“Strong is the new skinny” has been a marketing catchphrase for ages now. The suggestion is obvious – instead of losing weight, get strong instead. You think that would answer the question “Should Ladies Even Lift”. But it doesn’t.
The problem is – it’s always marketed under the guise of doing it without sweating too much or making weird faces, because that would be unladylike. Flip open instagram and you’ll see it – girls “lifting” in perfect make up, brand new clothes, smiling.
The beauty and struggle of real strength training is still hidden from women.
Working out is cool. It’s fun. It’s rewarding and it’s enjoyable. You make “sick gains” physically, AND emotionally. All the girls we’re training at the moment LOVE getting stronger, and you can see them growing in confidence each day too.
But the REAL beauty and struggle of strength training remains hidden, because those marketers on instagram don’t think you can handle it.
The last time we ran a one day Lady’s Lifting Workshop, we ended up with 3 new girls as full time members of the gym. Converts.
Before the workshop they had no experience and were starting from scratch. Now, about 10 weeks later, they are killing it. It’s frustrating to know that some of these were girls who were afraid of starting sooner because they didn’t know what to do.
THE “OTHER” PEOPLE
Walk into a normal gym and I’d forgive you for running straight back out again – big giant dudes throwing weights around, everyone looks like they know what they’re doing… and little old you – who the entire world knows is a fraud. Who the entire world KNOWS has no business in the gym since she’s not one of “those” people and doesn’t know what she’s doing.
Feeling like that is normal – but it’s not right.
There’s some things you can do in advance to feel more comfortable the first time you step in a gym….
+ Watch tutorials on youtube, understand, on an intellectual level, what you’re doing (better yet get a personal trainer for a few sessions to show you the ropes)
+ Practice squats and deadlifts with a broomstick at home
+ Create a persona of you in the gym – a bad ass version of yourself that takes shit from no one once those training pants are pulled on and the hair is tied up
+ Realise no one is looking at you – seriously. Unless you’re rocking in with 32DDs, a pair of booty shorts and a tight sports bra, no one will even notice you’re there
+ ..and if you are doing that, you’re probably confident enough to get away with it (or just maybe – you’ve created a persona!!)
+ Hell, just put on a pair of headphones and block out the world. The gym’s no different to any club or bar you go to – there’ll be creeps, guys that watch from afar, dudes tryna chat you up, and other guys just being sound
+ …by the way – just because someone talks to you in the gym, don’t assume they’re tryna get in your pants. They might just be an experienced gym guy who understands how brave you are for taking the first step and just wants to build your confidence up a bit
Over time, you’ll become more and more confident in the gym – I promise.
WHAT THEN?
So you’re in the gym… what next?
How many times should you train?
What weight should you lift?
High intensity interval training? or strength training?
Barbells, or dumbbells?
How many reps should you use to “tone”, and what rep ranges are the big no-nos for ladies?
Are barbells safe? Will push ups make your womb fall out?
…and you know deadlifting is great for your ass, but you don’t know how to do it.
You’ve already done the hardest part by getting into the gym, now you just need a simple plan to follow.
That’s what our Ladies Lifting Workshop is all about this Sunday @ 10am (14th August).
It’s a 4 hour workshop where we’re going to show you everything you need to know about how gyms work, and what you need to know as a beginner.
Things like how to warm up properly to stay safe, how to avoid back and knee pain, and a proper warm up helps you lift more weights (yes – warm ups help that).
We’re gonna teach you how to squat, bench press and deadlift. Starting from fundamental principles. Once you understand those, you’ll be able to teach yourself any exercise you see online.
We’ll be doing a “work up” where you’ll get to lift barbells and dumbbells that really push you so that you HAVE to make that unsexy pain face I was talking about earlier.
AND we’ll be helping you put together an 8 week program you can follow on your own afterwards.
Picking stuff up and putting stuff down again is unbelievable craic and I guarantee you’ll laugh your way thru the day.
Don’t believe me? Just go have a look at Sarah’s instagram here (she’s the co-host of the workshop) https://www.instagram.com/sarah_thebetterlifeproject/
There’s just 2 tickets left, so it’d be perfect for you and a friend. Do you know anyone who’s been talking about getting in shape or joining a gym recently?
Or has, but doesn’t go because they don’t know what to do?
Tag them, send this to them, share it with them some way and say “I’m super excited, are you up for this too?”
You can read more about the day here: https://revolutionfitness.leadpages.co/ladies-barbell-bootcamp-1-day/
Or you can just go right ahead and book one (or two) of the last 2 spaces here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6MCXFLL3FGCVA
Hope to see you Sunday!!