Events

Strength & Conditioning

“Strong is Female” is our theme for women’s day this year.
I have been personally told on several occasions that I am ‘really strong for a girl”. I have also heard about how I should “stop training like a man” or whether or not I was worried I would not be feminine anymore. Less innocuously, well-meaning men have also looked upon me “admiringly” and remarked upon how I looked so strong that it was “kind of scary”.Many of you will resonate with these experiences and comments.

These antiquated perceptions and biases are precisely the problem I wish to fix. Our current narrative on “femininity” equals being petite or slender, and the opposite – being strong, muscular or “big” as simply being “not feminine”.

Here are 3 untruths that are far too common, women (& men) believe 1 / strength training will make them “bigger” & bulky 2/ being bigger is neither feminine nor sexy 3/ being bigger is an exercise goal reserved for men.

“Strong is Female” is about ditching these false and antiquated ideas. It is about doing away with commenting on our body based upon its perceived size, and instead, celebrating our body for what it can do for us. It’s about recognizing what physical strength means to each of us.
Growing up in India, in a very conservative community, meant that I was never exposed to athletic sports or physical exercise in general. As a female in India, it’s just not something that you do. Our gender roles are typically defined by it’s relation to another, especially to that of a male figure – we’re raised to be daughters, sisters, wives, daughters-in-law and mothers.Training for performance and to be physically fitter, and especially, strength training has changed my life in literally every aspect imaginable. It’s allowed to me to find so much more confidence to just be who I want to be, to accept and love my body for what it does for me, and not be constricted by made-up gender roles. And , it’s a pretty fun story that I have a strength & conditioning studio today.

‘Strong is Female’ is our small contribution to what is no doubt a task of monumental proportions. I hope to encourage more women to take up strength training and discover her untapped potential through the power of fitness in general, and strength training in particular.

See you at the gym. ❤️
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