It took me a while to come around to the way of the barbell. Back in the day, I was a long-form cardio, aerobic workout queen. Triathlons, half marathons, 100-mile bike rides: these were the things that made me feel challenged and invigorated. Then I became the person who was happiest when my workout was filled with an insane list of scary exercises: Box jumps and pullups and renegade rows and sumo deadlift high-pull as fast as possible? OK!

Although I really did enjoy the exertion, if I’m being completely honest, the primary reason I put myself through grueling cardio workouts is because I wanted to be lean and fit. I wanted to see dramatic changes in how my body looked. But no matter how many miles I ran or Filthy Fifties I completed, my body appeared to be remarkably the same.