I’ve long criticized how the mainstream media talks to women about fitness. So often it treats women as delicate and suggests their needs are better served by cardio and vague terms like “toned,” “sleek,” or “sexy.” It’s as if heavy lifting is off-limits or somehow inappropriate, with the old idea that lifting heavy would change a woman’s voice or look overnight.
The mood has shifted in the past few years, helped by CrossFit and similar approaches. Women of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and ability levels are embracing the weights and seeing the benefits of setting performance-based goals. Yet there’s still a lot of work to do—changing a culture that places more value on what the scale says than on true strength or push-up ability.
In my latest BodyBuilding.com piece, I explain why strength is the key to a lot of what we care about, including aesthetics.
