11 Things Only Ladies Who Lift Will Understand

Oh, how times have changed. Ten years ago, women wouldn't dare set foot in the weights section at the gym - that was a man's domain. But now, badass bitches are getting up in there and lifting their kgs with the best of 'em. Doing weights is the new cardio, it's the mark of a strong, fit woman, and there's even Tumblr accounts dedicated to them. Here's 11 things only ladies who lift will understand. And no, you won't get 'bulky' reading this.

1. You’ll weigh more, but look much slimmer

Sounds kinda backwards, right? You’ll often hear that 1 lb. muscle weighs more than 1 lb. fat, but of course that doesn’t make any sense - a pound's a pound. But, if you compare fat and muscle you’ll see that muscle is much more compact than fat, and so you’ll be slimmer because muscle takes up a lot less space than fat.

2. To start with, you’ll hate the early mornings, but learn to love them

Early mornings are never cool, and when you’re getting up to do exercise, it’s enough to bring tears to your tired, squinty eyes. At 6 in the morning, the only thing you should be lifting is a cup of tea to your mouth. But once you’ve got a few workouts under your belt, and all your exercise is done for the day by 7am, you’ll realise that early morning workouts are the best.

3. You get to eat SO MUCH FOOD

Honestly, you’ll eat more than ever before. I mean, it won’t be a whole mountain of cookies or anything like that, but you’ll get to indulge on carbs, and protein. And, just because you can’t eat an entire cookie mountain, that doesn’t mean you can't indulge on sweet things: healthy flapjacks and the like. So you’ll be eating more than ever, but looking slimmer for it. Yep, you are literally living the lean dream.

4. Protein becomes your one true love

Never thought you could be best friends with a cooked chicken? Well, now you are! Chicken and other protein rich foods will become your new mates, with one or the other always kicking about in your fridge. You see, protein is fantastic for helping to build muscles, which is why you’ll find yourself eating it every few hours. Just think of the #gains!

5. Your ass will look so good in everything

With your new life mantra being ‘Drop It Like A Squat’, your arse is going to be pert and peachy in no time. Bar squats and kettle bell squats will be second nature to you, and all that work will pay off, right on your derriere. Jeans, leggings, skirts, lingerie. Everything’s gonna look haaaat on you.

6. The ache will become your favourite feeling ever

There’s so many types of ache that come with weight training. There’s the intense burn that occurs as soon as you’re lifting, and there’s the dull ache that comes the next morning when your struggling to walk down the stairs. Whatever type of burn you’re experiencing, no matter how bad the pain is, you’ll become strangely addicted to it. You’ll get used to that jelly-leg feeling and learn to embrace it. How else do you know that what you’re doing is working? You’ll be struggling to lift your pen at work, but it’s so worth it.

7. Your spotter will become your new best friend

Hey, this is the person that stops you choking to death if a barbell should happen to fall on your throat, how could you not love them? The relationship between a spotter and the spotee is one based on trust and encouragement. See, the spotter isn’t there to lift the weight for you, but support you as you lift. Spotters tend to get up close and personal when spotting, as they’re there to support you, so don’t worry when they get all up in your business - it’s what they need to do to help you lift safely.

8. You’ll stop buying dresses and become addicted to buying sports bras

So many pretty colours!

9. You’ll live for PBs

There's no greater feeling than knowing you've just topped your PB. Personal bests can make you crazy in the best way. You'll be going up to strangers on the street, grabbing them by the collar and excitedly shouting "Hey! You! I've just hit my personal best, man. PB! What have you done today? Not your personal best I bet" before dropping down into press ups right then and there and showing them a NEW personal best!

Suffice to say, personal bests feel awesome.

10. Having big thighs is now a total compliment

Remember when there was a time where having big thighs was offensive? Now it’s the biggest compliment everrrr. Those words are music to your ears. You might find it hard to fit skinny jeans over your legs and arse, but that might actually be the best bit.