Member-only story
What It’s Like to Be a Female Weightlifter
It’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. But I wouldn’t fight me.
I have no idea how I got here. I just thought I was starting a new gym. Then, everything got a little bit weird.
My gym is insane. It’s a powerlifting gym and, therefore, filled with some of the most hard core, badass people you’ll ever meet. We have no air conditioning. In Phoenix. It’s pretty gross. I love it.
If you asked me a few years ago if I wanted to do this, I would have said no. It snuck up on me.
Now, I wouldn’t trade a single day in the gym for doing anything else. This is just my life now. The experience with this is worth it no matter how good or how bad. What is looks like is not what I imagined.
My entire concept of body acceptance has changed
My scale means nothing to me. I have my trainer pinch me with those calipers of doom every so often. Not the most scientific approach to figuring out my body fat but it’s good enough to make sure I stay on track.
Gaining a few pounds, losing a few pounds? Neither phases me. What I have a hard time accepting has totally changed. I have arthritis in my left shoulder.
