TOTALLY CONFIDENT!

Get happy at the gym with our ultimate guide to gaining weightlifting confidence and overcoming gymtimidation - finally!

- Sarah Sellens

Do you avoid the gym because you're worried you'll be judged on your weightlifting technique, or won't quite match up to the super-fit folk around you? Rest assured, you're in good company. A recent poll* of non-gym-going adults reveals that one-in-three women describes feeling 'intimidation in the gym' - popularly coined 'gymtimidation' - while more than half were put off signing up due to the pressure they feel to wear Lycra while working out. It needn't be that way, believes Emily Servante, global trainer, education manager and certified personal trainer at Ultimate Performance (ultimateperfromance.com), who is on a mission to break down the barriers women feel working out in front of others.

The answer? Servante believes if we embrace the benefits of going to the gym to lift weights, it will empower us to get stronger, fitter and leaner, and to feel more confident.

'You only need to look at the popularity of the #Shy GirlWorkouts on TikTok - which, staggeringly, have had more than 140 million views to see that many women are nervous about working out in the gym,' she says. 'And it's completely understandable, because social media can paint the picture that all gym-goers are beautiful, confident people who are all in very good shape. That can be very daunting if you've never lifted weights before and you're not happy with your body.' However, it's important to remember that the benefits of weight training are vast, especially for women. 'Resistance training is one of the best ways to improve your body composition and to improve your physical and mental health in the long term,' adds Servante, 'so now is the time to set your fears aside and embrace the benefits of lifting weights." Ready to dispel some of the more common myths and overcome gymtimidation? Read on for our ultimate guide.

FEELING THE FEAR