Raise your hand if you have ever been intimidated to go to the gym! The gym can be a terrifying place, especially for women and especially if you are lifting weights. I have been lifting since my freshman year in high school, roughly five years now, and I still get scared to walk over to a squat rack. However, I never let that fear get in the way of my workout. Ladies! It is time to reclaim the gym and lift those heavy weights because you are capable! There are a few things I wish I had known before I started lifting weights, so let me be your guide to everything from split squats to bench presses.
There is no reason to be intimidated
No doubt, the gym is intimidating. It’s brimming with mountains of unfamiliar equipment and confusing machines that look like torture contraptions. There are gym bros everywhere (dun dun dun). The important thing to keep in mind is that no one cares about you. A hard truth, but everyone is too focused on themselves, their workout, and their own insecurities to pay attention to you, so use it to your advantage. Most importantly, never let those gym bros bother you; they are just Ken whereas you are Barbie. Fear is normal especially when tackling something new, and in the words of The Princess Diaries, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear.” Wake up and decide to conquer your fear because sometimes the most daunting aspect of anything is simply showing up.
It is ok (and good) to fail
One of the main reasons why people do not try new things is because they are scared to fail. When it comes to lifting, it is good to fail! It means you are challenging yourself. Instead of training with a set number of reps, you can continue to lift until you “fail”. This could mean trying as many reps as possible with a consistent weight, or using a set amount of reps but increasing weight with each set until you cannot handle more. This technique can be applied to any exercise; I personally like to utilize it when I back squat or deadlift by increasing weight until I can’t lift more. Even if you do not prefer this failing technique, it is still important to know the safety measures when lifting so that you do not hurt yourself. It can be helpful when you first go to have a buddy for your spotter. Keep in mind that you do not always need a spotter depending on your confidence. Meagan Nunez (@meagnunez on instagram) and Chayse Byrd (@chasembyrd on Instagram/TikTok) have tons of helpful tips and tricks about everything gym-related. Check them out for some good workout ideas or help with technique and form. You got this!
Bodyweight exercises are great
When I first started lifting, I was under the false impression that bodyweight exercises were silly. I thought if I wasn’t lifting something heavy then I was not truly working out. Looking back, I was actually being the silly goose because bodyweight exercises can be incredible if you pair them with lifting, use them for rest after heavy days, or simply by themselves. I often warm up with a 20-minute bodyweight workout because it activates all my muscles and I am dripping sweat by the end. Body weight can be effective when you utilize formats such as AMRAP (as many rounds of an exercise as possible within a certain time), EMOM (certain exercise sets every minute on the minute), or Tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 4 minutes). I use the Peloton app (my favorite instructors are Rebecca Kennedy and Rad Lopez), but if that’s not an option, some sets of pushups, lunges, planks, and squats will do the trick. Bodyweight training is also known as calisthenics and if it’s good enough for Simone Biles, it is definitely good enough for me!
You don’t need to have a set plan
I have screenshots upon screenshots piled in my phone of different exercises because I used to refuse to go to the gym without a plan. If this is how you roll, more power to you, but over time I became tired of the same old regiment and needed to switch it up. That’s when I learned that you do not need to have a set plan every time to lift. I will start with a 10 minute treadmill warmup (incline at 4, speed at 3.6) and people-watch to figure out what I want my workout to be that day. If I see a girl doing split squats, I’ll do split squats. Someone will be benching and so I will bench that day. The media continues to feed us this myth that we need to have a specific routine when it comes to the gym from workout days to meal planning. That mindset can limit us if we get too stuck within our own routine, so remember it’s ok to be a little loosey goosey and branch out a bit.
If something looks challenging, do it
Fear and the gym seem to be synonymous, but it is time to break that stigma! I will often see videos of people working out and think, I could never do that; it looks way too hard. The gym is supposed to be a place to challenge yourself, to push your own limits. If something looks difficult, that is all the more reason to attempt it. I still struggle with this, for example, I am currently building up the courage to do pistol squats because I do not want to fail, but failing is just another step to succeeding. Next time you go to the gym, I challenge you to find a new machine, new exercise, new movement that is intimidating to you and do it anyway. Say it with me: “fear is not a good reason to stop you from achieving your goals!”
Find what works for you
The most important thing when starting your lifting journey is to find what works for you. If back squats hurt your knees, find an alternative. If you can’t bench more than the bar, bench the bar. If you aren’t feeling great, then do what you can. I simply hate doing cleans (squatting and pulling the bar above your head) and so I avoid them altogether. It is your body so you deserve to move it in a way that feels good for you! However, do not let this be an excuse to stop challenging yourself in new ways. Remember, this is tough but you are tougher!
Although I have been lifting for quite some time and I have had amazing coaches along the way, I am still learning every single day. I still fail and quit my workouts before I finish them. I complain and take a few more rest days than I should. But guess what, that is alright! Lifting weights may seem daunting but the best way to get over that hill is to show up. Continue to challenge yourself and pick up that weight! We got this ladies!