A new client sat across from me recently and said:
“I know strength training is good for me… but I’m scared of hurting my back again. I just don’t think my body can handle lifting heavy weights.”
There are so many fears for women around strength training:
👉🏻 Going to a gym
👉🏻 Bulking up
👉🏻 Looking like an idiot
👉🏻 Not knowing where to start
But by far the most common fear? Injury.
And for this client, it was a completely valid fear. She’d hurt herself lifting something heavy in a gym, was out for six weeks with back pain, and was adamant she didn’t want to go back there.
But here’s the thing:
That fear of injury – and especially of “lifting heavy” – meant she hadn’t done any strength training at all in almost a year.
Because she thought that if she couldn’t lift heavy, what was the point?
So here’s what we chatted about that day:
✔️ Lifting heavy is relative. What’s “heavy” for her right now might be light for someone else (and vice versa).
✔️ There’s more than one way to strength train. Research shows that yes, lifting heavy (about 85% of your max) is great for bone health, but even moderate loads (around 65%) and lighter loads (around 40%) can improve bone density – especially in women post-menopause.
✔️ Confidence and good form are learnable. She wouldn’t need a trainer or someone watching over her forever to know if she was doing things properly. She could learn to lift with confidence and feel safe whether someone was watching her or not.
I do get it though.
The fear of injury is real. Especially if you’ve been in pain before, or heard scary stories about lifting weights. And honestly, that fear can be paralysing- enough to make you avoid strength training altogether.
If this is you, I just want you to remember:
- You don’t have to start with heavy weights.
- You don’t have to set foot in a gym.
- You get to choose how you start.
But I really, really hope you do.