There’s lots of folks out there who want to be stronger and build muscle. Only a small percentage of them can commit to 4-5 training sessions a week, an hour more at a time, doing the most effective, optimal exercises year in and year out. Barriers include, but are not limited to: So, here’s aContinue reading “Can Intuitive Lifting Lead Us Towards a More Inclusive Lifting Space?”
Tag Archives: Privilege
Book Review–The Sum of Us, Heather McGee
Part of my commitment to being a White ally to is to continue to educate myself about race and issues of racial equity, to reduce the burden on the folks of color around me to keep me informed and to help me do better in my daily interactions and decisions that may have disproportionate impactsContinue reading “Book Review–The Sum of Us, Heather McGee”
#TBT: Is Fear of Fat Keeping You From Your Goals?
I admit, I still want The Golden Unicorn of personal physique change–losing fat while gaining muscle for dramatic body recomposition! But alas, the results from this sort of effort are apparently rarely satisfying once we’ve gotten beyond newbie status. Which means accepting a certain amount of body fat increase, at least temporarily, while we workContinue reading “#TBT: Is Fear of Fat Keeping You From Your Goals?”
Doin’ My Part to Keep the Gym a Safe Space for Men
I wrote this post several years ago, when I lifted in a small community center gym. With COVID restrictions reducing and lots of folks entering gyms for the first time in a while, I thought it might be a good time to revisit these themes–and to think about how we might counter the problems IContinue reading “Doin’ My Part to Keep the Gym a Safe Space for Men”
“A punk, DIY ethos,” No Lift Podcast, Ep. 177–Bristol co-op gym with Guy Lochhead, Lotte Kammenga, and Conor Heffernan
What can we do to make gyms more inclusive spaces? I’ve posted ideas in the past, including making clear guidelines and behavior expectations. But what if the design of the gym was created by the membership? Would a community create a more inclusive space by having more voices involved in the design and participation inContinue reading ““A punk, DIY ethos,” No Lift Podcast, Ep. 177–Bristol co-op gym with Guy Lochhead, Lotte Kammenga, and Conor Heffernan”
Privilege and the “hard work and consistency” narrative
“24 years and I’ve only missed 4 workouts,” stated someone on one of the lifting forums I frequent, alongside some transformation photos showing him going from a small kid to a beefy, veiny specimen of humanity. Honestly, he looked great. And I kept thinking, “wow, imagine a life that allowed me to only skip 4Continue reading “Privilege and the “hard work and consistency” narrative”
What would you want if you let go of shame?
Shame is a shit motivator. Loads of research has found that instead of inspiring people to quit smoking, lose weight, be more patient parents, whatever, it instead pushes them into a loop of self-loathing and self-punishment followed by reactive over-correction for short periods of time. Shame is the cornerstone of large-scale diet and fitness industryContinue reading “What would you want if you let go of shame?”
Welcome to Progressive Strength! An “Intraview”
An interview is someone asking questions of someone else, so I’m gonna call this an intraview–me asking questions of myself, as a means to introduce myself to you, my fabulous reader! Progressive Strength (PG): Let’s start with the basics. Who are you and why did you start writing this blog? Me: My name is Marjorie,Continue reading “Welcome to Progressive Strength! An “Intraview””
Red Flags That a Fitness Professional is Full of Crap
Ah the holidays, when folks experience all the fun and anxiety associated with unrestrained exuberance paired painfully with social obligation and familial tension. Out of this miasma may rise within us a strong desire to take control, to reset, to cleanse or to start afresh. (And to completely mix the metaphor), thus enters the emotionalContinue reading “Red Flags That a Fitness Professional is Full of Crap”
“People are there for selfish reasons; they don’t owe you anything,” Why People are Intimidated by the Gym, Alan Thrall
In case you haven’t seen this video yet, I wanted to be sure to draw your attention to it. What are the reasons folks are intimidated about going to the gym? According to Alan’s own polling, it boils down to this: they expect other people at the gym to be assholes. They expect folks toContinue reading ““People are there for selfish reasons; they don’t owe you anything,” Why People are Intimidated by the Gym, Alan Thrall”
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