No Curves

I hope that someday we live in a world where women are actually treated as equals. This is not a post about feminism. This is a post about fitness and misconceptions.


While grading papers today, I came across another person (a woman this time) who said something along the lines of women should do resistance training and men should do weight training. I had to step away from it because I was so angry (Ironically, I was also sitting in a Starbucks right across from a Gold's Gym). I will grade this paper and I will be fair. I will also make it clear that women should train the same as men. We might not use the same weights ...actually, there are some women using the same weights as men in our box. But we do the same work the best of our ability, just like men.


I've seen a few CrossFits offer women-only classes. I don't like it. CrossFit is not Curves. We all show up and do the same workout, scaled to our ability. That's CrossFit.


I distinctly remember the first time I did overhead squats at CrossFit. It was a weekday night and I was the only female there. Also there that night was an athlete who has gone to the CrossFit Games, an athlete who is now a coach, and another strong male athlete. And me. And guess what happened when I tried to do an overhead squat with some weight? I fell. On my ass. And I almost started crying. But I got up and kept practicing. And I kept showing up and practicing. And I've gotten stronger. Doing the same workout as stronger younger guys is pretty effing empowering.


Women in CrossFit get stronger.
They don't get bulky.
They can still have curves without going to Curves.
So can we all put away our 8 pound weights and start doing something worthwhile?