I have spent almost 51 years living in this body and the whole time I've been a little vague about where my biceps actually are. I mean, I knew they were in my upper arm. I didn't think they were responsible for, like, popping my ears or flexing my toes. But when my own personal biceps began to grow in response to regular weight-training, I said to myself, "Huh, those are not quite where I was expecting them to be."
Here is another fairly obvious thing I did not know: a person can move heavier things if she is not embarrassed about making the occasional weird face or involuntary noise. I'm not going full-on Adam Ondra in the gym, but I'm definitely scowling and breathing loudly. The first time I watched Joe lift something heavy without a mask it was a little startling. "That's the scariest face I've ever seen you make," I told him. Joe says you know it's a good workout if you make scary faces by the end of it.
I think many women my age are socialized to think that they should be quiet and smiley when they work out, which is why the articles show us waving 5-pound dumbbells around, which is why our biceps don't get very big, which is how I lived more than a half-century in this body without a clear understanding of where my biceps are. Better late than never, friends.
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