Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Fitness

Top 10 Women’s Fitness Articles of 2013

This top ten list of articles is for the female athletes out there who want to get stronger, feel better, and celebrate the female form in athletics and otherwise.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by

If you’re a woman who wants to learn how to get stronger, optimize your health, and love your body, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a list of the top ten most popular women’s fitness articles from 2013, covering all the things female athletes love to talk about – from cellulite, to birth control, to pull ups.

So here they are, counting down from number ten to the most popular one of the year. Which one will it be? And have you read them all?

Top 10 Women’s Fitness Articles of 2013

10. 6 CrossFit Abbreviations Every Mom Needs to Know (Nicole Crawford)

Good CrossFit programming doesn’t stop at the box. If you’re a mom, here are six CrossFit abbreviations you need to know to improve efficiency and get mad mom-skills.

9. Non-Hormonal Birth Control for Athletes (Vanessa Bennington)

You’re worried your birth control might be interfering with your athletic goals and your general health, but you’re not ready to have a kid. What are your options? There’s actually quite a few.

8. How My Jacket Convinced Women to Try Weight Lifting (Becca Borawski-Jenkins)

As a coach I was blessed with a genetic predisposition for packing on muscle and sometimes inadvertently frightening female prospects. So my jacket became my tool for initiating women into the gym.

7. Is My Birth Control Stopping My Progress in the Gym? (Vanessa Bennington)

Did you ever wonder if the reason you haven’t been able to reach your deadlift goal or see your abs might be related to that little pill you take every morning to keep you from having a kiddo?

6. Exercise After a C-Section, Part 1: Reconnecting With Your Core (Nicole Crawford

Getting back to normal exercise after a c-section can be a challenge. Here are some tips to gradually reconnect with your core and prevent complications.

5. The Female Form: Embrace Your Genetics and Find Beauty in Being Unique (Amber Larsen)

On average, most women will have about thirteen negative thoughts about their appearance per day. I know it can be difficult to stop the negative self talk, but it’s time to embrace yourself.

4. Women and Pull Ups: 3 Secrets to Success You’ve Probably Never Tried (Andrew Read)

In my work with females trying to get their first pull up, I’ve spotted three main areas of weakness. I’m going to explain and offer a fix for each of these.

3. 2 Myths About Women and Weightlifting Debunked (Andrew Read)

It’s long been female gym folklore that to get lean you do high reps with a light load, while those looking to get bigger need to lift heavy. Let’s look at some misconceptions around this advice.

2. 144lbs: Why Female Athletes Should Toss the Scale and Get a New Perspective (Becca Borawski-Jenkins)

If I told you I weighed 144lbs would you believe me? Do you even know what 144lbs of female athlete looks like? It’s time to get real about what real weights look like.

1. The Dirty Little Secret of the Female Athlete: Cellulite (Vanessa Bennington)

I have a secret. It’s one I’ve been trying to cover it up since I was thirteen. I felt that my secret would lead people to believe I was fat, lazy, gross, and unattractive. Do you share my secret?

Photo 1 courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.

Photo 2 courtesy of Becca Borawski Jenkins.

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

View All Articles

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

Follow Us