When I left for college, I can honestly say that I had never picked up a dumbbell in my life or stepped foot near a squat rack. When I imagined “girls who lift,” I imagined body builders and huge women who had the starts of mustaches above their lips. I’ve now realized how absurd that is and entirely apologize for my ignorance. However, when I look around the gym I see many girls who won’t stray past the yoga mat or elliptical to the unwelcoming, testosterone-filled weight room. Many say lifting isn’t “ladylike” to which I say, tell that to my a**.

To be honest, I used to be one of those girls who was extremely intimidated by the guys in the weight room. I didn’t want to do anything to embarrass or hurt myself especially in front of all of the meathead college boys. Ironically enough, I started lifting with my ex-boyfriend who was a strength and conditioning coach. If there’s one thing I can say about him it’s that he was a damn good coach. He taught me everything there was to know and made me confident enough to stray past simply abs and cardio, and into the weight room.

Women who lift often encounter obstacles, deal with negative stereotypes and unfair judgment. However, women who lift also develop the confidence to become stronger both mentally and physically, in and out of the weight room. No matter if you’re just starting to exercise, whether you know what a dumb-bell is, how to squat, or your body fat percentage; the most important step is confidence. You'd be amazed what a little bit of confidence can do.

Some girls get turned off by the negative attitudes from their male counterparts in the gym. I use it as fuel to my fire. I used to go at weird hours to avoid the guys, I began to understand why people were judgmental to girls who lift but I soon came to realize that I had better form than half the idiots in the gym, and that I wasn’t going to let their lack of confidence in my abilities bring me down. Even now, I'll have guys offer to re-rack my weights or take over something I'm clearly using when I step away in between sets, but I don't let their ignorance get to me. It’s important, and very difficult to not let your insecurities get the best of you.

So, for the girls that are insecure in the weight room: know that you are not alone. It’s entirely worth it to overcome your fear and go after your goals. Ignore the stereotypes around the fact that lifting is “unladylike” and get in there and do your thing. Overcoming my fear of the weight room and becoming confident in my abilities was definitely worth it. So ladies, get in there and show those men who’s boss. Have the courage to step foot in the weight room, and demand the next turn on the squat rack. Do your squats, eat your vegetables and don’t let boys be mean to you.