The Truth Behind the Gym Girl Aesthetic: Muscle Mommy Culture, Tripods & Real Empowerment

Are you lifting for your glutes… or for your grid? 👀

In this episode of Giggles & Glutes, Zoë and Donaé pull back the curtain on the gym girl aesthetic and muscle mommy culture—from matching sets, slick buns and tripods, to the quiet pressure to “look like you lift” before you’ve even picked up a dumbbell.

We chat about:

• How activewear brands (like Gymshark & co.) sold us an identity, not just leggings

• Why the muscle mommy aesthetic can feel empowering and suffocating at the same time

• Tripods in the gym, filming etiquette, and why everyone needs to chill 😅

• The rise of modest activewear, inclusive sizing & more relaxed fits

• Becoming a critical consumer of fitness content (and protecting your mental health)

• Redefining your “why” so you train for you, not for the algorithm

Whether you’re rocking a full matching set, oversized tee and baggy joggers, or your oldest t-shirt—this conversation is about taking your power back in gym culture and making fitness something you do on your own terms.

🎧 New episodes every week – subscribe for honest, unfiltered chats on women’s health, fitness, and everything female.

👩🏽‍⚖️ Disclaimer:

We always strive to share the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. However, some of the content in this video reflects our own research, experience, and opinions. The views expressed are for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.

⏰ Timeline:

00:00 Do you dress for the workout… or for the ‘gram?

00:40 Gym girl aesthetic, muscle mommy & welcome to Giggles & Glutes

02:20 The “production” of going to the gym & the unspoken club

04:30 How activewear brands sold us an identity (Gymshark & co.)

07:20 Female-founded brands & why their communities look like them

10:40 The pressure to “look the part” before you even lift

13:30 Rule #1 – Performing for the camera & tripod etiquette

16:50 Community, motivation & when the gym turns into a competition

19:30 Modest activewear, inclusive sizing & clothing that actually works

22:40 Phases of gym style: from tight sets to oversized tees

25:00 Voice-of-reason influencers & redefining your “why”

27:10 Final empowerment message & what real fitness culture could look like

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Okay, I have a question. Do you feel like your gym outfit is more important than your actual workout?

SPEAKER_02: 0:06

I think that it's both equally important, and that the one spurs the other on in a way. Like you always say that the how you look is how you're gonna feel most of the times. And you can give yourself a big confidence boost if you just dress the way you want to. So here's the next question is are you training for yourself or are you training for your Instagram followers? Because then we can get to the real depth of your actual question.

SPEAKER_01: 0:42

Yeah, that's actually very true. This gym girl aesthetic, is it actually the true female empowerment that we are all talking about?

SPEAKER_02: 0:52

Or are we all just wondering how amazing all these girls are because they are wearing these beautifully colored tights and everything is so pretty and packaged to an impossible standard. So yeah, let's talk about it.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13

Len. Okay, so we've all seen her, the beautifully aesthetic, well-packaged gym girl. We've probably scrolled past her about a hundred times today alone on our Instagram feed, our TikTok feed, or X Threads, whatever. And she is probably perfectly coordinated in her outfit, in everything, and the confidence is effortless.

SPEAKER_02: 1:55

And of course, the slick bun that somehow completely stays pristine the entire workout.

SPEAKER_01: 2:03

It's uncanny actually. She is the sexy muscle mummy, an aesthetic of strength and femininity that has taken over the fitness world and the entire platform of social media.

SPEAKER_02: 2:16

Welcome to Giggles and Glutes. By the way, we're your host.

SPEAKER_01: 2:20

I'm Zoe. And I'm Donnay, and both of us are personal trainers. And full disclosure, we do love a good gym fit, probably more than most people.

SPEAKER_02: 2:30

That's one thing we're always encouraging each other to get, regardless of whether you said you were going to save. But as trainers, we've also seen the culture around it getting a little too complicated. So today we're asking behind all the flattering leggings, the avalanche of likes that you're getting on Instagram, what are the unspoken rules of this new gym girl aesthetic?

SPEAKER_01: 3:01

Okay, so let's just be real. For a lot of women, going to the gym isn't just about the workout anymore, it's about the entire production of going to the gym.

SPEAKER_02: 3:15

Totally, and as it should. But look, we're the first to also admit that we love a meticulously chosen matching gym set, probably in a trending color like maca brown or pasta lilac.

SPEAKER_01: 3:33

Yeah, I'm guilty of that for sure. And then you have all the gear, the right water bottle, and she sips on cue, branded lifting belt or wrist straps, you know, the big wireless headphones, and obviously the perfect fit to match this as well.

SPEAKER_02: 3:51

And of course, as we see every day at work, it's almost always ends up with a tripod. The phone is set up, the angles are checked, and the workout officially becomes content. This is true.

SPEAKER_01: 4:10

I feel like I am so guilty of all of the above because literally, it's like there's this look that becomes basically your uniform. And actually, I don't think that people who do this like production thing actually realize that they automatically form part of a club. You know, it's an unspoken club that you are part of because this club says that you are not just in the gym because it's your casual workout, and you know, you're just gonna do cardio, lift some dumbbells, like you mean business, you know. You tick all the boxes in this sense, which is the truth, actually, if we think about it.

SPEAKER_02: 4:54

Yeah, so true. And that wasn't some happy accident, right? It's a culture that was deliberately cultivated over the past decade, mainly by a new wave of active web brands and the influence that they sponsor, of course.

SPEAKER_01: 5:12

Yeah, 100%. And the thing is, is that they did not just sell us clothes, they sold us an identity, essentially, an inspirational version of ourselves that is strong, stylish, and essentially always camera ready.

SPEAKER_02: 5:29

Yeah. And at the peak of that identity is the sexy muscle mummy aesthetic, a look that celebrates visible muscle, sculpted curves, and unapologetic femininity.

SPEAKER_01: 5:45

So there's two sides to this, right? On the one hand, you see it as the ultimate form of empowerment, a female that is both strong and sexy, who has built a body and shows it off proudly.

SPEAKER_02: 6:02

But on the other hand, it also creates a very specific and for a lot of people a very unobtainable ideal. You know, it suggests that to truly actually belong, you need to look a certain way. And we are so tired of that.

SPEAKER_01: 6:21

Yeah. And even though we are speaking about all of this, and a lot of us, I'm sure people listening as well, because even me, and I don't can't speak for you, but we do a lot of these things as well, you know. It's not like it's this thing that has just become this unspoken uniform, it's the things that do ultimately make sense, you know. Wearing your hair in a slick back when you're gonna do functional training makes sense because it needs to be tight. I don't want to be moving my hair out of my face every time, you know. And having a gym fit that matches, you buy something for the quality, right? Especially when it comes to training clothes. It's something you wear once and you wash it immediately because you're sweating in it. You need it to be good quality. So the Activewear brands have built this where they're selling these sets. Girls like pretty things. Obviously, you can end up buying a matching set, you know. And then your body becomes this final piece to that uniform, and that pressure actually that feeling of needing to look the part before you even lift it a single weight, that's actually where it becomes complicated, you know.

SPEAKER_02: 7:42

Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's so true. Actually, it's like you're trying to conform and trying to fit into this future self that you see, and sometimes it's a bit so overwhelming and it feels so stressful, and that's where it becomes like toxic. So, who is writing these rules? And to understand the culture, you have to look at the brands addressing it. The shift of women's active way from just a functional to a core part of our identity is a total masterclass in modern marketing. And at the center of the whole revolution, one name really stands out to me, and that is Gymshark. Like they really took the fitness industry by storm. Everybody wanted to be a Gymshark athlete, everybody wanted to buy clothes from Gymshark, like it was so big that we knew about it in SA. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 8:48

And if you know anything about what it's like to live in South Africa, you're always the last to get access to everything. And sometimes you don't even get access to things. So, Gymshark, I remember I would see people in the gym wearing Gymshark, and I would be like, Oh my word, you were in America, because that's the only way that you could possibly get Gymshark, because there was no way that you could get it in South Africa. You know, it had this status slapped on it, actually. And it's amazing because this Active We brand was actually founded by a teenager named Ben Francis in his parents' garage back in 2012. So they didn't just ride the fitness boom, in many ways, they actually helped create it, you know.

SPEAKER_02: 9:35

Yeah, which I think is amazing. That's for sure. Yeah. I I think that they actually did. They were like the start of it all. They skipped the traditional ads and they went straight to the creators or the fitness influencers that they saw online and thought, you know, you would fit our brand perfectly. You've got a good body, wear our t-shirt. You are now a Gymshark athlete. Yeah, and I think that makes it super genius.

SPEAKER_01: 10:02

It really was because they made the clothes synonymous with the fitness lifestyle, and they weren't just selling you leggings, they were selling you a sense of belonging and being part of this global community, which is what Gymshark is, you know.

SPEAKER_02: 10:19

Yeah, but Gymshark was just the start of it all. After that, a new generation of brands followed, many founded by women, actually, which is amazing. Uh, perfect example of this is HonorActive. Donet absolutely loves this fitness brand.

SPEAKER_01: 10:40

I do, I have no objection there. So, for those of you who have never heard the name Honor Active before, it is a brand which designs clothes for lifters by lifters, and it's basically aimed for a community of lifters. And we see this with so many people in the gym on a daily basis. It has this cult-like thing, which I think a lot of activewear brands have, because you know, I was actually thinking about this the other day. There's this brand called CBS, which was founded by Rachel. She's an Australian personal trainer, and she founded this brand, and she does a mixture of strength training and Pilates. And if you look at her body type and her shape, and you look at all the tags that she has on her activewear brand, all of these women, most if not all, have her physique. They are also into Pilates and strength training. They do the mix, which ultimately leads back to the founder of this brand. If we look at Gymshark, Gymshark was founded by a teenager, Ben. It has a very young, youthful gym bro vibe. Yeah, and if you look at all the people that wear Gymshark, they are the mirror image of that. It's the gym bros that wear gymshark, you know, and even the girls as well. The women who wear gymshark, actually. It's crazy. Yeah, the women who wear Gymshark also, they are like the girl bros. Yes. Yes, you know, and then you look at Honor Active, and Honor Active was founded by Christy Chilla, and she just lifts weights, so it's for lifters, by lifters. And if you look at all the honor active athletes, all of them, most if not all, are athletes and they are lifters trained bodybuilding style. So I also think that these clothes do represent a specific target market, which they hit the nail on their head every single time.

SPEAKER_02: 12:46

I'm just thinking about women's best now. I think that their supplement range is way superior to their clothing line. I do love their clothes as well, but I think what they amazingly well is their supplements, like mixture, the way your body feels after taking it, the hitting the correct limits when they're saying that they're selling magnesium, they're giving you the amount that your body needs in there. I'm just making an example of magnesium now. A lot of companies will give you a product and say that um there's 20 grams of magnesium in there, and then when it goes through lab testing, then it's almost half, you know. So they do a lot of independent testing on their stuff, and it almost always hits the benchmarks, and that is one thing that I really appreciate as a customer. Sometimes the product is a bit more pricey than what I would usually pay for it somewhere else. I just buy it because I know if it gets randomized tests, it's probably gonna hit its benchmarks like that. Yeah, yeah. So it's so true that you're saying is that your brand or who you on what you establish as a brand, those people are just gonna draw towards you, you know, or gravitate towards you.

SPEAKER_01: 14:09

Yeah. And this comes back to the influence, I think, of social media. You look at the founder of a specific brand, they designed this with themselves in mind first, before the people. They designed this for themselves, then come the people, and the people that this will attract are the people that have the same things in common as you because they like your style. So they will buy your things, and automatically, this entire community becomes that, and that becomes the entire social media feed, and that's what we see. So, because it's advertising with all these brands, they look a certain way. Automatically, you feel like in order to wear this brand, you need to look like this. In order to fit into this club, you need to look like this. Because how can I be wearing Gymshark if I don't fit the Gymshark aesthetic? Do you know what that means?

SPEAKER_02: 15:10

Yes, and that goes for everyone, yeah. Yeah, that goes for all these brands. The amount of pressure we put on ourselves, I it's just it's so unnecessary.

SPEAKER_01: 15:23

Yeah, it is. You remember the time when you went to the gym and you would actually take the oldest clothes out of your cupboards because you're gonna train in this. Yes, because you're gonna sweat in this, you will take like your brokenness t-shirt. Brokenness, is that a word? But you will take the worst-looking t-shirt and your worst-looking tracksuit pants and shorts or whatever, and that's what you would exercise in because you're gonna ruin it, you know. And it's crazy to see, yes, that idea was that you were gonna ruin it. But it's actually crazy to see how the standard in the fitness community has grown, and I think it puts a lot of pressure on a lot of people unnecessarily, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 16:11

But the truth is that the clothes is just the first step. Let's get into the unspoken rules that this culture has created. So once you have the uniform, you're looking good in your new bright pink tights, you need to know the rules of engagement. And in today's gym culture, a lot of those rules are dictated by your iPhone's camera.

SPEAKER_01: 16:41

Yeah, and rule number one has to be the pressure to perform for the camera. As trainers, this is one of the biggest shifts that we have seen in just the gym space turning into a public stage, actually.

SPEAKER_02: 16:57

Film studio.

SPEAKER_01: 16:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 16:59

The workouts are documented not just for tracking progress but for public consumption. So the entire focus can shift from the internal feeling of getting stronger to that external validation of getting likes and shares.

SPEAKER_01: 17:17

Yeah. On this, with the gym becoming this public space, I know there's a lot of people who are super annoyed at the fact that they go to the gym and now why does Susan have a tripod out like damn Susan? Is it necessary for you to be doing this? And this annoys me when people are not open to the idea of it's okay, it's normal to see somebody's tripod in the gym. We live in this day and age. It's not necessary for you to be all weird about the fact that there's somebody's tripod. Because the reality is that you're gonna go home and you're gonna sit on Instagram and you're gonna watch fitness videos. How do you think they make this? Do you know what I mean? They're making it in a public gym.

SPEAKER_02: 18:04

Like, you know, for the online listeners, I am doing chef's test to Otanae saying right now because oh my gosh. The only issue is that if you are filming in a public space, don't be getting annoyed when people walk past your camera. It is still a public space. Relax your body. The germ does not belong to you, just like it does not belong to that person. So film your videos, film your content, do your boo, but don't be getting annoyed when people are walking past the camera. You can edit that stuff out. Just yeah, stop that.

SPEAKER_01: 18:45

Exactly. And also the other side of that is I form a lot of gym contact. Like every single day, I am this girl that has a tripod out. You see me, you see my tripod. I'm sorry, it is what it is, it is what it is. But at the same time, now I put my tripod, and this woman is like, you filming? Yes, I don't want to be in your video. You won't be in my video because the beauty of edit. I don't want you in my video, it's not about you, you know. Like, how do people not understand that you can edit them out also just because my camera is pointing in your direction doesn't mean that you are necessarily ending the frame. Yeah, yes, you know, yeah, so there's also all of these things to go with it as well. Like, I'm here for it because people do consume this on a daily basis on social media. And if you are somebody who's posting content for your online clients, where else must you do it? You have to do it in the gym. If you are somebody who's doing videos for your Instagram or TikTok where you are educating people, or you are just doing it because you were full-time content creator and this pays your bills, then I'm sorry, but you don't need to explain to anybody unless your gym has a problem because there are some gyms that are private and you can't, which is understandable, and then there are others which are not. So, like it's cool, let's just be cool, you know?

SPEAKER_02: 20:20

Yeah, but to be fair, it's not all negative. These same online platforms have created incredibly powerful and supportive communities, and I'm so here for it. Like, we have created our own little community here on Giggles and Gloots, and we absolutely love it. This morning we got a message from one of our listeners saying how much the podcast had helped her, and I shared it with Danae, and those are the comments that we live for, so it's not all doom and gloom in the social media world.

SPEAKER_01: 20:58

It's not, and it can also be a great place to find motivation. Some days you were feeling like, oh, I don't want to go to the gym, and then you went onto Instagram and you saw this girl lifting, and then you were like, Oh no, I have to. So it's a great form of motivation, even to share your advice, to share your experiences, to connect with people that you will never possibly meet. Maybe somebody lives on the other side of the world, but somehow you were still able to motivate them using this platform to do that fostering commitment and confidence, you know?

SPEAKER_02: 21:34

Yeah. And community. Um this leads to the second rule, though. Aesthetic sometimes trumps athletic, and the online conversation often feels less about hitting a new personal record and more about how to get the perfect glute pump for photo.

SPEAKER_01: 21:56

You know, I just want to say something on this, like, oh, I'm like, do I wanna say this? I don't know, but I'm gonna say it anyways. Sometimes I'm on Instagram, right, and I see okay, there's this girl, she's an athlete for a brand or whatever. It's back day, but the camera is like right up on a booty, like everything is about the booty booty booty booty, and I feel like all of these, like the bum scrunching, the leggings, the teeny tiny bras, and I just feel like the active wear clothes honestly are becoming less and less and less. I've gotten to a point now where I don't even take off my t-shirt anymore in the gym. I can't. It makes me feel so uncomfortable. But I best believe I'm gonna go to the bathroom where I'm alone and I'm gonna take my top off and I'm gonna snap my picture because there's nobody there, but I'm gonna put my top back on. I can't because with all of this, also, it has become a very sexy thing. The girls are like sexy in the gym, and it's almost like, whoa, there's a line between you know, the this like I don't know, it's a lot for icon.

SPEAKER_02: 23:16

It absolutely blows my mind, and the other thing as well, the girls that are wearing lace and bras or transparent shirts and bras to the office, and thinking that that's an appropriate work outfit, it's almost the same. It's what are we doing? What are we doing here? Where are we going with this? And this brings us back to the third and maybe the most powerful rule of all is that the muscle mommy mandate, it's not just about being fit, it's a very specific mix of visible muscle, low body fat percentage, and hyperfeminine representation.

SPEAKER_01: 23:59

And we are talking about all things. We're talking about styled hair, makeup, and the entire trendy outfit.

SPEAKER_02: 24:07

And for many women, achieving this look, it's a source of immense pressure and pride. It's a powerful reclamation of femininity in the male-dominated space of weightlifting. It says, look at me, I can be strong and sexy, and I don't have to choose.

SPEAKER_01: 24:29

And that is a positive experience. But what about everybody else? The problem is when one look becomes the only ideal, that's a problem because we are not all copy and paste, and it can be incredibly intimidating for newcomers walking the gym or for women whose bodies don't necessarily fit that specific mold.

SPEAKER_02: 24:53

Yeah, and it can make the gym feel less like a community and more like a competition. 100%. I'm thinking now I appreciate having my own gym so freaking much. There's like some days that I do miss going into the gym. You know, there are days when you just need the gym to motivate you today, but the toxic energy and culture that happens behind the scenes, I just I'm so missed for that, you know?

SPEAKER_01: 25:28

Yeah. And it's actually crazy how much that can actually affect you. Like, you don't realize if you are training, being at a gym can also be a space that could become a toxic environment for you. You go to the gym to go and do all of these good things to make yourself feel amazing, to blow off steam, whatever. Yeah, but if the gym that you are attending's culture is toxic, it's gonna ruin that entire experience for you. And a lot of it stems from the clothes and the look that you have, because imagine being somebody that's new to the gym, and now you're walking past 10 of these fitness models, basically, you're gonna feel super terrible about yourself and be like, I don't belong here, I don't want to come back here, you know? Yeah, so if any of this sounds familiar, and if you've ever felt the pressure that you need to look a certain way at the gym, then please go ahead and hit the subscribe button. We are breaking down topics like this every single week from our perspectives as trainers and also as gym girls and pushing for more honest conversation around fitness because I feel like we need to have more of that.

SPEAKER_02: 26:46

Yes, for sure. And we have to ask you what was the most ridiculous, unspoken rule that you've seen or felt at the gym? Let us know in the comments down below. The stories are always equal parts, horrifying and hilarious, and honestly, a good reminder that we are not alone. After all of that is said and done, it's not all tripods and pressure. For every exclusive trend, a counter movement seems to be popping up, pushing for a much more inclusive vision of fitness.

SPEAKER_01: 27:21

Absolutely, and one of the biggest positive shifts has been the rise of modesty in choice in active way. Actually, for years the trend was less is more, and even in some brands, we can see that less is still becoming more. But for many women of culture and religion or just personal reasons, they have a demand for more coverage.

SPEAKER_02: 27:46

Yeah, and finally, brands are responding. The global modest active market is projected to grow significantly in the next couple of years. Influencers like Lyanna Deep have partnered with giants like Gymshark, like we mentioned earlier, on sell-out modest collections as well. So now there's more options available to people.

SPEAKER_01: 28:13

Yeah, I think that this is actually so amazing. You know, when something becomes oversaturated, which I think this muscle mommy sexy gym clothes has become so oversaturated that people are not falling for it anymore. It's become this sexy culture, whatever, that women actually don't want to be showing off their bodies in this way in the gym anymore. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't even take my t-shirt off in the gym. I used to train in a sports bra, I don't anymore because I'm like, no, these bras are becoming too small, you know. Yeah, I don't want to, if I want to be in a teeny tiny bra, I'll go to the beach and put my bikini, but not in the gym, you know.

SPEAKER_02: 28:52

Yeah. This push for inclusivity goes beyond just modesty too. I think that as trainers, we are thrilled to see a growing demand for expanded size ranges and adaptive clothing for all bodies and abilities, because sometimes these fitness clothes they are not made for actual training, like Donae mentioned earlier. You're jumping there, the tights is rolling down, or a brand doesn't offer your size, or it's either too long or too short, or whatever the case may be. I think it's actually because so many brands or fitness brands at the moment are female found. So there's more of a thought behind it in relation to how do we want women to feel in this cloth? Where previously it wasn't that much female focused, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 29:48

Yeah, and also brands are finally realizing that fitness is for every, not just the sample size, and their marketing is slowly starting to actually reflect. That which is nice to see.

SPEAKER_02: 30:01

Yeah, for sure. And we're also seeing a shift in the trending styles themselves. That ultra-light uniform is giving way to more relaxed boxy fit t-shirts. I know I bought a few recently with some baggy joggers and oversized tops are becoming just as common.

SPEAKER_01: 30:21

My faves. It's crazy how you go from tight gym clothes to the complete opposite. I feel like you go through phases actually, as a gym girl. And this signals the move towards comfort and individuality over every single aesthetic, actually. When you're going through all your phases, and then you eventually become the gym girl version of yourself where you are, this is who I am, this is what I like. If I want to wear something tight, I'll wear something tight. If I want to wear something baggy, I'll wear something baggy. It's how I feel, not what they are telling me to wear. And it reflects a more holistic attitude, actually, focusing on your own well-being and the freedom of the movement that you choose to do.

SPEAKER_02: 31:06

100%. And finally, there's the rise of what I would like to call the voice of reason influences. And we would like to categorize ourselves in there.

SPEAKER_01: 31:19

Yes, these are exactly our kind of people, the creators who actively critique toxic gym culture. They'll show up in the old t-shirt, they'll talk openly about bloating and bad body image days and prioritize their mental health and their strength goals over purely aesthetic ones, which is refreshing.

SPEAKER_02: 31:40

Yeah, they are building communities based on authenticity, reminding their followers that fitness is a personal journey, not a performance, and that their popularity shows a collective hunger for a realistic approach because we live in the real world, so let's get real.

SPEAKER_01: 32:02

We do. So where does all of this leave us? How do we navigate this culture? So, first, let's be absolutely clear about this. This isn't about shaming women who love the sexy muscle mommy aesthetic. Like you do you, babes. If that's what you love, do that. We are literally those women sometimes. We are.

SPEAKER_02: 32:25

Yeah, and if rocking a matching set and filming your lifts brings you joy and confidence, that is fantastic. We want that for you. We love our cute gym fits, and celebrating your hard work is something to be proud of.

SPEAKER_01: 32:43

Yeah, it is. And the problem isn't the aesthetic itself, the problem is when it becomes the mandate, when it feels like this is the only way that you can truly be a gym girl.

SPEAKER_02: 32:55

Yeah, exactly. It's when women like you and I feel that they have to conform to be accepted, or worse, feel like they don't belong at all. And that's at the blue shit.

SPEAKER_01: 33:08

Yeah, it is. And the solution really starts with being a more critical consumer of the media that we are scrolling through every single day. It's advice that we give to our clients constantly remember that social media is a highlight reel, all the good stuff.

SPEAKER_02: 33:27

Yeah, and the bodies that we often see are a mix of intense discipline, genetics, strategic posing and lighting. And sometimes, or a lot of time lately, undisclosed cosmetic procedures, going to Thailand and coming back with a booty. We see you.

SPEAKER_01: 33:49

From there, we can actually redefine our own why. The most powerful act of rebellion against toxic gym culture is the shift in your focus from external validation to internal satisfaction.

SPEAKER_02: 34:03

Yes, so chase the feeling of adding another plate to the bar, not the approval of strangers alone. And as someone that's craving a squat rack right now, because I haven't squatted with an Olympic bar on my shoulders in nine months since I was in Cape Town. And that is one of the things that I am missing. I have no space in my studio, but I'm trying to see how I can fit one in there because I am just missing that movement. So crave that, crave those things, those things are gonna drive you to want to get stronger, yeah, and focus on the energy that you have to live your life, not the number on the scale.

SPEAKER_01: 34:50

Celebrate what your body can do and not just how it looks in a certain outfit.

SPEAKER_02: 34:56

Yeah, because like we mentioned, and now I'm gonna tell you again true empowerment in fitness does not come from a brand of leggings or specific aesthetic. It comes from ownership, from claiming fitness as something you do for you on your own terms. It's about building resilience and finding joy in movement. Respect your body, my babe. Go do the workout for you, for the games, for the people of this community, not constantly critiquing it. Go and love your body and then reward your body with exercise because you love your body, not because someone said you need to lose a couple of pounds or because someone made you feel like you need to lose a couple of pounds, do it for the community.

SPEAKER_01: 35:53

Yeah. And also, if this cute outfit helps you, wear the cute outfit. Just again, Zoe and I are not saying that we are against doing all of these things for the gym. If that helps you get there, then do that. If it speaks to your soul, then do that. We have pulled the curtain back today on the modern gym culture as both fitness lovers who enjoy a good outfit because we do, and as trainers who see them for the good and the bad up close.

SPEAKER_02: 36:28

Yeah, we've seen how it can be both incredibly empowering and also intensely pressuring, but we've also seen that the counter movements that are pushing for more choice and authenticity is here.

SPEAKER_01: 36:45

And ultimately, the future of women's fitness is in our hands. The most empowering thing that we can do is define our own journey where what makes you feel good move in ways that brings your body joy.

SPEAKER_02: 37:01

And celebrate your progress, whatever that looks like. Because true strength isn't about having the perfect body, it's about having the confidence to be perfectly and unapologetically yourself. We've spoken about this last week. That is when you are going to really achieve your ultimate aura when you can have confidence and just be unapologetically yourself.

SPEAKER_01: 37:31

Yeah. So we want to know what does an empowering fitness culture look like to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below and let's build this community together.

SPEAKER_02: 37:43

See you next time. Bye.