I am the woman in the freeweights section of the gym

I read this right before I went to the gym yesterday. I was unsure of what to do at first, but soon enough I was doing my own thing. Some guys may have stared, but it was probably because it took me a minute to fumble around with adjustments of my body. But it felt great!

I prefer this side of the gym to the cardio side. It is so boring over there. It is easier for me being a personal trainer, but I hired one to teach me how to do it before I fell in love with it. She helped me feel like I belonged there just as much as anyone else. Do I get looks? Every single day I workout, I use them as motivation to do one more rep. I also wear head phones and do my own thing. I have only had a couple of comments, but most of the time the people there are happy for the change of scenery and to watch you do something maybe they haven't tried before. I did have an older man do box jumps after my three sets because he didnt' have the courage to do them until he watched me. That was a cool feeling.

L8dyJ loves this!!! Feel free to add me for support

There is no need to be afraid of guys in the free weight section. They are suprisingly cool; you sure will get a glance or two (especially at squating!) but if you mind your business they are going to leave you alone. I didn't have a bad experience so far, though it seems like I'm the only woman not just in this gym but in the whole country who dares to do the whole weightlifting program. Haven't seen another lady lifting in my entire gym career! Two days ago something funny happened. I was looking for a dumbbell at the gym for an exercise called the farmer's walk. The only "girly" looking dumbbell at the gym - in baby blue colour! - felt featherly light in my hands. I couldn't believe it's supposed to weight 4 kg. A guy tried to be helpful and passed me the other baby blue dumbbell. I answered politely: " It's NOT HEAVY ENOUGH for me!" What a shocked face this poor chap made! I think he later changed his mind seeing me doing a 75 kg deadlift...

This was amazingly motivating! Thank you so much for your tips. :flowerforyou:

get it girl!.... I just put my headphones on, and walk in there like I own the place. Did I have fear at first, yes! Then one day I was like "F" this, I belong here too. Now Im dropping weights just like the meatheads. ; )

OP: Thank you; I want to be that woman, and your writing and recommendations will help!!!

Spot on post OP!

I like this post and am always a fan of discussions about people adding lifting to their regimens. In addition to all the great advice others have given, I would also note that the dynamics can really vary from gym to gym. A lot of gyms will give you a free pass to check it out. For me, I found my Crossfit gym to be the best environment. Even when I'm the slowest one in a workout, all I ever get is support. Crossfit is by definition done as a group, so there's a lot of camaraderie. I realize Crossfit isn't for everyone and I'm sure not all Crossfit gyms (aka boxes) are so welcoming. But I think it's worth giving a try if you're gym shopping. The important thing if you decide to try Crossfit is to make sure you know what your limits are. People are incredibly encouraging, but if you know that last rep, or that higher weight could hurt you, don't do it. No one will think less of you. And if they do, it's because they're not working hard enough on their own workout.

Great post. Thanks.

I go to Anytime Fitness, which is a pretty small gym, and there are a lot of women lifters in a huge age and overall fitness range. A lot of them are there for personal training sessions, but after they stop having one-on-one sessions, they generally continue to show up in the free weights section There are at least five girls training for a figure/physique competition. My sister and I maxed out on bench last week, and when we hit 145#, three different guys came over and were like "Wow, great job. You don't see girls benching with 45s on the bar very often." Most of the guys are actually really friendly and encouraging.

For all the girls who are afraid to do free weights because they don't have a spotter, just use dumbbells for your arm lifts. For squats you can use the power rack, and it will catch the bar if you fall, and for bench, use dumbbells. You won't be able to do as much total weight as you could do with a barbell, but it engages more stabilizer muscles, and no one will be mad at you if you drop one on the ground because it is too heavy. Way better than choking yourself until someone notices you need help

I was once told by a College Football Coach (a long time ago) that I didn't belong in the gym that I was in. I assumed he was just embarrassed that my friend and I were squatting more that some of his players.

As a little bit of a "go girl" empowerer, I have held onto that for a motivation for a lifetime of fitness.

Thanks for the post, OP. After overcoming my initial fear of the weight area, I'm ok going in there now and doing my thing. But I am still a little afraid of asking for help when I'm in there. I want to squat more weight than I'm able to lift up and onto my shoulders, but I can't figure out how to get the bar up onto my shoulders without help. Should I just bite the bullet and ask one of the guys to help me? Or is there some easy way of doing this on my own? There must be a way that people with home gyms do it.

I love this. Even though I will probably never gain the courage to go there myself, I applaud and admire all the strong, beautiful women who do.

I'm a small guy and years ago I was intimidated by the free weights section. I soon realised that everybody is generally zoned in on their own routine and felt at ease since.

Weights for all!