10 problems known only to female strength athletes

There's no denying it. A fit body is an amazing accomplishment. You may wake up one day and discover how good you look by now. You'll feel better and have strength you never thought possible. It's great, but unfortunately that's only one side. Your great new body brings with it a host of new complications. Some of them you already meet in the studio, others reveal themselves in the locker room. Most of the time they come from other people, but ultimately you carry them around with you for now. All fit women have these problems, but hardly any talk about them. Here are 10 of those problems and how you can fix them.

1. your intestine makes itself felt

You have a lot of weight on your shoulders. You're ready to lift more than ever before. So you press your stomach into the belt as hard as you can. Even as you squat, you can feel that old familiar sensation. Something's coming for you. If you think you're the only one with this problem, you're wrong. You don't even have to be one of the top lifters to have it. A little drama can come out of this because many women take a long time before they do a squat with weights for the first time. Run to the locker room and be warned for all time. Don't eat anything earth-shattering before you do the heavy squats.

2. your body becomes the basis for discussion

Even the slightest hint of muscles and veins under the skin makes both women and men wonder whether it still looks beautiful or already unattractive. In any case, your body is henceforth a basis for discussion. This can be a bit strange for you when you hear the comments for the first time. Don't let this put you off your guard. There will always be envious women and naysayers who will openly tell you what they think about your body and get on your nerves with phrases like "You'll never find a man if you look like a guy". You, on the other hand, know that a woman is attractive when she sets goals in life. Keep going. Every time you hear these sayings again, you will come out of it a little stronger.

3. your clothes no longer fit

This is really annoying. There are hardly any suitable clothes for women with a round butt and a narrow waist. In the stores hang almost only blouses, whose arms are just suitable for the wrists of Kate Moss. Guaranteed you won't find dresses that are comfortable to wear with your curves. Unless you have the figure of Heidi Klum, the dressing room can become a depressing place. You're not alone. There are plenty of women who can't find pants that fit. The solution can be tank tops and leggings. It looks like the good old 80s, but as long as you don't tie a headband around yourself, it fits.

4. your breast becomes smaller

There's a reason for breast augmentations. They are ubiquitous in the lady fitness world. If you had big boobs before you started working out, you should slowly but surely say goodbye to them. A smaller bust can be a great thing. You can wear lower cut tops without feeling like a slut. However, those cute tops will be a disaster if you've already trained your lats properly.
You get back enough other female curves through training. The smaller breasts won't matter that much anymore.

5. you are hungry all the time

It may sound silly to complain about hunger, but it comes more and more often. Sometimes it's really annoying. Muscles need energy, which you need to supply to your body. The more muscle you build, the more likely it feels like eating is a full-time job. If you're busy or in certain situations, it can be painful to eat enough. There's nothing worse than being trapped somewhere while your stomach growls and decides it's time to eat again. This provides a very good opportunity for awkward conversations and hurt feelings.

6. shaving armpits sucks

This is not funny. This is reality. Pecs, lats, biceps, and even shoulder muscles all come together in or around the armpit. If the muscles are small, shaving is easy. The larger they get, the more difficult it becomes. The armpit turns into a collection of mounds and crevices that you can't possibly work with a razor.

7. you become a role model

There is nothing wrong with helping your friends and family get fit. On the other hand, this creates a feeling of pressure, because you have to stay fit. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like a failure.
As if that wasn't hard enough, you're expected to help everyone get fit. Even your old aunt Elke with her bad hip. She's blind in one eye and can't bite anything solid anymore, but you have to work out a program for her to lose 10 kg. Good luck.

8. destruction of the hands

Dumbbells, pull-up bars and other torture devices put a lot of strain on your hands. You don't even need to paint your nails anymore. The next deadlift, the varnish would be broken anyway. Maybe you know a few tricks to make it last anyway?
As for your hands, use foam rubber (as thick as possible) as protection. You can, for example, cut an old mattress into hand-sized pieces. For particularly heavy exercises (e.g. lat pulls), it's a good idea to also use fitness gloves. This may look a little weird, but it works. Even men who push and pull a lot more than you can keep the well-known calluses in check.

9. problems with urination

All women, and especially the mothers among them, can have problems with uncontrolled urination. Box jumps, heavy squats and rope jumps irritate the bladder and easily become a nightmare for your pelvic floor.
Sure, you can skip these types of exercises to avoid these embarrassing situations. But isn't it frustrating to narrow down your fitness workouts because you're afraid of losing control of your bladder?
If you've already tried in vain to get 100000 kettlebell swings a day outside of the gym, then maybe it's time for a deeper solution. Gather all your courage and wipe away the pride. See a doctor or a knowledgeable trainer and discuss what you can effectively do about it.
Are you over this point? Take a look at your shorts without fear. You're doing all this for a reason.

10. fitness cliques

Ok. That's certainly something a lot of people talk about. Besides, it's not necessarily a female-specific phenomenon, because it applies to everyone. However, it is more widespread among the ladies.
In the fitness industry, it's hard to be taken seriously as an athlete until you've achieved something. Many attribute these successes to physical changes. A lot of women participate in powerlifting and other competitions (Highland Games, Tough Mudder, weightlifting, discus throwing, CrossFit, etc.). Before they don't have a fat percentage equal to that of a well-trimmed chicken breast and can wear a sexy thong, they don't count. This feeling is often mutual.