I give you permission to conquer this fear

I’ve been lifting in a different country, with different customs, different gym etiquette, different metric system and different equipment all together.  In the midst of all this, YOU game to mind. Yes YOU.

Through my 10+ years of weight room experience – from the YMCA, to crossfit, to LA fitness and golds, garage gyms, physical therapy clinics and D1 strength and conditioning facilities – I have built the confidence to try just about any exercise with any set up without giving a single thought to how it looks or who might be watching.

That does not however mean I haven’t felt those feelings. I have certainly cared if what I’m doing looks stupid, or if I’m doing something correctly or not. I’ve wondered if people are judging.

Now I am at a spot where I don’t worry about these things…Like EVER. And that came to mind as I was pulling together 5 objects to make a proper hip thrusting set up in Santiago, Chile.

I thought to myself, “Wow, I’m just doing this – finding a solution to get the lift done that I want to do – and I haven’t stopped to feel stupid or check if anyone even watching me.” That’s where you come in.

I want that same freedom and fun for you.

Yes, I said “fun” – because it is so fun to be in your own zone in the gym. To truly just be there with and for yourself.

That may sound silly, but my gym time is sacred to me. My guess is that you feel the same, or at the very least, you want to.

When you can let go of the fear (because that’s what it is if you didn’t know), you open up doors you can’t imagine. You’re more focused on what you’re doing, why you’re there, how your body feels, how your muscles are working and you become more playful. You’ll be more willing to try new set ups and grips that you see girls doing on the ol’ insta. In turn, you’ll get better results, and be more satisfied with your training. Promise.

So take a step in the right direction. Try an exercise you’ve wanted to for some time now, but have hesitated to try. Baby steps my friend. Learn from a brave lady who slid into my DMs on instagram just the other day.

Sometimes we need permission

She did it.

She just needed permission. It was great! She learned, she was probably super nervous but did it anyway. And guess what!? She will continue to improve her hip thrusts, get stronger, and feel better about her time in the gym. Plus she’s about to enter a whole new world of booty gains. Cheers to that.

I give you permission. No need to DM me on instagram. I’m giving it to you NOW. Make sure you understand the form of course, but GO TRY THAT THING! My voice will be in the forefront of your mind:

“Start with the set up. You know what you’re doing or you can easily figure it out.”

“No one is watching you, and if they are it literally matters 0%. Who knows, maybe they are learning from you.”

“Enjoy the process. You’re facing fears and reaping the reward.”

“You are not an idiot, you’re not stupid, you don’t need to know it all.”

“You’re getting better today – your body and soul will thank you for that.”

“You’re killing it sister.”

You feel me? Now go young grasshopper. Try that exercise, or class, or dance move you’ve been wanting to try. Woman-up and take it for a spin. You’ll likely surprise yourself.

Tell ‘em Annie sent you.

…

P.S. Some common things I get asked about: HOW TO:

• move the hooks on a squat rack up and down
• set up for a hip thrust
• use machines in general (figuring out how to move all the different parts to get into proper position).
• set up for and get in and out of movements smoothly and safely

 

If this is you, I don’t know why you don’t have my Movement101 yet – I literally coach you through over 100 movements, the set up the movement and breakdown of each exercise + demo videos.

You can check out Movement 101 here.