Betch In The Gym: "Skinny Girls Lift Weights"

In the world of fitness, many people are stuck in the mindset that men lift weights and women just do cardio. This stereotype regarding gender roles at the gym often becomes a reality for women, and they end up avoiding use of weight machines and free weights all together. The separation between men and women in a gym setting is most prominent in a population of young adults, for example, on a college campus. The first time I entered my college fitness center I found the divide between guys and girls crystal clear. There might as well have been a brick wall separating the weight machines/free weights from the cardio machines. The weight section was packed with hot, muscular frat bros and the occasional scrawny guy desperately trying to get on par with the others, and the cardio section consisted of sorority girls on rows of treadmills and elliptical machines blasting Avicii and Ke$ha on their iPhones. As I sweated it out on the treadmill, I never would have dreamed of entering the weight section. Like most of the girls there, not only did I know nothing about weight lifting, but I also believed that as a girl I should not be using weights anyway. The goal was to get skinny, and free weights were just meant for boys to get larger muscles, weren’t they? This is where I was wrong.

When I went home that summer, I decided to hire a personal trainer for a week, so I could make sure my workout routine was efficient. My trainer was twenty-eight years old with a master’s degree in nutrition, and she was in perfect shape. At our first session, after discussing my cardio routine, she brought me over to the free weight section of the gym. I was very confused, and it showed as I looked around self-consciously at the guys lifting weights nearby. My trainer read the concerned expression on my face and laughed.

“Never lifted weights before?” she said with a knowing smile.

I shook my head, still looking terrified, and my trainer handed me two five-pound dumbbells.

“I’m about to let you in on a little secret,” she said as I stared at the dumbbells like they were some kind of foreign objects. “Skinny girls lift weights.”

Although I was hesitant at first, I had no reason not to believe her; she was skinny and toned. I did the free weight routine she taught me four days a week for the entire summer, and by the time I went back to school my arms had transformed from flabby to fab and toned. I was also able to slim down and tone my legs using some of the weight machines, and I could hardly wait to go out on the town in my new little black dress.

I consider myself lucky to have learned the truth about using weights early on in life. Too many women are under the false impression that lifting weights is “manly” and will make their muscles unnaturally large and unfeminine, but this is so not true! In order to bulk up your muscles, you would have to be lifting seriously large amounts of weight, and then quickly downing tons of protein and constantly be drinking muscle milk or whatever it is the bros are always chugging. By encouraging you to lift weights, I do not mean you should start bench pressing or using your boyfriend’s fifty-pound dumbbells. I’m talking about starting off with some five-pound weights and maybe eventually moving up to eight or even ten-pound ones when the exercises begin feeling too easy. Lighter weights and higher reps of each exercise you choose will slim and tone your body and potentially speed up your metabolism. While cardio is obviously important, you need to incorporate weight lifting, too, for a well-rounded workout routine to be sure you are working all parts of your body.

So next time you hit the gym, do not be afraid to enter the uncharted territory that is the weight section. If you feel uncomfortable lifting weights by yourself in a section full of guys, bring a friend along. You may feel self-conscious at first, and this is normal because you are trying something new, but never doubt yourself. One of my favorite sayings in regards to confidence is “Fake it ‘til you make it.” If you walk into a room with your head held high, faking confidence, others will assume you know what you’re doing, and after awhile, fake confidence will become real, solid high self esteem. If you really cannot bear to use weights in front of a bunch of bros, you can buy your own dumbbells and use them at home. Below, I have written out a great free weight routine for arms you can try. You can find many other weight lifting routines online and in your favorite fitness magazines. So get out there with those dumbbells, and remember, “Skinny girls lift weights.”

Fabulous Arm Workout:

To get the best results, do this arm workout 3-4 times a week. (Never 2 days in a row!)

1.Bicep Curls-2 sets of 15 reps (try using 8 lbs)