94: Angela Gargano: The Real Reason You’re Not Stronger Yet (It’s Not What You Think)
The Real Reason You're Not Stronger Yet (It's Not What You Think)
Feel like you're lifting heavy but not getting stronger? Angela Gargano (4x American Ninja Warrior) shares the biggest strength training misconceptions women face and how to finally get that first pull-up.
Feel like you're lifting heavy but still not getting stronger? Same weights, same reps, same frustration? Here's the thing: you might be missing the real markers of strength, and it's not what you think.
This week, Tara sat down with Angela Gargano, former D1 gymnast, 4x American Ninja Warrior competitor, certified strength coach, and founder of Strong Feels Good, to talk about why so many women feel stuck in their strength journey. Spoiler: it's usually not a programming issue.
Whether you're working on your first pull-up or just trying to feel more powerful in your body, this conversation is packed with tools, mindset shifts, and no-BS advice that actually works.
Why Chasing Aesthetics Won't Make You Strong
Let's start with the big shift: Angela stopped chasing aesthetics and started chasing real strength. And honestly? This is the mindset pivot that changes everything.
For years, so many of us have been told that the goal of lifting is to look a certain way. Smaller waist. Leaner arms. Perky glutes. But when you shift your focus from how you look to what your body can do? That's when things get interesting.
Strength isn't just about the number on the barbell or how your biceps look in a tank top. It's about feeling capable, confident, and powerful in your own skin. It's about walking into the gym and knowing you can handle whatever's in front of you, and that confidence bleeds into every other area of your life.
When you stop obsessing over aesthetics and start celebrating what your body can accomplish, training becomes so much more rewarding. The physical changes? They still happen. But they're a byproduct of getting stronger, not the entire point.
What American Ninja Warrior Taught Her About Confidence (and Failure)
Angela competed on American Ninja Warrior four times, and the lessons she learned go way beyond upper body strength and grip endurance. The biggest one? Failure is part of the process, and it doesn't define you.
Think about it: on ANW, you fail publicly. On national TV. In front of millions of people. And you know what? You survive it. You learn from it. You come back stronger.
That kind of exposure to failure builds a different kind of confidence. Not the kind where you're always crushing it and never making mistakes, but the kind where you know you can handle setbacks, adjust, and keep going. That's the confidence that translates everywhere: in the gym, at work, in relationships, in life.
The gym is one of the best places to practice this. You're going to miss lifts. You're going to have off days. You're going to fall short of goals sometimes. And that's okay. What matters is showing up anyway.
The Pull-Up Mindset Shift Every Woman Needs to Hear
Let's talk pull-ups. For so many women, the pull-up feels like this impossible, mythical feat of strength. Something only the genetically gifted or super-athletic can achieve. But Angela's here to tell you: that's bullshit.
The truth about upper body strength? Most women don't know how strong they actually are because they've never trained for it. We've been conditioned to think upper body work is "for the guys" or that we're just naturally weaker up top. But when you actually train pull-ups consistently and intelligently, your body adapts. Period.
The mindset shift Angela talks about is this: stop treating the pull-up like a far-off dream and start training it like a skill. You wouldn't expect to deadlift 200 pounds without building up to it, right? The same goes for pull-ups. They require specific strength, technique, and consistent practice, but they're absolutely achievable.
And here's the kicker: the confidence you gain from getting your first pull-up is unmatched. It's proof that you're capable of more than you think. That you can set a goal, work toward it, and actually achieve it. That's powerful.
How to Train Pull-Ups If You Can't Do Any Yet
Okay, so you want to get your first pull-up. Where the hell do you start?
Angela breaks it down: you need to build pulling strength, grip strength, and scapular control. And no, that doesn't mean spending months on the assisted pull-up machine (sorry, but that thing isn't doing you as many favors as you think).
Here's what actually works:
Negative pull-ups: Start at the top of the pull-up position (jump or use a box to get there) and slowly lower yourself down with control. This builds eccentric strength, which is crucial for the full movement.
Scapular pull-ups: Hang from the bar and practice pulling your shoulder blades down and together without bending your elbows. This teaches you how to engage your lats and start the pull-up from a strong position.
Bent-over rows and inverted rows: These build the horizontal pulling strength that translates directly to vertical pulls. Go heavy, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together, and control the tempo.
Dead hangs: Simply hanging from the bar builds grip strength and shoulder stability. Work up to 30-60 seconds at a time.
The key is consistency. You're not going to get a pull-up by training it once a week. You need to practice the skill multiple times per week, build the supporting strength around it, and trust the process.
Grip Strength Hacks That Actually Work
Let's talk grip for a second, because this is where a lot of women lose their pull-up attempts, not because they're not strong enough, but because their hands give out first.
Grip strength isn't sexy, but it's essential. Here are some practical ways to build it:
Farmer's carries: Walk with heavy dumbbells or kettlebells. Keep your shoulders down and your core tight. This builds grip endurance fast.
Dead hangs: Already mentioned, but worth repeating. Just hang. Your grip will get stronger.
Fat grips or thicker bars: These force your hands to work harder, building grip strength more quickly than standard barbells.
Don't over-rely on straps: Straps have their place for heavy deadlifts and rows, but if you use them for everything, your grip never gets the chance to strengthen. Use them strategically.
Strong grip = better performance on pull-ups, deadlifts, rows, and pretty much every other pulling movement. Don't skip it.
Why Women Hold Back in the Gym, and How to Stop
Here's something Angela and Tara dig into: why do so many women hold back in the gym?
You see it all the time. Women lifting lighter than they're capable of. Not pushing as hard as they could. Apologizing for taking up space. Playing small.
Part of it is societal conditioning. We've been taught not to be "too much", too loud, too strong, too intense. But the gym is one place where you get to throw that out the window. You get to take up space. You get to be loud. You get to lift heavy and grunt and sweat and be unapologetically powerful.
The shift happens when you stop caring about what people might think and start caring about what you can do. When you stop apologizing for being strong. When you realize that confidence in the gym translates to confidence everywhere else.
So how do you stop holding back? Start small. Add five more pounds to the bar. Try that harder variation. Take up more space. Celebrate your wins instead of downplaying them. And surround yourself with people who lift you up, literally and figuratively.
Confidence in the Gym = Confidence Everywhere Else
This is the throughline of the entire conversation: the confidence you build in the gym doesn't stay in the gym.
When you prove to yourself that you can do hard things, whether it's hitting a PR, getting your first pull-up, or just showing up consistently, you start to believe you're capable of hard things outside the gym too. You stand taller. You speak up more. You take risks. You stop shrinking yourself.
Strength training is one of the most empowering things you can do, not just for your body, but for your mind. It teaches you that progress takes time. That failure is part of the process. That you're stronger than you think. And that you deserve to take up space.
That's the real reason to train. Not for aesthetics. Not to look a certain way. But to feel powerful, capable, and confident in who you are.
Key Takeaways
Here's what you need to remember from this episode:
Chasing aesthetics won't make you strong, chasing strength will
Confidence in the gym builds confidence everywhere else in your life
Pull-ups are a skill that can be trained, not a genetic lottery
Upper body strength for women is underestimated, you're stronger than you think
Grip strength matters more than you realize (train it consistently)
Stop holding back in the gym, you deserve to take up space
Failure is part of the process, and it doesn't define you
Ready to Get Stronger?
If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing real progress, check out the Broads strength training app. Home and gym workouts built for progress, not burnout.
What's one strength goal you're working toward right now? Tag us on Instagram @broads.podcast and let us know what you're chasing.
For more no-BS fitness content, follow @taralaferrara and check out the full Broads podcast library for 90+ episodes covering everything from strength training to hormone health.
