This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SFU chapter.

The gym is a love/hate space for most. For the ladies out there who love to get their sweat on, the weight room is a dream space to build muscle and burn through stress. Some prefer to stick to the treadmill, but venturing into over to the weight benefits of lifting weights provides many benefits for the body. But we get it, being a female in the weight doesn’t come without difficulties. So, we present the 12 struggles of being a girl who lifts.

1. People constantly tell you that you’ll get too bulky and that you’ll end up looking like this:

But then your roll you eyes and laugh because you know that your femininity isn’t threatened by an increase in muscle mass. For starters, men and women put on muscle differently. And guess what? Girls can lift too, and that doesn’t mean we’ll get “bulky”. There’s a difference between lifting weights, and the actual sport of bodybuilding. Putting on muscle mass is harder than you think.

2. At times, waking up in the morning and convincing yourself to work out can be the biggest conflict that you face all day.

Leg day was yesterday, DOMS are real, and walking down stairs is proving to be harder than expected. Then you remember that you’ll never regret working out, but you will regret not going to the gym.

3. Deciding whether you should hit the gym before or after class.

You likely find yourself facing the constant battle of going to the gym before or after class because your sweat and scent need not offend anyone…..

4. You have to literally bribe your friends to join you at the gym because they genuinely seem too scared.

You know the weight room can be an intimidating place. Let’s face it, you also once thought that the weight room was a scary space, but now you’re addicted and you want your friends to feel the same. Either way, your friends are too shy to join you, or when they do, they tend to avoid you or stick to the cardio equipment… well, it’s a start.

5. Cardio is just not fun anymore

You can’t even imagine the old you that would spend the whole workout on the treadmill. Cardio is important, but it’s gotten slightly boring and repetitive now. Believe it or not, weightlifting is extremely dynamic and genuinely fun. For those of you looking for a sign to step away from the treadmill or the elliptical for once… take this as your invitation.

6. You constantly resist the urge to flex when you walk past a mirror… or anything else you can see your reflection in.

Even though you know that progress is slow and gradual, you can’t resist checking to see if your abs workout has magically resulted in a chiseled physique. Even though it’s unrealistic, you work hard in the gym, so why not admire yourself occasionally?

7. It seems as though every othertime you go to the gym, someone attempts to give you unsolicited advice or uninvited help in the weight room.

Is it because I’m a girl? Do I look weak? Or lost? Well, guess what? As much as we appreciate the offer, it never hurts to wait for an invitation or request for help. 9/10 times, we’re stronger and more informed about the gym than you think.

8. You stop yourself from freaking out when the scale goes up because you realize that it’s likely an increase in muscle mass.

Just remember, the scale only says so much. It’s not actually that important in the grand scheme of things. What matters is that you’re comfortable with the person that you see in the mirror.

9. People wonder why you eat so much…

… but you have to justify those gains somehow! Furthermore, you just feel hungry after an intense workout.

10. Shopping has only become harder

Finding a good pair of jean isn’t easy to begin with, but a change in body composition doesn’t make things easier. Your butt’s getting bigger, and your waist is getting smaller and the jeans hunt just got a whole lot harder. At least you know the squats are paying off.

11. You constantly attempt to dodge stares and side eyes.

Are they checking me out? Or critiquing my form? Honestly, boys, it doesn’t matter if they’re admiring you or analyzing your workout regime because you’re here for the gains, not the guys!

12. Your body is in a constant state of being sore, but people are tired of hearing about it.

Even though you’re aching, the pain form soreness feels good. You know it means that you worked hard, however, your friends think the pain is self-inflicted. Thus, they have little to no sympathy for your aching body.

13. You cannot imagine life without weights in them

The passion, the drive, and the results have helped you reach the conclusion that there’s just no other way to work out. Simple.

The weight room may be filled with few adversities. Gym rats all around will agree that it is extremely empowering and continuously pushes you to be stronger both mentally and physically. There’s nothing better than that!

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/workout-girl-weights-fitness-1420741/

Struggles of Being a Girl That Lifts