Before I set out with my goal to learn how to lift weights, the only experience I had with it was being in the weight room with my softball team in HS. So, really no experience at all….haha. I did however, start reading books on strength training (not by industry leaders I will admit) and began watching YouTube videos for coaching cues on proper technique by coaches with their own training facilities.
With never really setting foot into a weight room and just skimming the surface of educational resources, I was both intimidated and scared. Maybe I didn’t belong in the weight room with athletes and big, muscular guys. Likewise, I had a legit fear in lifting a barbell; could I even do it and would I hurt myself were questions racing through my head. I consider my trainer one of the best, so I always felt in good hands with being coached on solid technique. With every new movement pattern and compound lift I learned and mastered, the feelings of fear and not measuring up dissipated.
My confidence soared and I noticed how lifting heavy made me feel…..powerful and resilient. I could lift a BB and accomplish so much more physically than I ever thought possible. This raw, physical strength in the weight room translated into my daily life. I felt more confident in this thing called parenting (don’t get me wrong, it’s still the hardest job in the world and I have daily struggles with feeling like I am a good mother) and I gained a level of mental fortitude to handle all of the stress associated with being at home with my children 24/7.
Lifting is my way to take care of myself so that I can take better care of everyone else. It has become another source of self-confidence for me and it is the driving force in my decisions to change my life into how I want it to be so I am happy and full-filled moving forward.
Gabrielle Levison
Worth Every Rep
