Biologically, it’s pretty much a part of nature that males tend to have more muscle mass than females- and I understand that completely. What I don’t understand, however, is when a girl lifts more than a guy, and almost everyone within that vicinity that witnesses this, automatically thinks something along the lines of “How does she do that?” or “Wow, she lifts so much- considering she’s a girl.”

This needs to stop.

Now, I understand that a person may be shocked at first, regardless, especially if a girl can lift way more than the average person (for example, maybe she squats above 200 lbs or can deadlift almost 300 lbs)- the difference is how they react to what was just witnessed by them. I’ve seen some people comment with “Hey, nice lift” or “That was pretty good, I wish I could do that.” But when someone, usually a guy from what I’ve experienced, comments or reacts in a way that make it seem like a woman lifting a huge amount of weight is a miracle of God- that leaves an impact. Sometimes the lifter can overhear when all they want to do is lift in peace. I mean, they might get some stares here and there, which honestly, is normal in a weight room, but for the most part a girl should be able to only worry about their workout for that day and not have to worry about listening to a guy comment about their performance that makes it seem like women can’t lift.

Also, a comment can affect others nearby as well. For example, there could be a new person in the weight room that has no idea what “the norm” is, and hearing a comment as such can give them the message of “Oh.. so girls aren’t supposed to lift that much? Hmmm, I’ll remember that”. I have seen that happen before on multiple occasions, and it is so ridiculous.

I remember one time, as a senior in high school, I was using the weight room after school when my track season had ended. I was trying to stay in shape for a little while longer before summer came where I had to improvise with what I had. I was at one squatting station, and there was a guy next to me at the other station. We both had our own workout, our own idea of what we wanted to accomplish, and our own fitness level. He did his own thing, and I did mine. Both of us were progressively increasing the weight at our own pace and slowly moving up. From my observation, I could tell that we were doing the same amount of repetitions- and that he was starting to struggle. Knowing who this kid was, I knew he was certainly not the lifting type, but at least he was worrying about himself. NOW- here’s the part that gets me every time.. Both of us had been doing about five repetitions, and we were both at 225 lbs. He started his set a few seconds before mine- and as we were both squatting I could see from the corner of my eye that he was going to do down at any second.

Side note- 225 was normal for me with this many repetitions.

As we both continued the set, I hear one of the teachers from the corner yell out “Quick, someone go spot behind them! And another person help me on the side!” My first thought was “Finally someone is going to help him!”

That is absolutely not what happened, however. Instead, the teacher and two other guys ran up TO ME. Because next thing I know, I’m ready to rack the weight when I hear someone say “Someone help her out over there!”. I stand up, look around, and they’re all staring at me. Meanwhile the guy next to me had nearly collapsed to the point where no one caught it until his form was getting terrible and nearly fell to the ground. Only one kid went to help him- and it was nearly too late before the squatter had pulled something.

I remember turning around in that moment and saying “Uhh, may I help you guys with something?”. And what was the teacher’s response, you ask?

“We worried you were going to drop sometime soon; that’s quite a bit of weight for a female right there.”

It has gotten to a point in this world where a female that’s lifting any kind of weight with no problems whatsoever requires a spotter more than a guy that’s lifting the same exact thing without having the proper form and is ready to collapse at the knees. This is it, this is where we are.

Now in the future, it’s probably safe to say that everyone needs a spotter regardless of who they are and how much they lift (I personally hate spotters because of this experience)- but in situations like this a person should not go after the person that is barely breaking a sweat compared to the person that might be going to see Jesus any second if they fail that last repetition.

Some tips;

It is ok to ask if someone needs a spotter, just don’t be overly dramatic with it.

If you’re impressed with how someone completes a set, it’s ok to compliment how they did, just don’t make it seem like girls shouldn’t be doing a certain weight

It is ok if you react speechless- that energy can fuel a female lifter anyway

Let’s stop being so surprised whenever we see this happen. Let’s just move on with our lives and think “Wow, that person can lift pretty nicely” NOT “Wow, that’s pretty good for a girl.”

As for the female lifters, if it keeps happening- simply try to move on and just add more weight to prove your point. They’ll eventually get the message.