Written by Over the weekend, my sister-in-law and I were discussing the excellence that is picking up heavy things. (She also loves picking up heavy things. I actually met her in the gym before Steve and I even started dating, and became fast friends, because she was deadlifting. Awesome!)
SIL and me
Anyway, she mentioned that she was so relieved to be back in a regular work-out schedule (throw in completing nursing school, studying for the boards and getting married all in a span of 4 months and that’s a recipe for lack-of-gym-time). When she started back up a few weeks ago, she was understandably weaker after being unable to pick up heavy things for a while. She told me that she was self-conscious about it and that there happened to be another female squatting in the rack next to hers (more than my SIL would be squatting) and she was fairly intimidated and hesitant to squat. However, my SIL is a smart woman, and she grit her teeth, put her head down and carried on with her workout despite her feelings. She’s much stronger now and lifting like a machine!
She said something very pithy during this conversation,
“I would never have gotten stronger if I hadn’t walked over there and started squatting.”
What will they think of me??
Meaning, if she had let her apprehension of not being “strong enough” stop her from working out, she would still be at square one. This is a trap that women AND men easily fall into. For some reason, we feel that we have to either look a certain way or be “strong enough” to go into the the gym and work out.
Lifting is between you and the bar. No one else. It doesn’t matter what other folks are doing. Don’t let your (false) feelings of inadequacy stop you from lifting heavy things!! “Heavy” is relative. Like my SIL said, she was lifting weights that were lighter than her past training sessions, but they were heavy for her at that point in her training. Again, lifting is between you and the bar. The point is you’re training and training hard.
Is fear stopping you from walking into the weight room and start squatting, deadlifting, pressing, etc… even if it’s only 25 pounds, or 10 pounds. (You have to start somewhere right?)
Don’t be afraid. How will you ever get stronger if you don’t walk over there and start squatting*?
Tear off your shirt-o-fear and unleash your Superhero!
(*or start whatever your method of beast-building may be.)
AMEN to this! Gotta admit this is how I’ve been feeling lately after 2mo. away from the gym due to travel, etc. Gotta start somewhere!
I hear ya! My SIL felt exactly the same way and I was glad she mentioned it as I workout where no one can see me.
Congratulations to Jordan by the way!!
You are so right to bring it back to perspective of “you and the bar”.
I too had the disappointment of having to “look weak” again when starting back up on a regular basis after 3 months off (ah, moving a house). I found though that starting again by easing in with lighter weights for a while did two things: 1. gave me a chance to rethink and rework my form, and 2. not leave so sore the first few days back.
It was good to refocus on what I was doing instead of who was watching. You hit the nail on the head.
Thanks Mom! I forget this as I work out when no one is watching… it was a good reminder to me that other folks need the encouragement sometimes!