CrossFit athlete was getting a manicure when the nail artist praised her toned arms — then one unexpected question left her stunned
Getting a compliment from a stranger can give a nice confidence boost, especially when it is about something you have worked hard to build. CrossFit Games athlete Arielle Loewen, who goes by @arielleloewen on Instagram, mentioned on September 9, 2026, that she knew her toned arms caught the attention of strangers. If she wore a tank top in public, people sometimes commented on her muscles, and she was used to it. But the athlete’s routine trip to the nail salon one day left her speechless when a compliment was followed by a question she never saw coming.
When the worker doing her nails looked at her and said, “Oh my gosh, I love your arms,” she gave her usual response: “Thank you, I work really hard.” What she didn't expect was the question that came next: “What injections do you take to get those arms?” The nail artist explained that she had Botox done and was on Ozempic, then asked if there was a similar injection she could take to get a toned upper body. Loewen eventually explained that muscle doesn't come from an injection. “You have to go in there; you have to lift the weights,” she told her. The discussion stayed with the woman long after her appointment ended. She started thinking about how strange it was that something she had spent so much time building was assumed to have been received through a simple shortcut.
She acknowledged that there are advanced options to change one's appearance. However, she reiterated, “This is hard work right here,” while pointing towards her arms. She wasn't offended by the question. If anything, it made her appreciate the work behind her physique even more, because she had earned them in the gym. An injection can’t actually build the kind of toned body as seen on a trained athlete. A study revealed that drugs such as semaglutide are used to promote weight loss and can change body composition, but it does not show them directly creating the muscle hypertrophy produced by resistance training. In fact, studies of GLP-1 drugs have found that some of the weight lost can come from lean mass as well as fat. Researchers have time and again emphasized resistance training and adequate nutrition as important ways to preserve muscle during weight loss.
No one understands the importance of discipline and hard work in fitness better than those who sweat it out themselves. Fitness trainer Lori Curtiss, whose muscular physique tends to attract comments, was caught in the midst of two encounters at the gym that showed her just how differently those comments can land. One man asked if she was trying to lose weight. Lori explained that her active routine affected her size, but he said she might not notice because she sees herself every day. Lori replied, “Okay,” and stayed calm until he walked away. Soon after, another man approached while she was doing triceps exercises. He told her, “You look like you work really hard." With one statement, he erased the uncertainty the previous person had instilled, and helped renew her confidence.
You can follow Arielle Loewen (@arielleloewen) on Instagram for more content on fitness, health, and lifestyle.