I love the respect that women show other women who lift. I think that it is one of the few places wherre women genuinely encourage each other. Women have been stereotyped as having to compete against other women for so long that it feels good to not feel that in the gym. Today at the gym a lady approached me about making a simple tweak to an exercise I was doing for my hamstrings. It involved a squat at the end which in turn worked out most of my lower body (and the butt that I am seriously obsessed with building). I loved the exercise. LOVED IT. It will definitely be added to my routine as a staple.
At the end of my workout as I was stretching and finishing up core exercises, two women were working out with trainers next to me. They were holding planks-and did it for 48 seconds which is pretty good!! They were exhausted and looked to be hating every minute of it. The trainers were asking them about why they wanted to get back in shape. Both of these women would be what society considers overweight. They did not really have any reasons. I decided to "pay it forward" the gesture from the lady earlier and told these ladies that they could do it. I have a picture on my phone that from 2010 where I was close to my heaviest. I showed it to them and said, trust me..it can happen. The trainer asked me how I did it and I said that it finally hit me that weight training is key over cardio and that you can not outwork a bad diet. 80% of my results come from a diet full of protein, water, fruits, veggies, oatmeal, greek yogurt, etc.
If you are in the gym and see someone struggling, encourage them and if someone has a suggestion for you, try it! I got started by watching the really fit girls in my gym and then doing what they do (with lighter weights of course). I now have worked up to heavier weights-though there are always going to be girls that straight out impress me in the gym!
The picture I showed the 2 ladies is below!
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