Guys that are in the weight room getting your workout in...

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Replies

  • numindan
    numindan Posts: 163 Member
    A question - not meant to be disrespectful - wouldn't 5 or 10 pound dumbell weights and a floor mat accomplish the same thing as lifting the bar without tying up equipment that has more uses?

    If you're in the weight room and there are a bunch of heavy lifters around, ain't no one going to be waiting for the 5# dumbell set. ;)

    Umm, why would anyone want to limit themselves to a 5 or 10 lb dumbbell when a naked bar weighs 45 lbs? Even if she were lifting dumb bells instead of an empty bar, she'd still need to be lifting 20+ lb dumb bells for a similar workout.

    Personally, I find it a lot easier to do overhead/military presses with the barbell than dumb bells if I don't have a spotter available. I'm rehabbing a shoulder injury and can manage the weight distribution/balance better.

    I used to worry about what guys in the gym might think about my lifting empty bars or bars with smaller weights when I wasn't at the gym with my trainer and/or husband. Now I'm so used to the "back room" (my gym splits the weights - most machines and 20lbs and under dumb bells are in the front room. all others, including the barbells, squat rack, etc. are in the back room) and getting advice from the olympic style lifters there that I just don't care what any of the other guys think.
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
    Get over the insecurities of what you can and cannot do. You are in the gym to workout. /endthread

    Exactly. I walk in that area with confidence because I'm there to kick *kitten*, mostly MINE! I put my headphones on and just ignore the world. Essentially, I think most of the guys are in their own worlds (as I'm in mine) and probably barely notice you.

    Hold your head high and do your thing!
  • DPernet
    DPernet Posts: 481 Member
    O hell no! It's great seeing girls getting all sweaty. Much better than staring at some gorilla.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
    If anyone minds that I'm 'just lifting the bar" they can go *kitten* themselves. True story.

    I recommend this attitude.

    I totally agree with this attitude. You should walk in there like you own the place and lift what you can lift. Everyone is in a different place with their fitness and it shouldn't matter what other people think - men or women.


    Whoa...Wait a minute...I actually do my best to ignore this...but I think anyone who walks in the gym like the own the place is a dbag...Men or Women...Chest popped out as if they can lift the gym...maybe there is a such thing is too cocky...i dunno


    I may have misread you guys post..or misinterpret

    Misread or not, I agree - there can be such a thing as too cocky. But, being confident and getting in there with the attitude that you know exactly what you are doing is EXTREMELY liberating. I think this kicked in for me when I bought lifting gloves. Hee hee. I told my husband they make me look like more of a bada$$. :laugh:

    Amen...you have to be confident and focus to lift weights...otherwise you never progress...I use to lift with a buddy back when I was in the Air Force...and he was always too scared to add more weight..even faked shoulder injuries so I wouldnt push him....

    But on that over cocky thing...it's ridiculous in Gold's gym....and it's worse from guys who can barely lift the bar...
  • EpiGaiaRepens
    EpiGaiaRepens Posts: 824 Member
    If anyone minds that I'm 'just lifting the bar" they can go *kitten* themselves. True story.

    I recommend this attitude.

    I agree with this. It's no one's business how you structure your own workout. Also, there *is* a difference between using the bar and using dumb bells...even if the weight is the same. I think of using just the bar as stepping into a new world- working on your form, getting comfortable with it, and then upping weights. I use the bar for my OHP when I used to use dumbells. I felt like a dork for a while doing it...but now I'm OHP 60 lbs!!! and with my shoulder injury, it seems to be better to use one bar on both arms, than to do each arm individually. And I plan on adding more weights as time goes by.

    I have to admit, my gym isn't a typical gym. I go to a rockclimbing gym. I think there's something about it being more for climbers than anyone else that makes it a certain culture. I really LOVE my gym. There's very little gawking or weirdness or rudeness. Everyone has this sense of comradery. The women there are all amazingly incredibly ripped and strong. There's just very little negative presumptions. People are really really nice. And fun. yesterday, some guys invited me to do plank with them.... I totally lost the contest...and one of them said "Hey! We don't judge! I saw you doing squats over there an hour ago!" I had been lifting hard for a solid hour and these guys were just playful and nice.

    I wish everyone's gym was as awesome as mine.

    <3
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    If anyone minds that I'm 'just lifting the bar" they can go *kitten* themselves. True story.

    I recommend this attitude.

    I totally agree with this attitude. You should walk in there like you own the place and lift what you can lift. Everyone is in a different place with their fitness and it shouldn't matter what other people think - men or women.


    Whoa...Wait a minute...I actually do my best to ignore this...but I think anyone who walks in the gym like the own the place is a dbag...Men or Women...Chest popped out as if they can lift the gym...maybe there is a such thing is too cocky...i dunno


    I may have misread you guys post..or misinterpret

    Misread or not, I agree - there can be such a thing as too cocky. But, being confident and getting in there with the attitude that you know exactly what you are doing is EXTREMELY liberating. I think this kicked in for me when I bought lifting gloves. Hee hee. I told my husband they make me look like more of a bada$$. :laugh:

    I don't mind if you think I'm "too cocky" or a "dbag."

    I'm a swanky b*tch and I enjoy being the way that I am.
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    I prefer using the weight room when I'm doing sets with my husband. I don't lift that heavy but I do need a spotter. I feel uncomfortable when I lift by myself. One reason is that I rest between sets. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute. I feel that when the guys see me resting, they assume that I'm dilly dallying around and taking up the machine space. Some even come up and ask how many more sets I have left and they keep eyeing the machine. It's like telling me to hurry up. When I'm lifting with my husband, we're able to rest between sets while the other lifts. No one comes up to us and ask how many more sets we have.

    I get asked, and ask a few times every session "How many sets have you got left?" Just helps to plan your workout and make most use of the time. Definately not because you're a woman - It's common gym practice as far as I know.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    A question - not meant to be disrespectful - wouldn't 5 or 10 pound dumbell weights and a floor mat accomplish the same thing as lifting the bar without tying up equipment that has more uses?

    If you're in the weight room and there are a bunch of heavy lifters around, ain't no one going to be waiting for the 5# dumbell set. ;)

    Umm, why would anyone want to limit themselves to a 5 or 10 lb dumbbell when a naked bar weighs 45 lbs? Even if she were lifting dumb bells instead of an empty bar, she'd still need to be lifting 20+ lb dumb bells for a similar workout.

    Sorry, never lifted an empty bar - I usually use dumbells for almost everything I do. We only have one empty bar and one squat bar where I work out, and they are usually in use or I have the whole room to myself. I've found it easier to simply grab a few bells from the rack and find a quiet corner to do my workouts.

    The point was "if it's a desired piece of equipment and you can accomplish similar things with other more readily available pieces of equipment, then it's optimal for everyone use the equipment under the least contention that gets the job done".

    Which is not to imply that this is something one is obligated to do - everyone has equal access to all shared resources at a gym.
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    If anyone minds that I'm 'just lifting the bar" they can go *kitten* themselves. True story.

    I recommend this attitude.

    I totally agree with this attitude. You should walk in there like you own the place and lift what you can lift. Everyone is in a different place with their fitness and it shouldn't matter what other people think - men or women.


    Whoa...Wait a minute...I actually do my best to ignore this...but I think anyone who walks in the gym like the own the place is a dbag...Men or Women...Chest popped out as if they can lift the gym...maybe there is a such thing is too cocky...i dunno


    I may have misread you guys post..or misinterpret

    Misread or not, I agree - there can be such a thing as too cocky. But, being confident and getting in there with the attitude that you know exactly what you are doing is EXTREMELY liberating. I think this kicked in for me when I bought lifting gloves. Hee hee. I told my husband they make me look like more of a bada$$. :laugh:

    My wife is always reluctant to use the weights room and only ever does when I'm there. She also bought some leather weight lifting gloves but I've never seen her use them! I think she worries that she'll be labelled as "All the gear - no idea"
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Guys... When you see a girl that can't lift very well in the weight room trying to lift, are we a bother to you?

    No more of a bother then all the men in the weight room that don't know what they're doing. If you get in there and work hard and practice good form but you can't do a lot of weight who cares.
  • Shells06
    Shells06 Posts: 109 Member

    Guys... When you see a girl that can't lift very well in the weight room trying to lift, are we a bother to you?

    NOPE!

    funny-gifs-work-it-girl.gif

    Ahahahahahahah!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • numindan
    numindan Posts: 163 Member
    I have to admit, my gym isn't a typical gym. I go to a rockclimbing gym. I think there's something about it being more for climbers than anyone else that makes it a certain culture.
    I agree that sometimes, the people, rather than the equipment or extra services make the gym. Mine is filled with current and ex CFL football players and training staff. They're the nicest people who are frequently willing to give advice, provide a spot when needed, or help you with your form.

    Perhaps that's why the other men are so well behaved in my gym ;)

    Nothing brightens my day when I'm lifting alone more than Gizmo offering to help spot or telling me I'm kicking butt in the squat rack!
  • shelbynicole32
    shelbynicole32 Posts: 179 Member
    Well it makes me feel better to know that it doesnt bother guys as much as I thought it did.
    Guys seem to lift their weights faster then girls because we like to take those little breaks in between,
    so they look at you sometimes like what in the world are you doing over there?
    Thanks for the replies... I wont feel so out of place the next time I walk in there!
  • shelbynicole32
    shelbynicole32 Posts: 179 Member
    A question - not meant to be disrespectful - wouldn't 5 or 10 pound dumbell weights and a floor mat accomplish the same thing as lifting the bar without tying up equipment that has more uses?

    The olympic bar weighs 45# with no weight on it - 2 5# weights would only be 10# total, so I can see why she would want to use just the bar. The only other way to get close to that same amount of weight would be using 2 20# free weights, and I know I can't do 20# in each hand alone...sometimes the little "girly" weights just aren't enough. I see your point, though.

    This...
    I like to lift the bar instead of the hand weights because the bar is heavier but somehow
    it seems to be easier on my shoulders so they dont flare up as much.
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
    No one bothers me as long as they are reasonably quiet, and they use the station properly. (IE: If you are in the squat rack, you should be squatting.)

    My trainer showed me the squat racks and told me to do push ups and rows using the bar on the rack. That's how I use it. And I'm one of those women who feel a little intimidated in the free weight area, trying not to be a bother.
  • 916lude
    916lude Posts: 305
    Wouldn't bother me. If you had poor form, I would let you know.

    Here's what bothers me:

    Not wiping sweat off when done with a machine/bench
    Not putting weights back where they belong
    Barbell curls in the power rack
    Being busy on your iphone while taking up a machine/bench
    Poor form with too much weight
    The circle of guys that are there to just hang out and check out the girls.
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    Guys... When you see a girl that can't lift very well in the weight room trying to lift, are we a bother to you?

    No more of a bother then all the men in the weight room that don't know what they're doing. If you get in there and work hard and practice good form but you can't do a lot of weight who cares.

    Very few women use the weights room in my gym. We have one bodybuilder girl who I avoid as she lifts twice what I can! One woman is always in, sometimes in her high heels - she hangs around the biggest guys - I think everyone is well aware of her agenda! Mostly they just walk through on their way to the dance/aerobic studio.

    Knowing how the guys like to help and show off their knowledge, I'm pretty sure that they would welcome a few more women in the weights room.
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
    I go to the gym ONLY to use the weights. I get my cardio running and doing Zumba. I don't see a keep girls out sign anywhere in there so I pay and use the same thing as everyone else. The only thing that bothers me is waiting on the darn Seated Row machine. I swear it seems to be the one that people hang out at the most. I have only seen one women lifting weights at my gym besides me not sure if she was doing heavy or not but hey that's good to see regardless! In the Bodypump class TONS of women. Its such a strange thing that women don't feel comfortable with the whole equality thing when it comes to lifting weights...lol
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Absolutely not! For starters, don't worry about anyone else in there and make sure you are doing the best you can do, no matter how heavy or light the weights are. The only person you need to impress is yourself.

    Also, other people, ESPECIALLY the stronger guys at the gym, are happy to HELP you. Even if you are using just the bar, if you feel like it's heavy, ask anybody around you for a a spot. I've been working out almost 20 years now and only once in my life have I had a person say no, and he was worried his bad back wouldn't let him safely handle the heavy weight I was trying to bench. That's a valid excuse in my book.

    And nobody in the gym gets to look down on what someone else is lifting. A guy lifting 135 can't look down on you with the bar because there is a guy lifting 225 that is waiting for his bench. And when the 225 guy is lifting, a guy is waiting to bench 315. And so on. There's always someone stronger. But we're not in competition, we're all just trying to get better.

    Last thing. I'm one of the stronger guys in the gym now, but it wasn't always the case. True story, I quit a gym when I first started working out because I couldn't put more than 25 pounds on the bar to bench, and even then I would get stuck with the weight on my chest, and I was embarrassed to ask the big guys to help me out. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. I returned to the gym almost a year later, and asked for help. I was amazed that even the biggest, hulk-like steroid freak would gladly drop everything to spot me on the other side of the gym. Not only did they not laugh in my face, they were happy to do it and said motivating things during and after the set.

    Sorry for the long response. I just feel really strongly about this. GET YO WORKOUT ON.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
    If anyone minds that I'm 'just lifting the bar" they can go *kitten* themselves. True story.

    I recommend this attitude.

    I totally agree with this attitude. You should walk in there like you own the place and lift what you can lift. Everyone is in a different place with their fitness and it shouldn't matter what other people think - men or women.


    Whoa...Wait a minute...I actually do my best to ignore this...but I think anyone who walks in the gym like the own the place is a dbag...Men or Women...Chest popped out as if they can lift the gym...maybe there is a such thing is too cocky...i dunno


    I may have misread you guys post..or misinterpret

    Misread or not, I agree - there can be such a thing as too cocky. But, being confident and getting in there with the attitude that you know exactly what you are doing is EXTREMELY liberating. I think this kicked in for me when I bought lifting gloves. Hee hee. I told my husband they make me look like more of a bada$$. :laugh:

    I don't mind if you think I'm "too cocky" or a "dbag."

    I'm a swanky b*tch and I enjoy being the way that I am.

    Rock on with your bad self! Entertainment and laughter is always good in the gym!

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