I’ve never been afraid of looking stupid while working out at the gym (it’s probably partly because I look like a goofball no matter where I am but…). I’ll try any exercise even if it looks like I’m humping a bench (of course I’ve also had no desire to do crunchy frogs EVER again).

But some people are afraid of looking stupid while they’re at the gym. They are afraid of being judged. I’ve found that this fear of being judged is actually the main reason most women won’t step foot on the weight room floor.

Women see the weight room as dominated by men and they think that those men will judge them if they lift. They think that men will be watching everything they do.

Trust me…they won’t be watching you. That is of course unless you have a very low-cut shirt on or are only wearing a sports bra or something that is sexy. Then yes…they will be looking at you, but then again they were probably already staring at you on the treadmill.

Anyway, men really aren’t watching women lift unless of course they are lifting a ton of weight like the Man Bicep Sisters! 😉

Most men are watching other men or themselves in the mirror. They are comparing themselves to other men. They want to bench or squat more than that other guy.

Sorry to break it to you gals, but most guys really aren’t paying much attention to you.

If knowing this doesn’t help you get over your fear of the weight room floor, maybe working out with a friend or trainer will. That definitely helped Candy! I mean just look at her biceps now! 😉

I think it has also helped a lot of my clients feel comfortable in the weight room. I’m positive I’ve cured a few of them of ever being afraid of being embarrassed by making them do inchworms across the gym.

Crawling around a gym and sticking your butt up in the air…can’t really get more embarrassing than that…except for maybe making them do crunchy frogs (but these are so embarrassing in fact that I can’t find a picture of them!).

Once you’ve done an embarrassing exercise, you really seem to get over your fear of people judging you in the gym. AND it definitely helps to have a trainer or friend laughing with you as you do the funny looking exercise!

Fear can keep you from accomplishing a lot. And I know there are lots of other fears surrounding lifting – such as a fear of failure – but those are topics for another day.

Today just get over your fear of lifting! Don’t worry about looking silly. I mean let’s face it…at some point we all do!

SO HIT THE WEIGHT ROOM FLOOR AND START PUMPING SOME IRON!