Abigail Mathis
"I would love to see more women encouraging other women to go to the gym and to lift."
Abigail Mathis is a student at Colorado State University studying biomedical sciences with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine.
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EXTENDED INTERVIEW:
A: So back in high school, probably like my junior year, I had a good friend who was a powerlifter. And I started going to the gym more because I wanted to be healthier. I have chronic health conditions, so that's how I kind of started going to the gym. And she had invited me and taught me how to lift. So, that's kind of how the addiction started.
Q: I'm just going to start off by asking how did you first enter the lifting world?
Q: Did that community come quickly? Or that sort of comradery?
A: Oh, I would say it took me a while to find more women who lift. But it's one of those things where typically, when I start talking to another woman lifting, and who is into powerlifting or weightlifting, it's a pretty quick friendship.
Q: Were there any unexpected adjustments, not just physically but with the mental aspect?
A: Not necessarily directed at me, but kind of directed at weightlifting as a whole with the e idea of "Well, if you're going to lift and lift heavy, then you're going to look too masculine." And a lot of people think that the goal is always leaner and not just to be healthier and stronger. I don't think a lot of people recognize the difference between weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding, or that there's a lot of other factors that go into size and muscle mass.
So, yeah...nobody was ever really outright with me about it. It was just kind of a subtle difference, for sure. Unconscious is the right word for it.
Q: Did you ever face any negativity from other women?
A: I would say a lot of people don't really think about the mental toughness it takes to keep weight lifting, especially when there are so few women who do it for more than just aesthetics. Because that is the other thing. A lot of women who are at the gym are not there for weightlifting. They're there more for aerobics and looking better. And I think something I wasn't really prepared for when I got into weightlifting was feeling better and feeling stronger.