Heavy Lefting : Fitness Free from Capitalism

Practical stepstowards a liberatory fitness culture

Practical steps towards a liberatory fitness culture

For many on the left, the world of physical training and intentional wellness couldn’t be further from consciousness. Whether the leftist is more at home mired in back-to-back union meetings or pounding the streets fuelled only by caffeine fumes, we have a unifying tendency to consider the care of our own bodies as being of far lesser importance than the immediate needs of struggle. This is a mistake. Our bodies are not only the vessels of our struggle, they are the ever-present vehicles of our existence.

This disconnect is understandable when the industrial image of fitness we’re most familiar with is that of the brightly lit, mirrored chain gym, promising transformation towards the capitalist ideal, which has only ever been accessible to the very few. Heavy Lefting starts by revealing a little-known history of leftist physical training and culture, before exploring the author’s experiences as a left-wing personal trainer (one who began as a confirmed fitness skeptic), as well as that of fifteen other diverse activists. Becca only first set foot in a gym seeking a practice to support her union organising. Years later, she’s discovered just how central a physical movement practice can be to an enjoyable life.

The book uses concepts from the world of organising to explain key fitness principles. Readers are guided in how to build a fitness habits from scratch around busy, stressful lives of activism, work, family, and community commitments. It offers practical, inclusive workout ideas and an approach to food that’s respectful, realistic, enjoyment-focused and mental-health aware. Finally, Heavy Lefting imagines how we might reorganise society so that inclusive movement and wellness — unwarped by the profit motive — are made central and accessible to all.