Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Fear of Bulking Up - Part 2

Don't judge me, I'm bulking.
I wrote something a while ago about women avoiding strength training and/or CrossFit  because they do not want to become too muscular.  I stated that if you are a woman, then you shouldn't be afraid of "getting bulky" because putting on muscle is quite difficult.  It takes a long time and is too painful for most people to go through anyway.  This is still true, but as I have officially "crossed over" into the realm of "bulkiness" I have adopted what I consider to be a more advanced view on the issue. 

I think there is something we are missing when women talk to women about CrossFit.  Women who are new to weight training are functioning under two assumptions.  1. Muscles on women are unattractive. 2. If you do weight training, you will wake up one day with tons of muscles and be unattractive.

Training does change your body, but long before you have to buy new t-shirts, you will likely have a different idea of what attractive is, and you will likely be actually attracting more people. 

It's not that you will never get bigger, it's that by the time you get there, that is exactly what you are going to want. 

 This is what I actually look like without my Spiderman suit... or makeup... or coffee .

You will see things in yourself and others that you were previously blind to.  The mental image of the ideal body that you have been clinging to for years will fade as the things you are physically capable of take on infinitely greater importance.  You will meet awesome new people who genuinely appreciate you and think you are beautiful.  You will think they are beautiful, too.  If you are concerned that guys at bars won't think you are hot, you should read this sentence out loud and realize how silly you sound.  

I have met many people who claim to want new experiences and personal growth, but what they really want is more of the same thing to fit into the mold they have already created.  If you have the opportunity to do something that may change you as a person and expand your life, why in the world would you pass that up?  What an adventure.

I don't think that everyone should want to train like this.  But if you do want to be really strong and fit, and the only thing holding you back is the fear that you will become somehow less attractive, I beg you to reconsider, and trust me.  I have never met a strong woman who would give it up.  I doubt I ever will.
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About Sam

I am a writer in Omaha, Nebraska sharing my adventures in the foundations of healthy living - nutrition, being active, and being funny.

I was born in Kansas City in the sweltering summer of July, 1986. I was nearly born in the car because I was so pumped to get my life started. I have been bouncing off of the walls ever since. Growing up I hung out with the big kids who were even older than my sister (and best friend) Allie. I quickly developed an "I'm over it" 'tude toward kids my own age whose pastimes seemed juvenile - an interesting perspective coming from a preschooler. My snobbish worldview was hard earned however, as I was forced to learn both multiplication and division early to keep up when we played "school," and I was always forced to do dangerous stuff first to make sure it was okay, like eating unidentified berries and making the first run on super steep hills while sledding. We biked all day, ate wild honeysuckle, painted the house with mud, and collected cicada shells for no reason other than they stick to fabric and freaked my mom out.

I quickly realized that even little legs can get you as far as a car can, and as a young child, you really have nothing but time. My adventures were only restrained by the fact that adults do not find it acceptable for young children to explore the town on foot unaccompanied. I prematurely developed a desire to be an independent self-supporting person, so I opened a Kool-Aid/popcorn business to finance my big plans. Looking back, I would say that the only issues holding me back were my limited advertising budget and the fact that I was still too short to ride roller coasters. People just don't take you seriously when you can't go on the upside-down rides.

I was moved to Omaha in the second grade. I continued walking all over the place, exploring surrounding neighborhoods and visiting grocery stores to pick up my favorites: Goldfish, Sprite, and sugar cigarettes. I don't even think you can buy those anymore, and for the record, I never started smoking.

I never lost my hard work ethic, and I needed to increase my income to afford my new hobbies of beading and Polaroid photography. At the age of ten I mailed in a response to an advertisement for paper delivery routes without discussing the issue with my family. Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands when people don't share you vision. The people at the Omaha World Herald must have had a good feeling about me becuase they contacted my parents to tell them that they wanted to hire me but would feel better if there was an older family member onboard. I still wonder if Allie holds any resentment toward me for pulling her into the labor force when she was only twelve.

In third grade, I followed Allie's lead and began taking dance classes at Mary Lorraine's Dance Center. For the next eleven years it became "what I did." Nowadays, I train more like an athlete, but I will always move like a dancer, and being in a studio will always feel like home.

After high school I relocated again (this time of my own volition) to study "everything" in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I acquired a degree in marketing and finance that I may use someday. More importantly, I became a close friend and Alpha Phi sister with a cross country runner who easily persuaded me to train for the 2005 Lincoln half-marathon. I have been running ever since. In April 2011 I developed plantar fasciitis after jumping into an intense 50-70 mile/week schedule. This is the first athletic injury in my life. Although it has been indescribably frustrating both physically and emotionally, the silver lining is my increased receptivity to more variety in fitness disciplines.

I enjoy Pilates, yoga, enjoy Zumba, plyometric interval training, running, walking, and seeing how quickly I can run up stairs without losing my lunch. When I am too exhausted to move, I read and write. I love fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, poetry, philosophy, song lyrics, and comedy. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I love spell check, and felt tip pens.

I am happy and optimistic most of the time. I enjoy living simply and deeply. I hope you enjoy what I have to share.







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