"But, I don't want to get bulky!"

WTF, does this term even mean anymore!!!!!!!

Women are afraid of it.

Men are in search of it.

And trainers and coaches are constantly refereeing the term using synonyms to please either sex.

You see… When a woman says to me… “I want to get stronger, but I don’t want to look bulky so I’m not going to lift heavy.” I know what she’s thinking…

Please, don’t make me look like THIS. My husband would be so mad if I came home from the gym with all of this:

I’m here b/c I’m ordering up one of these instead:

And so I sigh… change up the vocabulary a bit to direct the conversation away from fears or sometimes I take the whole science angle but mostly… well mostly I just want to scream,

“You wanna know what ALL OF THESE WOMEN have in common?

They EFFING LIFT #heavyAF!”

Sure… they may diet some, diet hard, or diet harder…

some may run sprints, short races, or 1/2 marathons…

some may HIIT, yoga, and pilates several times a week too.

But there is NO DOUBT, these ladies are all proudly deadlifting, squatting, lunging, pushing, and pulling some major weight at the gym too!!!

Here’s the thing… if you want your MUSCLES to look different… there are 3 MAIN ways to initiate this…

muscle damage- think Vain and Drenched
metabolic stress- think Drenched, 20/20/20, Punch, Vain
mechanical tension- think TRX, Vain

(NOTHING WE DO IS BY ACCIDENT PEOPLE!)

Lifting HEAVY… Regularly and correctly fulfills all 3!

So… let me address the word BULKY and your lifting reservations as we begin to really talk about our 2nd annual #SweatStrongChallenge that begins September 1st… (Join Sweat Unfiltered to get the full scoop!)

If you have the propensity to build muscle easily then (lucky you!) we can so totally catch that way before you look “too” anything for your taste or your significant other’s taste.

Right? It’s like we always bitch about how SLOW our journey and “our process” is but when it comes to “too much muscle” there’s this magic switch where you wake up one day and think HOLY HELL… what have I just done!!!!

People come in ALL shapes and sizes… why are you even working from a premise that you are genetically programmed to reach a level of growth you’d be uncomfortable sporting?

Yes! Your body will shift and change as you lift but I have yet to meet a female who was pissed off about where her booty ended up after consistent heavy squat sessions. You may not be genetically capable of reaching Kardashian booty status (insert happy face or sad face here) but you’re gonna be quite pleased about what happens to your thighs and butt and arms and core after all that hard work!!!

So… If you don’t even know what your body is genetically capable (programmed) to accomplish then let’s not let boogie man fears get the best of us.

Do you even follow Ben Bruno Training… with all the runway models he trains and has lifting #heavyAF you may just start rethinking your I’ll get bulky line of thinking.

Work your ass off, to your fullest capabilities, and then we can modify a strength plan if needed.

Lastly, to my girls who come slam packed with some ridiculously awesome power… you know… my quadzillas who sometimes think they can never wear shorts b/c their thighs are way too… dare I say… “big”… OMG… there are so many women for you to follow to change your perception of your amazing body… but a perfect start is right here: Jen Sinkler on IG and Thrive as the Fittest on FB.
I mean… right? Beautiful! And she lifts #heavyAF and she teaches woman how to lift #heavyAF and be, as she so brilliantly puts it, “#unapologetciallystrong.”

Can we PLEASE embrace every inch of space we do or don’t take up!

Lifting will NOT take away your femininity!

Being strong is not a manly thing just like being sensitive is not a girly thing!

They are both a bad assery thing.

Tomorrow, I’m laying out all the instructions for our #SweatStrongChallenge Instagram challenge! So if you are at all intrigued, want to know more about lifting heavy, or are just plain excited to push your front squat, RDL, push up, and pull up benchmarks… join Sweat Unfiltered, I’d LOVE to be a part of your journey!!!