Sometimes I’ve gotten myself into conversations that end up debating one of the biggest topics the rise of CrossFit as a viable and effective program has brought up: muscular women and whether it’s cool or not. Believe me, this one can make heaps of people either love or hate our training ways with enormous passion.
Now, the very reason I opened CrossFit Hurakan was because I firmly believe in the right of people to live healthy and functional lives. We need to be able to take care of ourselves, right now and in the future. We need to lose excess fat because we want to avoid heart and diabetic conditions, among other diseases. But the nice secondary effect is always how pleased we are with the results we see in the mirror. We’re not going to lie on that one, are we? ?
It’s crucial we all understand hypertrophy as displayed by the CrossFit Games’s female athletes doesn’t come from training two or three times a week, but comes from elite competition training, with the main purpose of trying to win said Games. They need the muscle to do what’s required in a competition that’s meant to crown the Fittest on Earth. And they repeatedly state how happy and comfortable they are with their own bodies. In fact I believe these statements filled with positive self-esteem and empowerment are what have made “strong is the new skinny” such a catchphrase across the media.
Women who have done CrossFit for a long time suddenly don’t want to show themselves only as non-overweight – they want to display power. True power, by the way. Many times wider shoulders, bigger quads and glutes and a six-pack are much more than aesthetic add-ons. They are proof of their focus, discipline and determination in achieving a goal. Which is why I find unfortunate when people incur in muscle shaming. It’s sad when others – especially other women – use offensive language like “she looks like a man”, and give unasked advice like “Don’t lift too heavy! You don’t want to get too big!”.
Train hard. Feel proud of your body. Love it, no matter what body transformation stage you’re at. If not, respect those who do. Who knows, maybe one of those strong girls will save you by pulling you up onto a roof during the next zombie apocalypse, and you’ll be both glad of it and regretting you didn’t train yourself! (Just joking, but do be respectful ?).
Julio Gutierrez