Résumé
Resistance training (RT) has been identified as a promising approach to improving women’s body image. However, little is known about the contextual and psychological processes that shape this relationship. This study used a critical realist framework to explore women’s experiences of RT and identify mechanisms through which RT environments support or hinder positive body image outcomes. Seven online focus groups were conducted with 22 women aged 20–40 with varied RT experience. Data were analyzed using realist thematic analysis, followed by mechanism mapping to identify generative mechanisms and their contextual antecedents. Four themes were generated: (1) Body image as a socially shaped lens on daily life, (2) Starting RT: Surveillance, self-doubt, and support, (3) Shifting motivations: From appearance to functionality, and (4) Empowerment is contextual: Features of RT settings that support body image. Five core mechanisms were identified through retroductive reasoning and mechanism mapping: increased self-efficacy, reduced body-related self-consciousness, functionality appreciation, authentic pride, and social connectedness. These were proposed to be activated by contextual inputs, including inclusive social modelling, beginner-friendly instruction, low-surveillance space design, process-over-appearance climates, and counter-messaging to gendered body ideals. When activated, these mechanisms are proposed to support short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes related to body image, exercise identity, and sustained RT engagement. Findings suggest RT is not inherently body image–enhancing but can become so when specific contextual conditions are met, offering direction for theory-informed RT intervention design.
