A woman came to see me recently for physio after hurting her back in a small gym weights class.
They were doing deadlifts. The coach encouraged her to go heavier. And even though something didn’t feel right… she did it anyway.
The part that stuck with me wasn’t the injury. It was what happened next.
She was annoyed at herself for not listening to her body. She was angry at the trainer for pushing her and not knowing how to handle the injury afterwards. And she took a 6 month break from exercising because she felt confused and nervous.
This is something I see way more often than you’d think.
Somewhere along the way, lifting weights has developed a reputation as being risky.
But it’s not. It’s a skill. Like driving, or swimming – it can be learned, it should be learned well, and when it is, it’s one of the safest and most powerful things you can do for your body.
The problem is, we’ve started believing that as long as someone qualified is watching us, we’re safe.
So we switch off.
We hand over responsibility.
We trust that someone else will catch anything that’s not quite right.
But here’s what even the best trainer in the world cannot do:
Feel what you feel in your body.
Even in my own small classes (max 6 people), I can’t know what’s happening inside you. You can look like you’re doing a row perfectly – but I don’t know if you’re feeling it in your lower back when it should be your mid-back, shoulders and lats.
That information lives inside you. Not with me.
The goal of good supervision isn’t to think for you. It’s to help you learn to think for yourself.
And that means getting clear on who is responsible for what.
A good coach will:
✔️ plan & structure your session in line with your goals
✔️ keep an eye on your technique
✔️ help you adjust if something doesn’t feel right
✔️ guide your progression and challenge you when they know you’re ready for more
But the goal is never for you to stay dependent on that.
The goal is for you to learn what feels right, what doesn’t, and how to adjust.
Because that’s what actually builds confidence. Not someone watching you – but you understanding your own body.
I unpack this properly in this week’s podcast:
→ why “perfect form” isn’t what people think it is
→ what actually causes injuries (it’s not what most people assume)
→ how to build confidence lifting weights, even on your own
🎧 [Listen to the episode here]
And if you’ve been wanting to feel more confident with this – my free Learn to Lift at Home Challenge starts on April 20th. I’d love for you to join us!
Because the goal isn’t to only feel good if someone is watching you. It’s to feel strong and capable in your own body.