How much would you’ve bet that the unathletic kid in your neighborhood would somehow go on to be a competitive athlete?

As a child, my guest Alyssa Ages couldn’t swim a pool lap or get a hit in Little League to save her life. But now she’s a strength training enthusiast and advocate who has spent 10 years competing in marathons, triathlons, and strong woman competitions. Her book Secrets of Giants dives into her journey in strength training and why people pursue it, the lessons she’s learned as a result, and how everyone can leverage those same lessons.

In this conversation on The Wonder Women Podcast, you’ll hear about how Alyssa’s time as an endurance athlete and strong woman competitor prepared her to embrace and learn from failure and how doing so helps you in and out of the gym. You’ll learn how strength training helps you maintain your independence, push past your limits, and endure discomfort.

1:53 - How Alyssa got started in strength training and what inspired her book

8:00 - How Alyssa’s life (and perspective on failure) changed due to lessons learned from strength training

14:50 - The balance of pushing yourself to your limits while still maintaining control and why discomfort can be empowering

20:56 - Why women should embrace strength training and reject the idea of taking it easy as they get older

Connect with Alyssa Ages

Alyssa is a Toronto-based, New York-born author, freelance writer, and copywriter. She is also a mom, strongman competitor, endurance athlete (six marathons & an Ironman), rock climber, CrossFitter, and former member of the Jersey City Bridge & Pummel roller derby team. Her work has appeared in ELLE, GQ, SELF, Slate, The Globe & Mail, WIRED, Men’s Health, Parents, and others.

Her debut book, Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength was featured in The New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly, among others. It is part personal narrative, part research mission, part midlife crisis odyssey into the world of strength to answer the question: What if strength isn’t about how much we can lift, but how we manage life’s struggles?

Alyssa Ages

Alyssa at The Globe and Mail

Mentioned In How Strength Training Helps You Push Past Limits In and Out of the Gym with Alyssa Ages

“Powerlifting Past 40 with Marisa Inda and Jen Thompson” | The Wonder Women Podcast

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

“Strength Training Isn’t About Success. It’s About Failure.” by Alyssa Ages | Slate

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