Women in Weightlifting: 3 Ways We’re Claiming Confidence This Year

 When we think of weightlifting, it is typically associated as a male dominant sport.

Women’s weightlifting wasn’t even introduced into the Olympics until the year 2000 at the Sydney games. Since then, we’ve only seen women in weightlifting endure and conquer meet after meet. 

So what does this do for us as a female community?

It shows us commitment, power and most importantly confidence on and off the platform.

Let’s dive deeper into 3 ways women in weightlifting are boosting their confidence higher than ever before.

Claim To Confidence #1: Brain Function

Being a woman in weightlifting, fighting your way through not only a male dominated sport but also one of the most technical sports can be quite intimidating and hard on our mental health at times. But who doesn’t like some healthy competition? 

With weightlifting being such a technical sport, it improves our mind to body connection immensely. This can then be applied to how you deal with certain situations that may be anxiety or stress induced.  Working on each repetition and focusing on when or where to move is like a class lesson but for your body. Knowledge is power, right?

About one in every eight women may develop clinical depression at some point in their lifetime. Whether it be family, work or self-infliction, the female brain endures a lot. Strength activity is positively correlated with less depressive symptoms. 

Women in weightlifting are not only focusing their time on a hobby but more importantly focusing on a hobby bettering themselves which may allow less time for those intrusive thoughts we all cross paths with. 

Claim To Confidence #2: Don’t Fight Those Feelings

A study titled “Relations of strength training to body image among a sample of female university students” was placed on 49 college women who would strength train for 12 weeks. Once the study was conducted, it had shown that each woman had felt what they deem as healthier and more fit. They had felt their body image and attitude had improved significantly as well. 

Ever heard of “runners high”? It’s a euphoric state your body goes through when releasing endorphins caused by intense exercise. Endorphins make you feel good by triggering a positive feeling inside your body. 

Weightlifting alters our brain chemistry in waves exactly like a runners high, which in turn, releases those endorphins we chase. When you feel good, you’re already a step ahead of the others in your confidence journey.

Claim to Confidence #3: Sense of Accomplishment

As A-type women who are searching for a higher amount of confidence and sense of power, it can be assured that weightlifting may help do the trick. Striving to be the best at what we do is on the very top of our list and we’re looking to check it off.

Deep down you are a motivated, fearless and competitive individual but it may be hard for you to show these traits. Women in weightlifting showcase these qualities by using them in their sport or training first and then apply to their outside life. 

For example, you start to strength train a few days out of the week and a training schedule you follow is now in place. You may not have had a schedule before. Marking off what you did creates a sense of accomplishment which then turns to creating lists for other daily life activities. 

This might include setting an earlier wakeup time, planning out weekly work goals or simply having a nighttime routine that sets you up for success the next day. 

With this sense of accomplishment you’ve originated in one part of your life as being a part of women in weightlifting, you have now produced for other areas to apply this positive life maneuver.

Power Hour

Shedding light on women in weightlifting will only grow this strong community more by inspiring others to stand up to whatever it may be that you are wanting to conquer. Whether you're fighting for your spot on an Olympic stage or trying out strength sports in a CrossFit gym for the first time, women in weightlifting are here to stay and will continue to rise in confidence. 

Understanding your own mind/body connection, emotions and sense of accomplishment specific to your lifestyle will only set you up for success in the long run. Applying this to weightlifting will make it that much easier to implement into your routine allowing for extra creative space and personal growth within your walls.

We hope these three ways will encourage you to test the waters of strength training and become part of women in weightlifting. We are here to love ourselves, create empowering women within and feel as confident as ever before.

Being confident in what you do will speak forever. Speak it into existence! And remember, a strong mind and body creates space for that confident soul of yours.

✍️Written by Alyssa Lehman