Why are so many women SCARED of weights? LMAO.

There have been a lot of reasons folks have posted in this thread for why they don't use the weights at the gym. I'm a 5'2" woman. I lift heavy every day I'm at the gym. I am usually one of the only women in the free weight area. Most women stick to the machines, even if they venture outside of the cardio areas.

My two cents (okay, more like 25 cents):

1) Free weights do a completely different thing than zumba (or other classes). Free weights build muscle, which helps boost your metabolic rate, promote fat loss, and make you look leaner. They're also badass.

2) Most men are not looking at you. Most men in the free weight area are just as insecure as the women are. They either are beginners who have no idea what they're doing, or they were beginners once and hung out in the free weight area long enough to have figured out a program they can do. I've seen men with great form, lifting a bunch of weight. And I've seen timid men on entirely biceps-focused programs and terrible lifting form wishing they could hide under a bench because they're so intimidated. In general, though, most people have their earbuds in and are ignoring everyone else around them. They don't really think of the free weights as "their territory", they think of the free weight area as the place that has the weights in it.

3) Men, when they DO notice a woman in the free weight area, are totally impressed by us. It's true that, unlike my boyfriend, I typically wander into the free weight area and no one feels like they can approach me. My boyfriend has made quite a few friends that are all guys who just struck up conversations with him; nobody has felt like doing that with me. It *did* make me feel a little unwelcome... until my boyfriend told me how one guy he met at the gym randomly said to him in the middle of their conversation, "By the way, dude, your girlfriend is amazing. She lifts more weight than some men. That's just awesome."

4) It's okay to not lift that much. Every guy started as a beginner with an empty bar. Every single one. So what if you can't lift 300 lbs or you're still learning or whatever? Every lifter was in that boat. People appreciate people who are trying, not people who are afraid to give it a shot.

5) The internet is amazing. Free weights seem terrifying or dangerous or like you need some form of skill to do them. It does help to have someone show you the ropes. But we live in an internet age where there are youtube self-help videos for everything. There are exactly 4 basic moves you need to learn to start a strength training program, and ALL can be done safely without a spotter -- bench press, squat, deadlift, and row. The internet abounds with videos to show you how to do these exercises heavy and with good form. The squat rack will safely spot you in a barbell squat, and dumbbell versions of all four exercises are basically spotter proof, especially at the light weights that most beginners start at. If you still feel insecure, most gyms offer a free training session that you can use to check your form and learn these exercises, and in my experience, almost every person in the free weight session of a gym is willing and eager to give form tips and spot people if you ask. ESPECIALLY if you are a girl.

6) Lifting weights may be boring. And, I definitely don't think you should do things in the gym that you think are dull. But, one could argue that 60 minutes on a treadmill staring at the paint chips on the wall is boring. I find that setting a lifting goal helps with the boredom, the constant stimulation of moving from free weight station to free weight station is mentally stimulating, and that it's hard to be bored when you're straining under a heavy weight close to failure. I find that free weights are boring when they aren't challenging enough; if you're bored, perhaps try adding more weight or building a structured program so that you have a defined goal?

There's nothing about the Y chromosome that gives men an exclusive pass to free weights and strength training.

If you're a woman who wants to 1) lose weight, 2) get healthier, and/or 3) want to look fabulous, you should be lifting heavy. We pay for the free weight section too, and we have just as much a right to be there as any guy. Also, we make that lifting stuff look good.