What Public Speaking and Strength Training Have in Common
When most people think of public speaking, they imagine techniques: projecting your voice, making eye contact, structuring your ideas.
And when people think of strength training, they imagine barbells, dumbbells, sweating, and reps.
But the more you look at the two side by side, the more you realize something interesting:
public speaking and strength training are actually solving the same problem.
They both teach you how to:
stay grounded under pressure
control your breathing
build perceived confidence
move with deliberate presence
and unify your mind + body so you feel capable in the moment
Honestly? They should be talked about together way more often.
Let’s dig into what they have in common.
1. Both require staying calm under pressure
Whether you’re holding a heavy kettlebell or staring at a conference room full of people… your body doesn’t know the difference.
Your nervous system says:
“This feels high stakes.”
Your heart rate increases. Your breath shortens.
You feel the urge to rush or back out.
Learning to stay steady under that pressure is what makes you more confident over time.
Strength training gives you literal reps at this feeling.
Public speaking gives you mental reps.
Together, they build a calm, grounded presence.
2. Both build confidence through repeat exposure
You don’t become a confident speaker by reading a book.
You become confident by practicing—by getting up there again and again.
Strength training works the exact same way.
Confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something your body learns through repeated physical success.
Every time you stand up from a squat, press weight overhead, or pull yourself up…
your brain whispers:
“I can do things I didn’t think I could.”
That internal dialogue is the root of genuine confidence.
3. Both change your posture—in ways people actually notice
Strong posture = strong presence.
Not rigid or stiff—supported.
When your body feels stable and strong,
your shoulders relax
your breathing deepens
your presence quiets a room
That’s why public speaking coaches emphasize posture and breath…
and why strength training naturally improves both.
Your physical confidence becomes your communicative confidence.
4. Both teach you to slow down
Rushing a speech and rushing through reps share one thing: they come from nerves.
Strength training teaches pacing, breath control, and patience—skills that directly transfer to speaking clearly under pressure.
If you’re building confidence, you need both body and voice
You can study speaking techniques all day, but if your body collapses under stress… your confidence can’t anchor itself.
And you can get physically strong, but if you freeze when all eyes are on you… your confidence can’t be expressed.
The magic happens when the two work together.
⭐️ Ready to build confidence from the inside out?
If you’re a professional looking to speak up more, show up more powerfully, or feel more confident in your body and your voice…
Skybound’s Confidence Through Strength afternoon program was designed for you.
It’s small-group strength training that builds the kind of presence you can feel—in meetings, presentations, and everyday life.
👉 Learn more about the Confidence Through Strength program here.
