Introducing: Women’s Barbell Club
Discover more from Women's Barbell Club
Introducing: Women’s Barbell Club
It’s not womanly to be weak. And it’s not feminine to be fragile.
Women have known this for a long time. From ancient women warriors and suffragists to stay-at-home moms and modern-day strength athletes, women the world over have known we are strong even when surrounding cultures have argued otherwise. Now, we’re finally getting our say.
With the rise in popularity of CrossFit, Strongman, powerlifting, and other strength sports, more and more women are engaging their bodies in ways previously reserved for men. We’re not just venturing into the strength section of commercial gyms — we’re owning those spaces, busting out reps on the bench press or in the squat rack without a second thought about if we can do it.
Organizations like Girls Gone Strong have demystified strength training. BirthFit (and athletes like Annie Thorisdottir) are showing that pregnancy doesn’t end athletic prowess. And Stacy Sims is teaching us how to optimize training for our bodies, whether we’re in childbearing years or past menopause.
But women’s fitness media (and media, in general) isn’t keeping up. There’s no place online to find out what’s happening in women’s strength sport, get guidance on your own fitness routine, read in-depth articles about female physiology and training, and engage thoughtful critiques of cultural trends that hold women back.
This is where Women’s Barbell Club comes in.
Women’s Barbell Club is a place for all women, and those cheering for us, to tear down whatever holds us back from attempting our personal feats of strength.
If you’re a beginner who’s never ventured into a gym, much less adjusted a squat rack, your first feat may be getting there in the first place. If you’ve been lifting for a while, you may be pushing past others’ criticism, people who don’t understand your so-called obsession with eating protein and moving heavy weight. Or maybe you want to try these things, but don’t know where to start. Or maybe the idea of having visible muscles scares you and you don’t know why.
We’re going to tackle all of that.
Every month, we’ll walk through a lift that may be new to you or a staple part of your routine. Sometimes, we’ll swap the barbell for bodyweight, plyometrics, or a skill progression.
We’ll also deconstruct the mindsets and ideas that hold women back, including the ever-changing “ideal” body, the fear of getting “bulky”, the number on the scale, and what other people think. We’ll talk to women who aren’t afraid to flex, whose lives have been transformed by strength training. We’ll dive into different training methodologies, critique pop culture’s portrayal of physically strong women, and explore the developing science of female physiology and exercise.
Along the way, we’ll shamelessly celebrate the as-yet-untapped potential of female strength and explore our own abilities with curiosity and kindness.
Who’s behind this?
My name is Meredith Sell. I’m a Denver-based freelance writer who writes about health, fitness, and strength sports. I dabble in CrossFit, strength training, and (more recently) calisthenics, and for the last two years, I’ve been digging into the history of women’s sports and western conceptions of femininity. I’m excited to share some of what I’ve learned, as well as conversations with experts and mindsets that help me in my own training.
Have a story idea?
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What’s coming up:
What is fitness for? Or why you should set performance-based goals.
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