How I stopped chasing thinness and started chasing strength. A woman’s guide to strength training, from mindset to routine.
For most of my adolescent and adult life, my sense of self-worth was tied to how much I weighed. No matter how much cardio or dieting I did, I never felt small enough. I have a more athletic build, with broad shoulders that I would constantly try to hide, and the societal pressures to be thin constantly weighed on me.
I know I’m not alone in that experience. For generations, women have been taught that the ideal body was one that took up the least amount of space.
But lately, it feels as though the narrative is shifting.
Instead of striving for “skinny”, more and more women are pursuing something that feels far more empowering: strength. Instead of focusing on the number on the scale, we’re focusing on how much weight we can load onto the barbell.
How I Uncovered the Strongest Version of Myself
Learning to value strength and performance over aesthetics didn’t happen overnight for me. It was a gradual process that came down to three key things:
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- Shifting my mindset & goals
- Learning how to properly strength train
- Building a sustainable routine & lifestyle
The mindset shift
The first step was changing the ”why” behind the reason I exercised. Instead of treating it as a punishment, or simply a means to burn calories, I started approaching it as a way to take care of my body, challenge myself, and embrace my inner athlete.
A big part of my shift came from the women I began surrounding myself with. I started seeing strong, athletic women in my local community and across social media. Seeing them throw around a heavy barbell with confidence and ease made me want to do the same. Eventually, I found a group fitness gym where I was surrounded by like-minded people, and for the first time, I felt like I was in an environment that encouraged me to prioritize strength. My drive to “look skinny” was suddenly replaced with the drive to achieve a bench press PR.
I credit all the inspiring women who I’ve crossed paths with in the past 5 years as the catalyst for my mindset shift.
Strength training fundamentals
Once I changed what I was working toward, I had to learn how to actually get there. I found that focusing on the fundamentals helped me see the most progress and gave me a better understanding of how to build strength and muscle effectively.
What’s the best style of training?
Strength training can come in various formats: bodybuilding, functional fitness, hybrid training, CrossFit, just to name a few. The best style of training is the one that you can be consistent with. There is no singular “right” or correct way to approach this, and the beauty of it is that everyone’s journey will look a little different.
I recommend trying out a few different modalities and seeing which one resonates the best. You never know, it might be a combination of a few! I personally fell in love with functional fitness and hybrid style training, but still like to incorporate some hints of bodybuilding into my routine.
Focus on the basics
There’s no need to get fancy with it. When it comes to exercise selection, stick to the basic movement patterns (squat, deadlift, shoulder press, row, bench press etc.), especially if you’re new to strength training, and focus on developing good form and technique first.
You also don’t need a ton of equipment to start seeing results. My strength journey was built out of my garage gym, with a barbell and dumbbells being my key pieces of equipment.
How to structure your week of training
If you’re starting from scratch, just two strength sessions per week can really move the needle. To see maximum results, I recommend dedicating 3-5 sessions per week that range from 45-75 minutes each.
Some sample weekly workout splits include:
- 1 Upper Body Day + 1 Lower Body Day + 1 Full Body Strength
- 2 Upper Body Days + 2 Lower Body Days
- 1 Lower Body Day + 1 Upper Body Day + 2 Full Body Days
It’s important to find a weekly split that you can stick to and aligns with your goals. I personally enjoy a 5-day split with two upper body days, two lower body days, and one full body day (I post all of my workouts on my Substack if you’re curious!).
Progressive Overload = the actual mechanism of getting stronger
“Progressive overload” is probably one of the biggest buzz words in the fitness world. We hear all about the importance of progressive overload when it comes to strength training…but what exactly is it?
Progressive overload is when we consistently but gradually (progressively) increase the amount of work and demand on our body (overload).
This practice is crucial for building muscle and strength and preventing your body from plateauing. It also keeps things fun and interesting…because who would want to spend all this time in the gym not to get stronger and lift those heavy weights?!
One of my favorite methods of determining when to go up in weight is the 2 for 2 rule. Learn more about the 2 for 2 rule here.
Don’t neglect nutrition
You could do all the heavy lifting you want, but if it’s paired with a lackluster nutrition strategy and poor sleep, your body won’t be able to perform at its best.
Becoming aware of my daily macronutrient breakdown (carbohydrates, protein and fat) was eye-opening for me, and I realized how lacking my protein intake was. Putting a focus on fueling myself with lean protein sources and quality carbohydrates was key for my body to start seeing the progress I was working toward.
Building a sustainable routine
Ultimately, the routine you build should be one that you (at least somewhat) enjoy, rather than another chore you feel obligated to check off the to-do list. The best routine is one that fits naturally into your lifestyle and can adapt as your life changes. You may not follow the same program forever, but if you find a way of moving that you genuinely enjoy, you can build a relationship with exercise that lasts for years, even decades.
My routine has shifted throughout the years, with marathon training blocks, injuries, and relocating cities all forcing me to make tweaks to my training program. I found that learning to adapt to these changes is all a part of the process, and as long as the underlying commitment to yourself remains then the details become less important.
With strength comes confidence
Shifting my focus to building the strongest version of myself allowed me to also build my most confident version of myself. Accomplishing goals, completing difficult workouts, and continually pushing myself outside of my comfort zone have shown me that I am capable of doing hard things.
I hope that by sharing my journey, I can inspire other women to stop tying their worth to their size, embrace what their bodies can do, and start chasing the strongest version of themselves.
Author Bio:
Winter Camp is a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, yoga teacher, group fitness instructor and burpee fanatic. She is passionate about helping others achieve confidence through fitness by sharing workouts that are both challenging and fun. She finds inspiration from CrossFit, bodybuilding, Hyrox and yoga to develop a training style for those seeking to embrace their inner athlete through everyday training. Follow her Substack here.
