During a recent discussion, my mom mentioned that she never wanted to put on any muscle. Although I’m on a crusade against this sentiment, I still understand where she’s coming from. The idea of women wanting to build muscle is a relatively new concept for the general population. And an athletic or sculpted figure was […] Read more…
Ah, pull-ups, the holy grail of upper body movements. They’re a benchmark of strength for many. Getting your first rep can feel like you’ve finally gotten on the list at Club Strong. Now, this club isn’t as exclusive as some might think, especially when it comes to pull-ups. Getting into it isn’t so much […] Read more…
image: Flickr | @Mike_fleming There was the trainer who told me I shouldn’t do so many chest exercises because it would make my boobs shrink. There was the older guy who, for months, would tell me how pretty I was and repeatedly push me to call his son. There was the guy who told me […] Read more…
Does the following situation sound familiar? You want to lose weight. You get on a plan. Day one, you step on the scale. Okay, this is your starting weight. You follow the plan exactly: Egg whites-salad-water-workout. Day two, you step on the scale. No change. You look in the mirror. Love handles are still there. […] Read more…
Falling in love is one of the best feelings you’ll ever experience. There are butterflies in your stomach. There’s a spring in your step. There’s a gentle pitter-patter in your chest. And as your love grows, oftentimes so does your waistline. Going out for dinner regularly and spending nights on the couch sharing a […] Read more…
In the beginning, there was negligible muscle on my doughy, 19-year-old body. At this point, I didn’t have the information. Then I did, thanks to FigureAthlete.com (RIP). I started to lift free weights in an effort to get stronger and more muscular. I followed 5×5 for a while. I played around with set and rep […] Read more…
In my last blog post, I posed the idea that strength training has become a thinking person’s sport. Now I want to dig a little deeper and discuss what it means to be a woman who lifts weights. My original post was inspired by this article that suggests that educated urban professionals see strength […] Read more…
I recently read this article about how strength training is seen as a lower class pursuit. To quote the article: “Upper middle class Americans avoid “excessive displays of strength,” viewing the bodybuilder look as vulgar overcompensation for wounded manhood.” The author goes on to present mostly anecdotal evidence that educated urban professionals tend to snub […] Read more…
Being in the fitness industry, it’s a struggle to not give into the hype. And by that I mean the vapid marketing hype that brings in clueless clients. Stuff like, 6 pack abs in 30 days! Lose 10 lbs in 5 days! Double your butt size with this simple movement! People want to believe […] Read more…
So you want to start working out and get in better shape or maybe just be healthier. You might not necessarily be interested in getting super strong or muscular, but you wouldn’t mind tightening up a few spots, feeling better, or dropping a couple of pounds. You’re ready to take the dive, but there’s just […] Read more…