‘I Went From No Exercise To Strength Training, And Now I Deadlift Over 308 Pounds’
When I was younger, my only experience with sports was through physical education classes at school. I usually enjoyed the lessons a lot, particularly the competition aspect, but I never tried sports outside of school. After I graduated and was no longer exposed to gym classes, I wasn’t doing any kind of physical activity or exercise at all.
But once I turned 18 and while waiting to head to university, I grew bored of my inactivity. I didn’t have any hobbies, and I was experiencing a bout of low confidence and negative body image. It was a depressing period that I think happens to many teenagers. After feeling down for a few months, I wanted to do something to raise my self-esteem and improve my mental health.
Following fitness accounts on Instagram inspired me to try the gym out for the first time and I never looked back.
While scrolling on Instagram one day, a fitness influencer that I followed posted a workout guide. It reminded me of my school gym class and how happy sports made me then. I decided to look into lifting and try the influencer’s workout.
I joined a local gym. But the first time I went, I had a lot of anxiety.
One reason I was anxious was because I was the only woman there who was dressing modestly and wearing a headscarf. I also felt intimidated by the machines, and I worried that someone would notice I didn’t know what I was doing.
To avoid being around other people, I just found a spot in the corner of the studio area and did free weights-based workouts with dumbbells. I did exercises like squats, RDLs, and lunges. I’d also do core exercises like crunches and twists. To document my progress, I created an account on Instagram to record my lifts and keep track of all my workouts.
Over time, I felt more confident taking up space in the gym.
My workouts gave my life structure and improved my physical strength as well as my mental health. After a couple of months, I improved at the dumbbell exercises, and I was ready to try something new again. So, I delved into the machines and Olympic lifts. Initially, they were challenging but they also became easier over time. The more I trained, the more my mental health improved because I found a sense of routine in my life.
I started not to care if people judged me for dressing modestly at the gym. I also took better care of myself, like looking after my sleep more and making better decisions about what I ate. I’d schedule my gym session every day. Finally, I had this sense of structure that I’d been craving.
As more people began following my lifting account on Instagram, I felt a sense of community in the lifting space for the first time.
At first, my journey was quite isolated. I didn’t have many friends that went to the gym. My anxiety stopped me from meeting people while I was there. But then, my Instagram account started gaining more attention and followers, and everything changed. I began to make friends with other lifters online. I learned more about lifting from them and, most importantly, I realized that fitness is not as serious or unwelcoming as I originally thought.
When I first started lifting, there was no one for me to take inspiration from for modesty-based outfits and no one for me to ask questions about how to style clothes, which was quite difficult.
Even though I felt like I was the only one going to the gym with a headscarf, there were people online that were reaching out to me saying I inspired their daughters and sisters. It was heartwarming to see that my page and my journey had an impact on them. Now, I’ve found my own style and it feels amazing that I’m able to help others.
The lifting milestone I’m most proud of is being able to deadlift double my bodyweight, which is 308 pounds.
I can lift more than this now, but I remember the pinnacle of success for me was being able to deadlift 308 pounds, which is double my body weight. I’d been chasing that number for so long. I saw other people lift that weight like it was nothing. That fueled my desire to reach that level for myself. It took me about two years to finally do it. Even lifting more than that now, nothing has felt as good as lifting that double bodyweight number.
After that, I felt like all the work I’d put in was really paying off. Going through this weightlifting journey, I feel more self-assured as a person. I’m not afraid to be a beginner again. I used to be so scared of trying new things because I didn’t want to look bad. But now, I have confidence because I know I have my community and that people look up to me for support.
These three factors were key to my strength transformation:
1. I recognized that failure is part of success.
When I first started out, I was quite scared of failing. Now, after a few years of training I've learned failure is just part of the journey. It also makes me appreciate the successes a little bit more.
My advice to myself and others: Don’t be afraid to fail, and when you do know that it doesn’t mean that you have to quit.
2. I focused on honing my nutrition to see the biggest improvements in my strength.
When I first started lifting, I used to eat anything and everything throughout the day. Unfortunately, most days I didn’t eat enough. It changed when I started taking my fitness more seriously. I learned how important it is to be eating specific food groups and what they contribute to my workouts and for my body.
Because I’ve been trying to build muscle for the past two years, I’ve been really prioritizing getting enough carbs and protein into my nutrition, and making sure I eat enough food throughout the day. These little changes have made a huge difference in my performance and progress.
3. I focused on workouts I enjoyed and didn’t put too much pressure on myself.
I learned to exercise in my way and not just what works for someone else. Just because someone else likes running doesn’t mean that you have to like running. There is so much more to fitness than standard weightlifting, cardio, or HIIT workouts. I found my space in the weight room and the style of strength training that worked for me.
There really is something for everyone, so experiment and find what you like. Don’t feel influenced by other people or forced to like something just because they’re doing it. That's ultimately not fun. When the workout or activity is fun, then I want to keep coming back to it.
These days, I focus on heavy deadlifts, improving on my bodyweight exercises, and steady-state cardio.
For my gym sessions now, I usually start out with a compound movement, like deadlifts and squats. That takes me about an hour to do because of all the warm-up sets and mobility I complete beforehand to prepare my body for lifting heavy. For the compound movement, I usually do 3 or 4 sets of 8 reps per exercise. What I do next depends on the day of the week.
One day I’ll focus on biceps and triceps, another day I’ll do chest and biceps, then finally I’ll do a totally legs-focused day.
I also started integrating more steady-state cardio fitness into my routine, like brisk walking on the stepper or treadmill, and doing bodyweight movements like pullups. I really want to get better at these aspects of fitness, since I’ve neglected them for so long.
I don’t train every single day because my sessions are so long and intense. On my recovery days, I really enjoy stretching. I’m also trying to do full splits, and for that you need to be very flexible, so I’m spending more time on stretches and mobility.
I’m going to be honest, I don’t like ice baths, so that kind of recovery is off the table for me. Instead, I might do a light cardio day and then go in the sauna, or just do foam rolling.
Overall, I want to show the world there is no limit to what you can do as a Muslim woman.
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