A female weightlifter dispelled the sexist stereotype that men are stronger than women to her new boyfriend.
He didn't take it very well.
Redditor "ThrowRA1287" has been lifting weights for two years, which is in stark contrast to her boyfriend's lack of a workout regimen.
And when he made a remark about men being stronger than women, the Original Poster (OP) annihilated him in a challenge to disprove his misguided theory and wound up showing him up.
It all started when the pandemic brought them to live together.
Things were initially "great."
"I (30F[emale]) met this guy (28M[ale]) in January and he became my BF in February. Comes March, the world goes down the drain and we decided to move in together for the time of the pandemic. Everything is great."
"In the morning, we have this routine where he browses Reddit and gives me the highlights. A few weeks ago, he shows me a post where this guy is challenged to an arm wrestling competition by his GF."
"The guy didn't seem to have any sort of training/work out whereas his GF did."
"I commented he might have a surprise. My BF started educating me on biology and how men are stronger than women. I told him there were way too many factors to take into consideration to make such a broad comment."
"I have been doing weightlifting for 2 years and my BF has never seen a gym in his life, so I used us as an example. That was a BIG mistake."
"He got really defensive and condescending, and made comments like 'That's cute.' I just let it go."
But the OP couldn't let it go after overhearing a conversation in which her name came up.
"Fast forward to yesterday. He's playing some game with his friend (online) and I can clearly hear him talk about me. Well curiosity killed the cat."
"At first it's all pretty and my ego is bursting, but then he says I'm delusional because I think I'm stronger than him. Pause. 'Seriously? I know I'm weak but not weaker than a girl.'"
It was time for a physical challenge.
"So later, I decide to call him on his BS. I asked him if he wanted to come workout with me the next day (this morning) so he can show me how strong he is."
"He accepted and I was happy because I had been dying to bring him and initiate him to something I'm passionate about."
"So, this morning, we went to my friend's (27M) garage (my region allows groups of 10 or less and we wipe everything). I told him we're gonna do deadlifts. It's my favorite exercise and I was already planning to test my personal best so it was perfect."
The competitive display that followed not only impressed her boyfriend, it later bruised his ego.
"My friend was there cause he corrects my form and it's been our Sunday ritual since [the virus]. We started light and slowly worked our way up, doing the same number of reps as the other."
"Comes 185, his form starts to crumble so we made him go lighter. But 185 really isn't that much for me so I kept stacking the plates. He looked very supportive and impressed the whole time. I ended up beating my personal best at 265. I was ecstatic and so were they."
come on yes GIF by Melbournefc
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"When we got in the car, he was very silent. I assumed he was just tired. We got home and that's when he exploded and asked me if I was proud of myself."
"Apparently, I humiliated him in front of my friend. I apologized. I didnt realize he was feeling that way. He got angry and said it really changed the way he saw me, like I'm less of a woman now. He stormed to the basement."
The OP contemplated over "could've" and "should've" scenarios.
"I started collecting my things, but now I'm wondering if I should have been reading between the lines and stopped at 190 or something."
"Or just dropped it and never suggested we workout together? I knew very well I was stronger than him but I just had to prove it to him. AITA?"
She asked AITA (Am I the A**hole) for emasculating her boyfriend.
Anonymous strangers on the internet were asked if and where guilt belongs by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH - No A**holes Here
This Redditor pointed out where the boyfriend's weakness really lay.
"LOL.. this is hilarious and congrats on your personal best. You don't need a physically stronger man, but you definitely need an emotionally stronger man, because that's where your BF is weak."
"You shouldn't have apologized for being better at something you work at than he is. That's your only error here."
"He wanted to sh*t talk and brag when he didn't deserve it. Don't EVER make yourself less to placate the insecurity of anyone. NTA." – whyyallsodumb
These Redditors agreed that bitterness does not make a man.
"If you need a woman to be weaker for you to feel masculine, you were never a real man anyway." – dobylot
"Could not agree more, he is truly pathetic."
"When I was training for an Ironman my husband came on one of my bike rides and I crushed him."
"He loved it and was super impressed. He actually made an Instagram/FB post with a pic of us all sweaty captioned "Got smoked by bae today." Then his penis fell off. :( – HB1C
"LOUDER for those in the back!!! When I met my husband, I could pick him up and even toss him a little."
"Whenever he became too intoxicated to walk, I would throw him over my shoulder like a sack of animal feed and just take him to the car."
"I'm two and half inches taller than him and outweigh him by fifteen pounds of muscle."
"He's never once had a problem with me being taller (he loves it when I wear extremely high heels), stronger (he enjoys knowing I could dominate him if we ever decided to go down that road), and he celebrates how feminine I am (despite me being physically stronger and larger than he is)."
"He's a masculine guy, but he's incredibly secure in that masculinity and doesn't need a woman to pretend to be weak, or unintelligent, or airheaded to stroke his ego."
"Men who act like that are NOT men. They're still boys and need to grow up." – Jedi_Belle01
This guy is more proud than he is intimidated by his stronger girlfriend.
"NTA 100%. My gf and I are gym rats and she out deadlifts me and I'm proud of her. Hard work can beat biology." – JamezPS
Her personal best was also seen as a different kind of victory.
"Think of it this way, the same day you broke your record deadlifting 265lbs, you also dropped roughly the same amount in dead weight! (Your ex)" – OddRaspberry3
The OP said she has yet to hear a word from her boyfriend but will update the thread when and if he finally comes around.
Hopefully by now, his soreness after the workout has gone away.
*If you enjoyed this article, you can read more like it by clicking on the AITA link below.*
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