This Powerful Video Shatters A Harmful Body Myth

The idea that lifting weights or otherwise working their large muscles makes women "too bulky" isn't just a CrossFit problem — but it's still great to see CrossFit athletes shattering this harmful fitness myth. In a video posted to the official CrossFit Facebook page last weekend, several women were asked, "Does CrossFit make women look too bulky?" "No," one woman simply responded. And she's right: That's not even how muscles work. Having stronger muscles does not necessarily mean having big muscles. The way a workout changes your body depends on your gender (it's much harder for women to build massive muscles), genetics, diet, and more. But also: Even if you do build some big muscles, is that really such a bad thing? As another woman from the video put it, "How are we supposed to look?" The truth is, there is nothing wrong with looking strong; the idea that bulkiness is a bad look is just another way of enforcing a narrow standard of beauty for women. It also reinforces the idea that the whole point of fitness is how you'll look in the end, when in reality, the benefits of doing a workout you love extend far beyond "before and after" pictures.