid, and I don't even know what to say about the third girl), so you bet there's no character development. There's also very nearly no plot besides the main girl's broad goal of "getting a hot body to gain the attention of all the boys at the beach".

Every chapter features the girls going back to the gym and learning a new exercise. The movement is introduced and then there's a scientific explanation on how to perform it and which muscles are activated. The model of the movement is always very erotically drawn and just as scantily clad, so there's your dose of fanservice for ya. Repeat this over and over again for every single chapter.

The way this manga is set up kind of makes it feel like a commercial. Pretty characters to draw you in, but lacking any real personality. A novice character to substitute for the audience, and knowledgeable characters to show them the way of the BUFF. It's hard to explain but I hope you get what I'm trying to say. They're not actually selling anything though. Except, like, fitness.

All this being said, in it's own weird way this series is actually kind of addictive. It makes me want to just keep reading and I have no idea why. I see from online discussion that other people feel the same way, and that the bodybuilding, fanservice, and hot girls are more than enough to make them enjoy this manga. Other people even actually find it funny, which is good for them because the jokes were so far from landing on me that I didn't even know it was supposed to be funny until I saw it mentioned.

Basically, if you like what the first paragraph promises and are okay with receiving those and ONLY those things, you're on your way to having a good time.

Click to read all my Reviews in this series:
Volume 1*
Volume 2

*Current review

[Ben Nealis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I finally got a copy after weeks of looking. I really enjoyed the anime which I watched about 4 months ago so I was looking forward to reading the manga. Overall the book is fine it's exactly what I expected with some neat bonuses thrown in and some comedic scenes I don't think ever got animated. The only downside I see is the gratuitous fan service especially in chapter 8. I will be continuing the series mostly because I really want to know what happens after where the anime ends.

[Emma Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. I’ve been lifting weights since I was a teen and I was hoping this would be a fun, pro women weightlifting story. But it’s all about fat shaming and telling women that they should work out to get men. I know it’s a comic, but it’s also trying to educate about lifting and the anatomy is really bonkers.

[poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

They made it just for me. It's silly but cute and has good advice.

[Enairolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’étais très curieuse lorsque j’ai vu ce titre débarquer. J’étais très curieuse de découvrir cette histoire qui me paraissait au premier abord une histoire pleine d’humour. Ce premier tome m’a vraiment beaucoup plu et je suis déjà très impatiente de découvrir la suite de cette histoire. Je sens que je vais encore beaucoup rire par la suite et que ce manga va beaucoup me plaire. J’espère juste que ça ne finira pas par être trop répétitif au fil des tomes, je trouverais ça vraiment dommage.

Dans ce premier tome, on va suivre le personnage de Hibiki. Cette jeune lycéenne adore manger mais elle décide de se mettre au régime après que son amie lui a fait une remarque indélicate! Sauf qu’elle déteste s’entraîner seule puisqu’elle finit toujours par abandonner très très vite. Elle décide donc d’aller s’inscrire à la salle de sport! Elle va rencontrer là bas sa camarade de classe, Akemi. Sa formation pour obtenir le corps de ses rêves commence!

J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ce premier tome. J’ai adoré le personnage de Hibiki, elle me fait tellement rire! Elle veut à tout prix perdre du poids et même après ses séance de sport elle s’enfile je ne sais combien de calories. Elle ne peut s’empêcher de manger énormément et je trouve ça même étonnant qu’elle n’est pas pris plus de poids que ça! Mais elle peut compter sur Akemi pour se motiver. Akemi lui est vraiment d’une grande aide, elle lui donne plein de conseils pour mieux manger, même si Hibiki ne l’écoute pas forcément toujours.. Elle peut également compter sur son coach sportif. J’ai beaucoup aimé également le fait qu’à chaque nouveau exercice qu’elle fait, on a un schéma pour nous expliquer comment bien réaliser l’exercice, ça apporte un petit côté pédagogique au manga et je trouve ça plutôt chouette.

Je suis impatiente de découvrir la suite de cette histoire. C’est un manga frais et rafraîchissant avec beaucoup d’humour. J’aime beaucoup les différents personnages, le côté pédagogique me plaît également. Ce premier tome a su me séduire, je dois bien avouer que je ne pensais pas autant aimer cette histoire mais comme quoi on peut avoir de belles surprises!

[Sol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a manga that might motivate me to exercise more (because trust me, the summer that Free! Iwatobi Swim Club came out, I was in the pool every day -- that's how malleable I am), but unfortunately, this just ended up being fanservice slop.

In my opinion, the best parts are the educational parts that take place at the gym, and some of the comedic moments. But the lows are really, really low. Constant sexualization and fanservice of the underage characters, calorie counting, talking about cheat days like cheat days are a good thing, fatphobia and fatphobic language (you're gaining weight so you'll never get a boyfriend, type of thing), and especially with our main characters being two high school girls (presumably 16 or 17), it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Like, a really bad taste. Which is a bummer, because I really do like the lifting and exercise parts, and it does make me feel pretty motivated. It's just the sexual content in this is so gross and distasteful. Why can't this manga just be normal and not gross? It would be so much better.

However, I still gave it two stars instead of one because I do like the dynamic of our two protagonists and their gym trainer. They have good personalities that lead to some funny moments. I can't say I hated this or anything, just that I wish it was different, that's all.

[kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hibiki is a second year high school student, she loves to eat! Her best friend, Ayaka points out that she’s put on some weight, so Hibiki goes to tour a gym. She runs into the student council president, Akemi, and they decide to join after meeting an attractive personal trainer, Machio.

This is a bit fan service-y, but if you can see the humor in it, or look past it, it is very informative! The proper implementation of the exercises completed are outlined throughout the volume. It’s worth noting its very self-aware, Hibiki and the other characters point out when scenes become more blatantly posed.

I didn’t love that Hibiki’s friend was making observations about her weight, but Hibiki seems fine with it so I’ll let it go. What made it most enjoyable for me were the characters, I especially enjoyed watching Hibiki and Akemi become friends. They’re both so different – Hibiki is an adorable, oblivious sourpuss and Akemi is very positive and most things appear to come easily to her.

You don’t have to be into working out to enjoy this manga. But, it might be ~more~ enjoyable for you if you do, or if you’re trying to become more active! I am not, still liked it though✌️

[Ruthsic · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the heck did I just read? This felt more like a fitness guide than a story! The plot is about a high school girl who joins the gym to lose weight, but gets attracted to the idea of toning her body. Now, I would like to affirm that yes, it talks about exercise more in the 'get fit and make your body strong' way instead of 'lose weight' way. In fact, it goes further to dispel a lot of myths regarding the same - like diet culture, and how it is more harmful than beneficial, how to build muscles instead of just losing fat, and even suggests that girls don't need to be think of having muscles as not feminine. There's even sources cited! But on the other hand, this barely has any plot. There's only their otaku teacher who is trying to hide her cosplay hobby from her students, and Sakura learning more about her friends. Also, it has some erotic 'diagrams' to show the muscles being targeted for each lesson, and it doesn't help the manga that for some reason the girls are suddenly having less clothing than in the scene before. Lampshading it isn't exactly helping here - these are still underage girls being shown in skimpy scenes for the purpose of fanservice (I know the cover is a huge clue but come on!) The comedy is not up to the mark, either - the biggest gag is only that the slim-looking trainer has a penchant for suddenly taking off his clothes and showing off his extremely buff body. I mean, it was funny the first few times, but it got tiring by the time the book ended.

Verdict: informative, but is it really a story? also, why is there so much fanservice?!

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Seven Seas, via Edelweiss.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I'm not the audience for this manga. There's not much plot except Hibiki wants to lose weight, so she joins a gym and finds another classmate there. This manga is pretty much a basic how-to for weight lifting and exercise, but the manga has the bonus of having fanservice of the Hibiki and friends showing the muscles worked in panties and tops the show a lot of underboob. It's really glaring when they are shown working out in shorts and a tank top and then for muscles worked they are now naked. Sure, their trainer Machio often flexes and all his clothes except his underwear disappear but his nudity is comedic. There are good gags like Lifts of The North Star being a popular series their cosplaying teacher doesn't know about, but Machio gets a ton of attention for cosplaying.

The artist is very good. The focus is on panty shots, tight clothes, and boobs, but he's adept at comic expressions on characters and clearly showing the exercise in good form. This book also has its sources used in the back.

[Nisha B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga was fun. I really enjoyed it. The story is really simple. A high school girl wants to lose weight, so she joins a gym and is accompanied by one of the girls from her school.

I was really surprised at how educational this manga was. Some of the chapters taught you how to do standard movements like the squat and the bench press. The manga also suggested how one should eat when trying to get in shape. Many of the things they mentioned I was aware of and it felt good knowing the things they were talking about. For those who are unaware, it is a good read because you will learn something from it.

I can really relate to the main character in this manga. She is just starting out, so there is a lot that she doesn’t know. That was me at the start of my health and fitness journey nine years ago. Over time, I have learned a lot. I know a lot more today than I did yesterday. I’m thankful that I have stuck with my health and fitness goals. I’m looking forward to seeing how this character will do the same with the goals they have in the manga.

[Astilbe The Hobbit · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Rounded up for the educational bits

This bums me out as I like the anime adaptation for this. The manga however feels a bit problematic and too heavy in the fan service, like I’m all for flexing muscle but um, not like that.

What I did enjoy (and like about the anime) was how goofy it can be while being educational about fitness. I like the promotion of it being okay to be starting at a different fitness levels than others as that’s normal, that gyms and welcoming to all shapes and sizes and reminding people that you need to eat to build muscle. Dieting and not eating leads to bad relationships with food. It also did mention in the manga that you can work out at home even and don’t have to be doing it at a gym.

However it still had major issues of the main character people called fat at times when she’s obviously not and again too much fan service for me.

[Rereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! I wanted to give it a shot before watching the anime, and it was quirky and fun to read. The artwork is strong and the story is simple enough with some amusing characters and engaging character interactions. The inclusion of health tidbits and exercise instructions was nice, but sometimes they broke the story's flow. Also, sometimes the exercise info dumps would go on a little too long and it would break my immersion. That being said, this was a lot of fun to read and I do recommend people checking it out. I wouldn't say it was a stand-out manga, but it's worth a read if you want some simple entertainment.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

So as someone who lifts and loves working out I thought this would be fun. While it has its funny moments, it’s really a waste to go over parts I know. I also would be nervous for young teenage girls to read this and have body shaming. Granted it does teach well about why eating and exercise is important hence the two stars

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who enjoys powerlifting and the different workout memes, I think it’s overall a funny lighthearted manga, plus the workout information I would say is 99% accurate which was a pleasant surprise. However I would not recommend this if you have a history of eating disorders or disordered eating as there are eating habits and calorie tracking mentioned throughout.

[Derek Vukovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange mix between infomercial for exercise and a comedy manga.
Main character is driven by motivation to get fit (it makes a point that she is "overweight, out of shape"), but she is one of the most fit, athletic characters even by manga standards. . .

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really awesome manga with lots of exercise tips. I didn't like how they treated a lot of the women as fat when they were literally stick thin, but I guess thats just part of the manga. I won't continue the series as it makes me a bit self conscious, but I will be using their exercise tips!

[Thenamenerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot girls convincing me to GET SWOLE??? HELL YEAH 7/10

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This manga actually shows some valid tips and tricks to exercise techniques, but I skimmed a lot of it, not really any plot.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm seriously amped to start lifting now!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational! In the same vein as "The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up," this book makes workouts seem so easy, you may want to start exercising before you even put it down!

[Stephani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope I can read more of this manga. I enjoy the humor and the explanations of the gym equipment and exercises. Hibiki is relatable. I also need to get fit.

[Dustin Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great exercise routines blended in with a somewhat comedic reading.

[Paolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate how much I've learned in this one manga, lmao

[Kimia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational, inspiring, motivational, etc.

[Kathryn Catania · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its not a bad story but I am not a big fan of reading about the gym. If there was less explaining the workouts then maybe it would be better for me. That being said It was informative