If you’re looking to get in shape, get fit, and build some muscle, your go-to source of fitspo/inspiration is probably not usually a drag queen. But there’s a lot we can learn from the fabulous fitness fanatics that often get overlooked for their physical prowess.
A recent article posted on Tonic – Vice’s queer outlet – interviewed self-proclaimed Bodybuilder Barbie, Kameron Michaels who appeared on the last season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
For the article, writer Spenser Mestel worked out with the muscle queen, highlighting a few things we could stand to learn from the likes of Michaels, both in the gym and out of it.
1. Improved body awareness
If you’re a gay guy who’s ever felt “over-the-top” or been told to “tone it down” you’ll quickly have become more aware of your body. Michaels claims that growing up he used to consciously alter his gait in order to portray himself as more masculine when he moved and walked. This is probably something that many of us can relate to.
However, that heightened body awareness can prove highly valuable when in the gym. When weight training, one of the most important aspects of building your strength and preventing injury is to concentrate on good form. The more aware you are of your body, the easier this will be.
“When we bicep curl, she doesn’t arch her back or swing her arms. When we do handstands, her body is stacked in a clean line from her toes through his shoulders. When we squat, she drops below parallel.”
2. Train like a real man!
Barf! Far too often you’ll see men’s health and fitness magazines/websites/videos listing off the best ways to train like a real man! The fitness world – like most other worlds – is fairly split between stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Men lift weights and grunt, women do cardio to stay skinny. Gross.
People like Michaels are helping to dispell this bullshit gym myth, hopefully making life easier for gay men who are intimidated by the gym, but also for women who don’t just want to be skinny and delicate.
“I had a lot of female bodybuilders come up to me crying at Dragcon,” she says, “telling me I made them feel validated and accepted because I showed that muscles could be feminine.”
3. Masculine or feminine aren’t the only choices
The message Michaels and others like him are projecting is one in which you can be whoever the hell you want. If you want to lift weights and be strong, do it! Whether you’re masc, femme, male, or female. If you want to be able to do pull-ups AND high kicks, if you want to wear acrylic nails AND lifting gloves, if you want to squat a PB and then sashay away, just do it!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkVbAKYAO6S/?hl=en&taken-by=kameronmichaels
Gay Personal Trainers
If you think you could still use some support and help to feel more confident in the gym, you might benefit from working with a gay personal trainer. They can design a training and nutrition program to suit your individual needs, and be on hand to help coach you towards your goals.
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Gay Fitness Challenge 2018
If you’d like to feel a little more confident in the gym, why not sign up for our next Gay Fitness Challenge? Work towards your own goal, with a training and nutrition program specially designed for you. You can train alone or take part in gay group exercise classes, and you’ll have the support of fellow gay guys who are going through the same thing you are.
Choose to either start now and get ready for the Christmas party season or book your place for January and enjoy a guilt-free season.
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