Why Girls Should Lift

I’ve always been a sporty kid, playing three sports throughout high school. However, I’ve
been an inconsistent gym rat for about a year and a half now, only lifting seriously during the
summer. Entering college, I hope to lift more and make a concerted effort to incorporate it into
my daily schedule. Even now, I’ve already carved time for it into my schedule at least five days a
week.
As a woman, there are a lot of misconceptions about lifting. The main one by far is how
girls don’t want to look “too big” or “manly”. Sorry to break it to you, but gaining muscle is hard;
you won’t look huge if you don’t eat enough or train properly. Besides that, there are so many
benefits to lifting that many people overlook. As I’ve grown in the gym, here are a few
differences in my mindset I’ve noticed that may push you to get that membership.
1. I’m mentally stronger. Going to the gym is hard. If you want to see results, you have to
push yourself to your physical and mental limits. As is with everything in life, change only
occurs if you are hungry and chase after it. If I told myself a year ago I could deadlift
more than 1.5x my body weight, I would laugh. But it’s true, and half of that achievement
is mental muscle. Lifting has pushed me to want to be better in ways I never fathomed,
and the sense of pride that comes with doing something you thought you couldn’t do is
unmatched. Conversely, the feeling of failure sucks, but in the context of the gym, what
you put in is what you get back out. The prospect of failure makes you hungry for those
extra reps, or that personal record, or whatever you’re chasing.
2. I’m more confident in my self-image. I’m no model; my arms are pretty big, and I have
hip dips and a wide rib cage. Sometimes, I’m upset that I don’t look like the
picture-perfect girls on social media. Whenever I feel this way, I always remind myself of
my strength and how much work I put in to get to this point. I was pretty chubby and
always wanted to look thinner. But even when I lost weight, I still wasn’t happy. I was
exercising in unsustainable ways and restricting my diet. However, lifting has helped me
so much with breaking that self-image issue, as I’ve been more forgiving towards my
body and more able to appreciate its development and functionality.
3. It makes you feel in control of yourself. The discipline that comes with consistently going
to the gym has carried over for the rest of my life. While I still deal with burnout, my work
ethic has improved, and I’ve pushed myself harder in all aspects of life. I feel calmer and
emotionally secure, as lifting gives me a productive outlet to channel my negative
emotions. My understanding of what I can do has expanded so much, and knowing that I
can always keep improving has helped me grow as a partner, teammate, and person.