#BodyTalkWithCosmo: Muscles over misery—why women are choosing strength over shrinking

Once upon a time, fitness was about shrinking waistlines, calorie counts, and the number on the scale. But walk into any gym in 2025 and you’ll see women deadlifting, squatting, and carrying the weight of the world (literally and emotionally) with ease. The girlies aren’t working out to get skinny anymore, they’re working out to become strong—more powerful, more confident, more in control.

To understand this shift, we turned to Raksha Lulla, an all-round wellness oracle—nutritionist and coach, who says it’s high time we dropped the obsession with thinness and picked up a barbell instead.

From “smaller” to “stronger”

“Indians tend to follow the West when it comes to fitness,” Lulla says. “And while Westerners already have a lot of daily movement built into their lives because of no home help, and hello, walking culture, the real missing link for them was strength. Once strength training got its global moment online, India started catching on, too. But for us? We’ve got to focus on both—strength and movement.”

It’s not just about physical gains, either. Lulla often hears clients say things like, “I want to feel strong and healthy. I don’t care about the scale anymore.” And that evolution—chef’s kiss—is everything. “There’s more awareness now around hormonal balance and sustainability over crash diets and six-week weight loss plans,” she explains. “Women are finally ready to play the long game.”

But what does this mindset actually look like in action?

“When a woman lifts something heavy, to the count of 20, her nervous system learns how to handle stress. That resilience shows up outside the gym, too,” Lulla says. A rep a day keeps the meltdowns away? We’ll take it.

Breaking up with the calorie count

And while many of us still have an inner calorie-counter that won't shut up (thanks, diet culture!), Lulla is here to remind you: You are not a math problem to solve. “Unlearning the calorie obsession is a huge part of my coaching,” she says. “It’s not your fault—most women feel scared of letting go. But we need to ditch the illusion that control equals safety. Trust your body’s GPS, not the MyFitnessPal algorithm.”

The confidence boost you didn’t see coming

And speaking of trusting your body, strength training has a not-so-subtle side effect: major body image glow-ups. Even if the weight doesn’t budge. “Women start lifting, and they start seeing what their bodies can do. They stop seeing themselves as objects and start living in their bodies again,” she says. Redemption of the inner Kali, she calls it. We call it hot girl liberation.

 

You really won’t “bulk up” like a man, we promise

Of course, not everyone’s bought in just yet—especially with myths still floating around that lifting makes women “bulky.” Lulla is quick to bust that one: “Unless you’re jabbing hormones or lifting like a pro bodybuilder, that’s just not true. Plus, women should be syncing their training to their menstrual cycle anyway.”

Strong is no longer a trend. It’s the standard. And we’re totally done apologising for taking up space—on the mat, at the gym, and in our lives. 

 

Lead Image: Pexels

Also read: #BodyTalkWithCosmo: Training based on your menstrual cycle is the future of fitness. Period.

Also read: #BodyTalkWithCosmo: Why gaining (or losing) three kilos a month is totally normal

Also read: #BodyTalkWithCosmo: Skinny in Seoul, curvy in Cairo—how weight is seen around the world