Four years ago, I made the bold decision to join my older brother in the gym and learn the ins-and-outs of weightlifting, and the rest is history.
After following a blogger on her weightlifting journey, and seeing her passion and dedication, I wanted to learn what that feels like. I played two sports throughout high school, and knew that that competitiveness in me would probably never go away. In becoming apart of the weightlifting community online, I would be able to keep my competitiveness up simply by pushing myself to reach new heights in this sport.
As people began to notice that I was spending all of my gym time in the weight room, the opinions of others also became apparent. A girl lifting weights? A young girl? Is she trying to be a man? Doesn't she know lifting makes you manly and too muscular? All of these thoughts began to haunt me. I know of girls who indeed look incredibly muscular and fit due to weightlifting, but these girls are typically the ones who do it for a living, or actually train for lifting competitions. At the beginning of my journey, I pushed these remarks aside because I didn't think I would ever be like those girls because my goals were different.
Fast forward two years and here we are now--I have a personal trainer who created a program for me that focuses on getting stronger with the potential for competing in powerlifting one day. My views on the sport have been completely altered and the first step I took to get here was pushing the misconceptions about women weightlifting aside. Who cares that you aren't the typical gym bunny, running around on the treadmill and cranking out 200 crunches? I want to be strong, I want to be able to withstand the weight of the world on my shoulders because we all know I let it crush me once... I want to be growing stronger every single day. If you can say this to yourself, you are unstoppable.
This sport, it isn't for everyone, but anyone can give it a try. If your goals and aspirations revolve around being "leaner" or more "toned," put down the five pound dumbbells and reach for the ten pound ones.
Challenge yourself.
See how much you can curl or shoulder press. Push yourself to aim higher. Push away the worries of people judging you. The only person who has a say in what you do is yourself.
I constantly get asked when my competition is, and I am proud to say that I am currently not competing. I do this because I love it. Weightlifting is my hobby and my way of life. Do not be afraid to express what you love. Do not let other people's opinions get to you. And if you are worried about looking manly, please take a look at me, because I know for a fact I have maintained my femininity throughout weightlifting and know for certain it will not go anywhere.
