Ogechi Akalegbere embraces the heavy weight she carries … but with a huge twist.
You can actually be a plus size woman who gets a lot of POSITIVE attention for carrying a lot of heavy weight.
How would you like to ENJOY being stared at and talked about because of all the weight you carry?
Below is Ogechi again — carrying a lot of weight in the deadlift event — for which she’ll be cheered after she’s done:
Do You Hate when People Stare at Your Body?
People are always staring at and talking about people — no matter what their size.
So if people are going to be looking at you and talking about you, it may as well be because you’re LIFTING heavy weight.
Ogechi, 31 (as of 2019), has been powerlifting since 2013 — including competitively.
When she’s working out, she knows that people are staring at her — because of her weight — the weight that’s made of metal, not human flesh.
Of course, Ogechi wasn’t hoisting around heavy weights on her first day in the gym.
But with perseverance and embracing the concept of a kickass workout, she learned to literally carry around a lot of weight — that gets other gym-goers noticing.
“I love it,” says Ogechi. “I feel independent and confident. I have to admit that it brings me great joy to watch the shock in the faces of some of the guys in the gym when I’m effortlessly throwing 45 pound plates on the barbell.
“It also makes me feel sad that women hate their bodies and never get to experience the joy that comes from showing off the power their bodies are capable of.”
- You can’t show off power and confidence with a bikini.
- But you can show off power and confidence with a barbell.
Powerlifting: for Fitness or Competition
How about giving powerlifting a try?
You can do it for fitness and strength training only. Or, if you have a competitive streak, you can compete.
At powerlifting meets, nobody will ever think, “She’s too fat,” or, “A woman that big should stick to bowling.”
As a former personal trainer and lifelong health and fitness enthusiast, I have helped many clients lose body fat.
However, I will be the first to announce that being plus size — even extra plus size — is no reason for avoiding kick-butt strength workouts that can give you power — literally.
Embracing Your Very Heavy Weight
Powerlifting will enable you to know what it’s like to embrace hearing and seeing people react to the extra weight you’re moving around at the gym!
The three moves for powerlifting are the squat, deadlift and bench press.
Setting up for the squat
Focusing on these “big three” will strengthen the entire body, including the core, and empower you in a way that no little bikini can.
The goal is to ultimately be carrying a LOT of weight!
Then, when people at the gym stare at you, it won’t be because you’re plus size.
It’ll be because you’re moving heavy barbells and dumbbells!
“I’m big enough. I don’t want to get bigger!”
A passionate pursuit of strength training will result in fat loss and a re-composition of your body.
You’ll look like you’ve lost more weight than what the scale says, due to the body re-composition.
A pound of fat takes up much more space than does a pound of muscle.
So while you’ll gain more lean muscle tissue, your overall body appearance will look like you’ve lost some pounds.
You’ll have a less squishy, more toned and firmer body.
You never have to worry about powerlifting making you bigger.
Though many powerlifters are big, they didn’t get that way from picking up barbells.
Rather, big people may be drawn to a sport that doesn’t involve running or jumping.
Barbells don’t make a large woman bigger; bon bons do.
Barbells, not Bikinis
Wearing a bikini is a very limited, superficial and shallow approach to boosting confidence.
But taking up powerlifting, Olympic-style weightlifting, CrossFit or just general strength training means never-ending goals, a perpetual state of evolution and progress, and no message of sexual objectification.
You’ll gain power and confidence that will be with you even in the dead of winter under a coat. Now think about that.
