The gym is scary. You’re sweaty in a room full of strangers, and, more often than not, you don’t know what you’re doing. Despite all this, I’ve decided to dedicate my summer to kicking ass in the gym, more specifically, lifting. (I’m still mortified. It’s fine! I’m FINE!) As a way of gaining motivation, I asked two of the most incredible women I know, my best friend Ellie and my sister Cassie, to share their stories of how they got into lifting and why it’s important to them.

Ellie: "It took me a long time to figure out the gym because it’s an incredibly scary and masculine place. I couldn’t get over the stigma that if a girl is bulking her glutes she ‘looks like a hoe’ but if a guy bulks literally anything, it’s totally normal. I realized there are these unwritten and ‘masculine’ rules to the gym. Do you wait for a machine that you need to use when someone else is on it? Am I taking too long? Am I in the way? It finally occurred to me that I am not about to change my entire workout routine just because there’s some dude next to me judging me; if I need to squat, I’m gonna squat. When I started being more assertive, things got easier, like a newfound mutual respect between the meatheads and I. Now, I don’t even feel thrown off my game if someone tries to comment on my form or hit on me because I’m there for me."

“Love your body enough to be able to use it, it’s the only one you get.”

Cassie: "I never really intended to get into lifting. It started when I was struggling with my body issues, like a lot of other women, and I just really wanted to feel good. I remember being on Instagram and coming across a girl who lifted and I thought ‘wow she looks incredible.’ I kept scrolling and right under her picture was one of a Victoria’s Secret model and it was like a slap in the face; ‘Why the HELL was I trying to make myself small and gangly, when I’m not?’ I’ve been lifting ever since. It can be scary at first with all these weird, grunting, smelly people surrounding you, but once you get over what people think and realize that you’re there for yourself, all of the fear goes away.

I think a lot of women shy away from lifting because they think they’ll get ‘big’ or ‘bulky’ when in actuality, it takes high doses of steroids to develop the muscles that way. Our bodies, both men and women, were meant to move with muscle on them. I’ve stuck with my routine for a couple years now because it helped me take control of my life. I’ve created this “strong, confident woman” persona and it helps me share my story with other women, which in my opinion is the best part of this whole thing.

“From then on, I knew I wanted to feel strong, sexy and healthy.”

These are a couple of stories that motivated me from some of the most kick-ass women I know. Through both of these stories, I realized how important it is that I embark on this journey for no one other than myself. And now that I put it out onto the internet, there’s no going back now.