This post is sponsored by RitFit, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
What I wish someone had told me in my twenties: strength training doesn’t require a gym membership or any of the bro-coded baggage I spent years attaching to it. For me, it started with a bench, a pair of dumbbells, and the willingness to try.
I’ve been a runner since my early 20’s. I always looked at heavier weights and machines as something that wasn’t for me. I was not an experienced “weight lifter,” and I didn’t know what I was doing. But while testing home gym equipment for The Everygirl and watching wellness culture shift from cardio-only to strength-first, I started to see strength training differently.
Lifting isn’t just about aesthetics anymore. It’s about bone density, posture, mood, longevity, and feeling strong in your everyday life.
I’m a whenever-I-can-fit-it-in kind of person. I’m also deeply not a morning workout person. And at 37, I’ve finally accepted that no amount of habit stacking is going to turn me into someone excited to wake up at 5 a.m. to exercise. Plus, as a work-from-home mom of two, convenience matters more than perfection.
So last fall, after a lot of research and a few trips to the hardware store, my husband and I turned part of our garage into a workout space. Our setup includes the RitFit Smith Machine Pro, an adjustable weight bench, and a back extension machine. With a garage gym, I can treat strength training the same way I treat any other piece of my self-care routine: low-friction, low-pressure, and completely curated by me.
I’ve stopped trying to make workouts feel overly serious. Give me a playlist full of ’90s throwbacks, a cute set, and a routine I can realistically stick to, and I’m good to go.
Most of these movements happen on an adjustable weight bench setup. It’s what makes it easy to move between exercises without overthinking transitions or needing a full gym setup if you’re just getting started.
A few beginner-friendly strength exercises I come back to constantly:
I am the worst offender of Mom posture, tech neck, hunch-over-the-computer hobbit stance, you name it, I do it. I didn’t even realize how bad it was before I added the RitFit Back Extension Machine to the lineup.
A lot of lower back discomfort can come from a weak or underused posterior chain, especially if you spend most of your day sitting. The back extension machine has helped work muscles I tend to neglect—glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
Two beginner-friendly moves to start with:
The biggest progress I’ve made isn’t a number on a barbell. It’s enjoying exercise again. Once I pop my headphones on and focus, it’s so nice to spend 30 minutes just focused on myself and getting better and stronger for me. That’s the part of strength training nobody really talks about—the quiet, repeatable time you spend on yourself, with no one watching.
To anyone who thinks self-care stops at face masks and bubble baths: try the dumbbells. Something you may not have enjoyed or been afraid of five years ago might be perfect for you in this stage of life. It doesn’t make you a gym bro. It makes you the kind of woman who invests in her future self.
Ally is the mom to two rambunctious boys and is rightfully referred to as “Chief Household Officer” in her home. You can find her family spending long afternoons swimming in their pool, searching for sea glass at the New England shore, and going on fun outdoor adventures.
Paige spends her working hours on brand work that doesn’t feel like brand work. Before that, community newspapers and country music marketing. She lives in Chicago with her partner and cats, and spends her off-hours trying new restaurants and losing her phone.
This post is sponsored by RitFit, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
Products included in graphics linked within article. Feature graphic images credited to: S B | Dupe, Maddie McGarity | Dupe, Olivia Roberts | Dupe, Angela Serrano | Dupe, Renata Campos | Dupe, Katie Huber-Rhoades | Dupe, S B | Dupe, Solange Rodrigues | Dupe, Taylor Caruso | Dupe, and Ariana Nieves | Dupe.
