Women need iron. Not the vitamin. The barbell.
We are trained by the world around us to have fucked up ideas about our bodies; iron unfucks them.
We are supposed to be as thin as possible, as small as possible, perhaps until we disappear; iron teaches us to take up space.
We are taught that the only good direction for the scale to go is down, and to agonize ritualistically when it goes up. Iron teaches us the power of gaining weight for strength and gives us another weight to care about – the weight we are lifting.
We are taught to eat small amounts daintily and treat food as sin and pleasure. Iron teaches us to eat heartily, to see food as fuel for life, and to seek out nutritious food rather than avoiding sinful food.
We are taught to think of our bodies as decorative, an object to be looked at; iron teaches us to think of our bodies as functional, our own active selves, not passive objects for another’s regard.
Whole industries exist to profit by removing from us our confidence and selling it back as external objects. Iron gives us confidence from within through progressive training and measurable achievements.
We are taught to be gentle and hide our strength or even to cultivate charming physical weakness until we start to believe our bodies are weak. Iron teaches us how strong we can be.
A Washington powerlifter who once made a name for herself on the national stage is now making headlines for another reason.
Ali McWeeny of Ellensburg was once a force to be reckoned with in the world of weighlifting, but that all changed three years ago when she lost her left leg in a boating accident.
Doctors said she would never lift weights again, but McWeeny had other ideas. She’s now competing again, and her inspirational story was enough to bring her former coach out of retirement.
“I told her if you ever compete in a powerlifting meet again — a full meet — I’ll come out of retirement and come lift with you. So that’s why I’m here today,” said her coach, Kevin Stewart.
McWeeny was in Fife on Saturday for a meet, but simply attending the event wasn’t enough — she wanted to test her limits.
Balancing on one leg, McWeeny lifted 121 pounds. The lift was her best since the accident — a full 17 pounds more than her previous record.
The event was proof that even gravity can’t keep the human spirit down.
“The only person that holds you back in life is yourself, and there’s no limits to life,” McWeeny said. “Life is limitless and that’s your choice to limit yourself or not.”
In addition to her work in the gym, McWeeny is also reaching out to help others. She recently helped create the Ali McWeeny Award to honor others lifters who have overcome challenges in life.Click photo to read more/watch video
