Powerlifting is not just a man’s sport. In reality, there are plenty of strong, driven women out there that train and compete in powerlifting. They make gains, set records, and break records – just like the guys. Unfortunately, in today’s world, there is still a negative stigma that exists with regard to female powerlifters. In this video, Steve Goggins provides his perspective on the matter, and his point of view is crystal clear: female powerlifters are pretty cool.
Goggins begins by recognizing that the fact that he is even addressing the stigma around female powerlifters is somewhat unbelievable. Surely, in 2018, there would no longer be a gender-based bias in the sport…right? Wrong. Of course, Goggins acknowledges that there are a lot of very supportive men out there, who encourage women (including their wives and girlfriends) to pursue their passions – even if that passion is powerlifting. Regrettably, the truth is that not everyone shares this sentiment.
Over time, Goggins has come to learn that there are some men who are opposed to their wives or girlfriends pursuing powerlifting. In some cases, these are men who may not be active, or who don’t habitually work out or train seriously in the gym. They may voice their discontent, or try and hold a woman back from doing what she wants to do: lift and grow stronger. According to Goggins, this distorted male complex is unacceptable. In fact, Goggins actively encourages women to lift weights, work out, and strengthen their bodies; he hopes that other men do too.
If you’re a man and you’re cool with your woman lifting weights, and you don’t want to work out that much, hats off to you – that’s great. I hope you are. But if you’re a man and you’re trying to hold a woman back from powerlifting, or doing whatever she wants to do…Who are you to try and change her mind, and get her not to do it?
As Goggins states, there are lots of strong women in powerlifting today who aren’t going to let disapproval from a man get in the way of their sport. Men who choose to play those kinds of negative, judgmental cards are going to end up losing that hand – and eventually, the whole game. In fact, if a woman wants to powerlift, the response should simply be, “Go for it – and set some PR’s in the process.”
WATCH: Check Your Ego When Choosing Attempts
