Strong, Not Skinny, Is the New Sexy

The thought of lifting weights is nerve-wracking for a lot of women. Either they’re fearful it will mean more bulk vs. slimming down, or they worry about looking foolish in front of others while they try to learn something new and gain some strength.

But fear seems to be losing out in 2017 to real possibility.

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Women are getting into strength training in unprecedented numbers, according to Erin Parker, founder and CEO of Spitfire Athlete in San Francisco, California. Parker is also a national level Olympic weightlifter. In 2013, there were 10 million Crossfitters — 60 percent of them women. And the number of females competing in the sport of Olympic weightlifting in the USA has doubled since 2014.

“More women are seeing what elite weightlifting competitors are doing and they’re inspired to forge ahead in the sport as well,” Parker told LifeZette. “Many of these women are influential in their circles, and their actions and strength-oriented habits, mindset, and lifestyle also inspire the women around them to begin adding strength training to their routines. So we’re seeing a ripple effect.”

“It’s not about what you look like. It’s about what you can do,” said one weightlifter.

Strength training, she said, is important for cultivating what she calls the athlete’s mindset: “It’s about what you can do, not about what you look like. When you train to build yourself — not shrink yourself — you cultivate grit, persistence, and confidence, which transcend the health and physical benefits. It helps you become more powerful in your day-to-day life.”

Watch for the trend to continue as celebrities tone up and credit their weight-lifting routines. Parker added, “We’re also seeing a new breed of companies founded by women and for women, from apps like Spitfire Athlete to apparel companies like Society Nine and GRRRL and Girls Who Powerlift. All of these companies focus on ability, confidence, and building one’s [body] instead of [having] bikini bodies, juice cleanses, and before/after selfies.”

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Their own app, founded and engineered by two women from Stanford and MIT who are also athletes, has helped over 115,000 women lift more than their body weight, learn how to do their first pull-up, compete in their first triathlon, and fight through anorexia and cancer, said Parker. She’s excited for these women, knowing what it means for their body and their life.

“It’s not about what you look like. It’s about what you can do. Focus on being strong, powerful, fast, flexible, agile. Focus on developing these capabilities that build your body and nourish your mind.”