defying expectations

It's been a nearly lifelong "thing" with me, ever since I was a very quiet, shy, straight-A high school student who also had an older boyfriend and a plethora of ill-advised out-of-school adventures. I've always liked having facets to me that other people don't expect from the surface or if they only know me in one context. It amuses me greatly when someone is blown away to find I am not who or what they thought I was going to be. And so it is with weightlifting.

I would be lying if I didn't say that has been one of the motivating factor since I started my little muscle building project. The other day when I was going to do rack pulls for the first time without Liz, I came up into the weightroom to find three boys working out together. They were all over the place, including the only squat rack we have. When time had passed and they had left a loaded barbell in the rack but hadn't gone near it in fifteen or twenty minutes, I approached them and asked if they were all done in there. They looked at me in utter incomprehension. It was as if my words were recognizable, but the fact that this old lady was apparently wanting to use the squat rack just didn't compute. Finally it penetrated, and two of them started ranking on the other for leaving the barbell loaded. "You didn't put your weights away, Jesse. I swear, you're the messiest person in this gym." Then one of them asked if I needed help taking off the 45lb plates. Ahem. I can't say it didn't amuse me to smile and take the plate off myself.

Similarly, Friday night after I worked out with Liz, I went down into the locker room and for reasons that are totally unclear (except that I had sweated through my t shirt and felt gross), I changed back into my work clothes to go home. Liz came down to find me in front of the sink mirror, taking down my hair and putting on tinted lip balm, in a maxi skirt and a little cardigan. She kind of grinned at me and said, "And now no one would ever think you were just powerlifting." [Note: Liz is trying to convince me that since I'm doing 5x5's now, I am in fact doing a powerlifting routine. I think she is trying to bring me over to the Dark Side. Or something like that.] It cracked me up and it pleased me. Because, really? *Did* I look like what anyone would expect someone who was just squatting and deadlifting (a pitiful amount, but still) to look like? Probably not. Kill those stereotypes, yo.



This guy? Yeah.

But the sentiment remains the same. Just in a tinier, more likely to visit Sephora package.

xoxo