Chicks on the Boys side of the Gym....
Replies
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Nope! I feel right at home.. there aren't very many girls there but there are some! If your not sure what your doing, then it can feel uncomfortable, so ask one of the gym employees for demonstrations or research on www.bodybuilding.com which gives videos and descriptions of every exercise out there.
Get out there and do it! Everyone's gotta start somewhere!
"Lift Heavy! Run Hard!" =D
www.facebook.com/jenaesmithfitness0 -
This is gonna sound sad, but it's the only reason I haven't added strength training to my routine. When I was really big, before I got a gym membership (75 pounds ago..) I would walk outside, and a few times these built guys would be out on a front porch and they would yell mean things/oink at me. So I avoid boys in the gym all together. And I know that's extremely stupid because I'm sure like you guys said, everyone is there to pretty much get their own workouts in and they aren't worried about anyone else...but I can't help it. I'm so scared of being that close to guys who are in good shape, lol. I will stick to Zumba, with all of the other women, for now...
what about starting out with some hand weights at home?0 -
Your thoughts? I started lifting several months ago, at first at home with a few free weights..and realized quickly that I would have to break down and start going to a gym to lift since I was no longer challeged by what I had at home...
I am not gonna lie...the segregation in the gym is intimidating as all get out sometimes...there is a girl's side ( elliptical machines, treadmills and bikes) and theres a boy's side...( all the strength machines, cables-which happen to be my favorite!, free weights and bars). So my question to woman that lift...do you feel intimidated or uncomfortable by being the only female in the stregth section of the gym? And men...is it annoying when a woman crosses over to your side?
Just wanting some perspectives...from both sides. I am not going to stop lifting...I love it! But wonder why the gym is so segregated by gender.
NOPE, Never felt intimidated. I guess I could figure out how stuff worked and when I could not I would walk up front and ask a trainer or employee for assistance. I found that the guys were very nice and helpful, but if you were there to "fool around" in ANYWAY, they did not care for that. These guys were serious about their time in the weight room. Be serious about yours...everybody has a learning curve, so don't be intimidated. Forget the make-up, and if you can, leave off the long nails because you need to be able to FULLY grip free weights and handles...just for safety purposes. I always like a smaller Gym, a YMCA or small local center. I suggest that you at least have a "Clue" before going. Check out YouTube for proper form...unless you have the latest woman's lifting rules book...maybe even practice at home with no weights just to get form down...Then GO, lift Heavy, OWN IT!!!0 -
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Nope! I feel right at home.. there aren't very many girls there but there are some! If your not sure what your doing, then it can feel uncomfortable, so ask one of the gym employees for demonstrations or research on www.bodybuilding.com which gives videos and descriptions of every exercise out there.
Get out there and do it! Everyone's gotta start somewhere!
"Lift Heavy! Run Hard!" =D
www.facebook.com/jenaesmithfitness
will do!!!!0 -
At my gym, women can come into the weight section AFTER they have asked permission from each male member currently working in the area.
This is wrong. I would be upset. For gods sake find gym that isn't sexist. This isn't the 1950s.0 -
At my gym, women can come into the weight section AFTER they have asked permission from each male member currently working in the area.
This is standard practice at my gym as well.
This IS LEGAL DISCRIMINATION. If you pay the Same Gym fees, then You (Women) have EQUAL ACCESS (Just as the Men) to any part of the Gym (except Sexually Restricted Areas, like Toilets and Showers.) WHO would PAY for A Service and ALLOW themselves to be Discriminated against. I would tell them, I will NOT follow that PRACTICE, I will Follow the RULE (If this is NOT in your GYM CONTRACT then it can not be enforced) and if it IS in the Contract (that you DO NOT have FULL ACCESS to every area of the Gym) you bought a BAD DEAL or You may be able to get out of the Contract by alleging discrimination. MY GOODNESS why would ANYONE pay EQUAL PRICE for UNEQUAL SERVICES?!!!0 -
As a man that lifts heavy at the gym...when I see a woman, any woman...of any level of fitness pushing weight, she gets instant respect. The more weight she's pushing...the more impressed I am, and you can double that if she's out of shape and in there working for it.
That being said, there's one young lady, who basically does nothing more than take up a bench. She's very attractive, and has been a member of my gym for years (I used to go there with my brother years ago). She's in much better shape now, than she was then...but its clear its taken her the full amount of time to get there. She never touches any barbell larger than 15lbs. She performs complicated multi joint exercises with that weight (raise arms to shoulder height in a T, bend elbows 90* forward, turn forearms 90* up, bring elbows 90* to chest, lower elbows, lower forearms, repeat 20x) for stupid amounts of reps. I do have great respect for her, not because she's doing anything special...but because she worked 3x harder than she had to for every ounce of her progress. It makes me a little sad to know that that body she has could have been gained in a few months to a year...with heavy compound lifts.
Anyhow...^^^^ this lady, is who you DON'T want to be. Get in there, lift heavy...and trust that the guys around you are all secretly impressed.0 -
Gave up the gym membership.
Bought dumbbells for home and go to the apt gym too. its FREE.
No males staring at me like im a disease and dont belong!0 -
I don't go into the weight area yet, but I have to walk through to get to the cardio machines & they people are always staring, makes me really uncomfortable.0
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At my gym, women can come into the weight section AFTER they have asked permission from each male member currently working in the area.
This is standard practice at my gym as well.
LOL!! Can you believe anyone actually took this seriously??
Much less seriously enough to write a freaking comment in reply with 90% caps in it?
Excellent trolling my friend
. 0 -
it's irrelevant how the men feel, and it is not 'their' side. it's just where they like to hang out it's also where i like and NEED to hang out. 0
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I go to a small gym, but I still see the segregation. Women on the treadmills and ellipticals, men on the machines (I actually rarely see them lift free weights.). It does feel awkward to be working out on the "boys side", but I don't care since I love lifting. What bothers me to no end though, is that there are many men who load up the machines with weight, and then don't re-rack the weight. I'm not really sure what makes them think that this is ok behavior...Anyways, I wish more women would lift, and I love it when I occasionally do see one venture away from the cardio.0
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I really think the segregation depends on the gym you workout at. I've been to gyms where the weight room was like "the boy's room". At my current gym it is "equal opportunity". At my current gym there are ladies that are always pumping iron. Let me add that I hate gyms where there is a separation of men and women.
I say just go in and get your strength training in...ignore the boys/girls side of the gym thing.0 -
I am slowly getting more used to being the only chick in the free weight section. One day an older dude came and said hi and gave me a high-five and told me to keep up the nice work. This really helped me feel better about being on the "boy side", because it made me realize some guys think a girl lifting is cool and that I am probably just over-thinking!0
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I actually love the fact that I'm the only woman I've ever seen in the squat rack at my gym. As far as I know, I'm squatting more than any woman there and no one can prove otherwise. :laugh:0
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I am slowly getting more used to being the only chick in the free weight section. One day an older dude came and said hi and gave me a high-five and told me to keep up the nice work. This really helped me feel better about being on the "boy side", because it made me realize some guys think a girl lifting is cool and that I am probably just over-thinking!
Yeah, one day an older gentleman came up to me and asked me if I worked with a trainer.
No.
Never?
Never for squats. [The last trainer I hired tried to put me on a Smith machine]
I thought he was going to tell me I was doing it all wrong, but he actually complimented my form and says he never sees people in there doing them right. 0 -
The other day I was using the incline sled leg press on the "boys' side" and had to go borrow additional 45lb plates from different stations. 450lbs later, half of those boys had their necks subtly craned to look in my direction.
I felt no shame, and nobody ever gives me a hard time. 0 -
i would rather be around guys than girls.
girls are snarky witches.0 -
The guys at my gym are really nice, though, and they never really say anything when I encroach on their territory. They're actually really nice about it, and you can always make them laugh by accidentally farting while doing inverse crunches. :laugh:
LOL! I'm all for farting as a defence.0 -
I would consider lifting weights at the Y IF I had another woman with me who knows what she is doing then I would not be so terrified. Then again my son and his litte family just moved out and left me a pretty nice weight bench with over three hundred pounds of barbel weights. I am now reading the New Rules Of Lifting for Women and am planning to start lifting at home on Tuesday. Maybe when I have done it at home a few times I will feel a bit more comfortable with going to "that side" of the room.0
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I lift, it's fine, I don't care about anyone else. I'm often the only girl over there, but not always. I am at a gym that isn't too flash and has mostly older people, which is better I think because they are just there to do their thing and not to pick up girls or whatever so I don't mind them and they don't mind me.
One thing that helps is watching videos online from your phone when you aren't sure of form (bodybuilding.com database is great), because unless I'm with someone I know I don't want to ask "how do I do this one?".
Over time you get stronger and better at what you're doing, but I think it's also kind of frustrating at first because as a girl who is just starting you are going to be weaker than the men in the gym who are regulars. You just have to focus on form and do your best. Remember that with lifting, reaching failure is a good thing.. Just keep positive, only think about your workout and don't compare yourself to others. Then, one day, peek out and realise you can lift more than one of the guys in the gym, and then you can happy dance all week.0 -
Well, I'm a guy who takes aerobics classes, so I'm at the opposite end. Sometimes, I do get looks (I suspect that it is from women who are just new to the gym and are still intimidated) and I can't always shrug it off when the instructors says something like "Let's go, ladies!" but generally, it's okay.
In terms of segregation, I am a member of a local chain of fitness centres that allows me to go to any gym I want. So, when I am in the city, I notice more men in the aerobics classes. In the suburbs, I notice more women in the weights area.
However, I have never seen the cardio machines just dominated by one gender. Both men and women will do the treadmills, elipticals, stairmasters, etc.0 -
Cardio in my gym is a 50/50 split. Ditto the weight machines.
BUT, you cross over into that free weights section and there's very few girls in there. Aside from me, I've counted 2 other ladies in there in the 6 months I've been at that gym.
You know what? YES, I'm still very much overweight, and fat. YES, I need to do cardio to address this.
YES, I lift, and I lift heavy now, compared to 6 months ago when I was rocking the 5lb dumbbells, I now have:
45lb squat (thinking of adding some plates to the bar today woohoo!)
30lb bench (working up to using the bar instead of the pre loaded barbells)
I'm just starting deadlifts, but think they'll be around 30lbs to start, too.
20lb shoulder press
30lb bicep curl
Yeah, I feel intimidated when I see guys with a ton of plates on the bar, benching like it weighs nothing, but I just remember, they all had to start where I am.
Because I'm now a fairly regular free weights user, the guys are starting to talk to me - just offering me a hand unloading the last guy's plates from the squat rack, or apologizing if they have to cross between me and the mirror during my set, little things. So I think they accept me.
Now, if I could just be brave enough to ask for a spot, it'd be grand - but then very few people use a spot in my gym...0 -
My gym isnt to bad you see a few women on the weights machines, the only ones you would maybe only see one or two girls a month at are the free weights but the boys just ignor you and do their thing lol0
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When I first started lifting (and yes, there's a huge gender divide in my gym!), there were definitely shifty looks from the men in the strength training section. I'm not particularly small as such, but some of them were looking at me as if I was trying to bench-press a mammoth.
Now they recognise my face, there's much more support - dare I say it, even the odd "hello" or smile! The odd one will stare give me a 'Yo, Ovaries, you don't belong here' glance but largely the men see that I do my own thing and haven't got my funbags hanging out. It's all good now 0 -
Deleted: Double Post0
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Your thoughts? I started lifting several months ago, at first at home with a few free weights..and realized quickly that I would have to break down and start going to a gym to lift since I was no longer challeged by what I had at home...
I am not gonna lie...the segregation in the gym is intimidating as all get out sometimes...there is a girl's side ( elliptical machines, treadmills and bikes) and theres a boy's side...( all the strength machines, cables-which happen to be my favorite!, free weights and bars). So my question to woman that lift...do you feel intimidated or uncomfortable by being the only female in the stregth section of the gym? And men...is it annoying when a woman crosses over to your side?
Just wanting some perspectives...from both sides. I am not going to stop lifting...I love it! But wonder why the gym is so segregated by gender.
Just smile and wave!! I started lifting recently and always get looks of admiration whenever I cross the invisible gender barrier. I even got a few compliments as well!0 -
I used to feel intimidated when i wasnt confident with using weights but my boyfriend is one of the guys who weight lifts there all the time so i now am welcomed into that area...lol0
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Just make sure your form is perfect!! Not only for safety (which is obviously of the utmost importance) but it just fends off any jibes from guys who think like Tarzan and will use any excuse to further the segregation! I lift and I lift more than a few of the guys at my gym! Proper form and impressive weights leads to dates as I have found out! Most guys admire girls who lift once they do it properly!0
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